Hi! I’ll leave home for a whole week this spring and I’m wondering what’s best for my 9 years old indoor cat. I have two options:

1. Ask my retired mother to come home for like 30-45 minutes a day to replenish the food/water, empty the litter box and just be with the cat for a while (to pet her, play with her). My mother doesn’t mind at all and has the time for this. My cat isn’t shy with her.

2. Bring the cat to a coworker who owns a caretaking company (at his home) for animals. The cat will be in an unknown environment but will have a human presence multiple times per day, will have her own room with food, water, toys and a litter box. My cat will never be totally alone because my coworker works from home. I’ll need to pay him of course but money isn’t an issue.

So… I don’t know what’s best for my cat. she’s a rescue and was abandoned 2-3 times in her past. Should I go with 1, with a familiar environment but with less human presence or with 2, unfamiliar environment but with frequent interactions with a stranger?

Thanks for your input!