Korean Job Discussion Forums

[politica]

Thanks to my school, I have two 10-day vacations only three weeks apart. Yes, this really is the only way I can arrange it, its this way or I lose the vacay time. I just went to Vietnam over Christmas and New Year's and it was fabulous.

Now, my next vacay is the last week of January, over Lunar new year's. Here's the problem. Going to Viet Nam was the first time I left my cats (I have two that I adopted here in Korea). They were generally fine and didn't cause tooooo much trouble for the cat sitter, BUT I can tell they REALLY did not like me gone for that long And I'm not sure that I went to leave them for ten days again so soon.

My initial plan, before I started worrying about the cats, was to take the ferry to Japan, and spend a few days bumming around Japan, leaving the cats with the cat sitter again, or potentially a different cat sitter. But now, I don't really now if I'm even that interested in Japan, and I really want to stay with the cats. Has anyone traveled with pets here in Korea? I've been on trains/subway/buses with them and they are fine. Are there any pet friendly hotels in Korea, specifically somewhere down south? Mokpo? Gwangju? Busan? Masan? Jeju? Yosu? Ulsan? etc . . .

I wouldn't mind going down south somewhere for a week, or perhaps even taking the ferry to Jeju, but the cats would have to come with me, and I'm just not sure how to search for that kind of thing here.

Thanks in advance for any help!
politica

[schwa]

I've got a couple adopted Korean cats here too & they've lived with me for 6 & 7 years now. I leave them behind a couple times a year to go on vacation & they're fine with it.

First time, not so much! They scolded me when I got back. I think they thought I wasnt coming back. Second time, a milder rebuke. Third time & since, I get a shrug & an "oh its you" attitude when I walk back in the door.

I strongly recommend against trying to travel with yours. Cats by nature are territorial & new & changing surroundings are very stressful for them (unlike dogs). I also question whether they would be accepted on all buses or in any motels. Even if they were, do you really want to lug litter everywhere & have to explain scratching damage? Are you going to sit in your motel room to keep them company? They'd really be a lot happier & more comfortable in their own home.

The key is finding the right minder while you're gone -- someone who genuinely likes cats. A trusted friend, a petshop assistant, a reliable older student. I've had great luck with highschool kids (sons of colleagues) who would drop in for an hour or so each day & actually hang out & play with my cats. They were also thrilled with a chunk of pocket change at the end for their "work." I always leave phone & email contacts in case of emergency but I've never been bothered in my travels.

My girls inspired one of their caregivers to pursue animal care as a career -- he's now in 3rd-year uni studies to become a vet!

[sobriquet]

[politica]

That's an interesting idea about having someone care for them in my house. How do you go about finding students like that? I work in an elementary school, so I don't have easy access to high school or university students . . .