ELaurie Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I'm a pet sitter, and I make once-daily visits all the time for kitties! I think it's really all most of them need. I'd have absolutely no qualms about it. Ask someone to come in to scoop the cat box and feed/water everyday, and maybe spend a total of 20-30 minutes, just being there, in case the cat warms up a bit and wants company. You can keep a radio softly playing a talk station if you think it will soothe your kitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yes, we've done this. Kitty was fine, though he did yowl at us for about an hour after coming home to let us know his feelings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. I think it would be okay. When I have done pet sitting like this, the cat was more and more removed as the days went on, and while greeting me the first day, was under the bed when I came in by day three. However, food and and water consumed, pan used. Cats do okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Your kitty will be just fine and I'm willing to bet, WAY more happy being at home versus a kennel! We've always had pet sitters come in for our cats. Our dog goes to the kennel, because she actually seems to enjoy it. We've always had at least 4 cats (we currently have 7), so we couldn't afford a kennel, at any rate :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We left our kitty home for 2.5 weeks with daily visits by someone who knew her (my MIL). MIL would come and stay with her for awhile each day. I was so, so worried about leaving her that long, but she did fine. She was very glad to see us when we got home. I don't think she left our sides for about a week. It was really very sweet to know that we had been missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I leave my cat for that long and only have someone check on him once... Cats can actually go that long without food and water, so I don't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. We just returned from Disney World this past Sat. We were away from the house for 8 days. We did buy a self-feeding dry cat food container at petsmart, around $10, and it is almost a 2 week supply for our cat. My friend came over 3 times in an 8 day period. It turned out to be every other day. With that said, our cat is a rescue one from a high kill shelter from CA. She is the best cat for "us". Unfortunately, we've had 3 different people check on her in the last 2 years, while we're away, and she's scratched all of them! That will be another thread. Also, we have an automatic litter box and it was good for the week. HTH. Sheryl <>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yep, we do it all the time. We have 4 cats, so they keep each other company, and my neighbor comes in once a day to change their water, fill the food bowl and scoop the litter box. A kennel would be FAR too traumatic for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 I feel better now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 When we had cats, we would leave them and have someone look in on them. Just be careful that the cat cannot accidently shut a door and be locked in without food/water. My sister left her cat and it shut the door. It was locked in a room for like 2 days without food/water. It needed fluids and stuff from the vet when she found the cat. But I guess that wouldn't be as big of an issue if you have someone look in every day instead of every 2 or 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We have four cats and we have left them home alone for that long. I put out a self-feeding container and then fill every bowl, pan, bucket, sink and bottom of bathtub I have with water. I worry about them running out of water way more than food. We have four liter pans in the garage w/kitty door and we usually change them once a week any how. They are a little skittish and unhappy when we get home but they are otherwise fine. As long as they are in familiar surroundings and have each other for company they seem to do ok. I don't really like to leave them that long and I wouldn't leave them any longer but they have done ok with that amount of time a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Agreeing with the others that they will be fine. We always have my fil come up and feed our animals, including the cats while we are gone, and they do fine. It's sweet when we get home because we can tell they have missed us. BUT we had a kitten once that was the meanest thing in the world. We left for a long weekend to go camping, and I swear she was p*ssed when we came home. I think she thought we were never coming back and she was going to be queen of the world. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I leave my cat for that long and only have someone check on him once... Cats can actually go that long without food and water, so I don't worry. Cats actually should not be without food for more than 3 days as their bodies can start to develop problems and ketoacidosis can start to develop. With that said, as long as water is available, someone to clean the litterbox or lots of extra litterboxes most things are fine.If you have houseplants I would remove those and do a total baby proofing of the house before you leave. Because an accident is most likely to occur when no one is around to play with the cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. Yes. If someone is coming over daily, yes I would leave him home. I've never kenneled cats. Someone has always come over to keep an eye and feed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 My 15 y.o. visits the neighbor's cats twice a day when they travel (which is frequently!) Cats seem fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolosoli Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I think most cats would prefer it that way. Going away to a kennel or having someone they don't know all that well coming to stay with them can be stressful. A quick visit to check on them, feed and water them and check the litter is really all they need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We've always left ours alone (as long as they were healthy) without anyone checking unless we are going to be gone more than 2 nights or so. Usually I get someone to come in every 2-3 days if we are away for an extended period. We did this with our two, then three, cats for 12 years. Once one of them began requiring twice daily meds for epilepsy, we started kenneling him only. He's very skittish and would be next to impossible for anyone to find and medicate (he's even skittish of our 10 yo). Over the last year, we had to kennel two of the three because the second required twice daily meds for thyroid (she recently had to be put down because of cancer). The third is fine at home---he's only on a prescription diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Just be careful that the cat cannot accidently shut a door and be locked in without food/water. That's an excellent point! Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Cats are nearly universally happier at home alone (with someone checking in) than anywhere else. He'll likely be fine at home with someone checking in each day. If possible, invite the checker-inner to hang out for a couple hours as is possible, watch a movie, etc. Just for company and maybe a bit of affection. Either way, he'll be just fine. Cats hate to be boarded. They hate to go away from home. They want to be at their own place. Having someone check in daily is close to ideal. (Ideal being someone at the house overnight.) Honestly, most cats will be fine for a couple days all by their lonesome if you can leave food & plenty of water & sufficient clean litter boxes out. (Making sure the cat can't lock himself into a closet or run out of water. . .) Having someone check in once a day is definitely best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLHCO Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Definitely. Many cats (mine included) are far more traumatized in a kennel than at home alone. Extra food, someone to check to make sure they are not out of food/water for any period of time, and if they are willing, the occasional scratch, and you'll have a perfectly happy kitty. I'm not even a convinced daily check is necessary, though I'm sure the kitty would appreciate it. We regularly leave ours alone over weekends with extra food/water (we actually leave a pan in the sink on a drip, from which she'll drink, and one of those food dispensing things) and if it's more than the couple nights, we'll get someone to check on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We have four cats and we have left them home alone for that long. I put out a self-feeding container and then fill every bowl, pan, bucket, sink and bottom of bathtub I have with water. I worry about them running out of water way more than food. We have four liter pans in the garage w/kitty door and we usually change them once a week any how. They are a little skittish and unhappy when we get home but they are otherwise fine. As long as they are in familiar surroundings and have each other for company they seem to do ok. I don't really like to leave them that long and I wouldn't leave them any longer but they have done ok with that amount of time a few times. :iagree: Although now one of my kitties is paralyzed, so I guess I don't leave HER anymore. :glare: I have to express her bladder, so I have NO idea what I would do if we wanted to take a vacation. Medical boarding is $100/night. :( We would seriously consider taking her with us, and just finding a hotel that allowed cats, otherwise we probably couldn't travel at all. So far though, we've only gone to visit family, and we just bring her along in the car. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. We've done it lots of times. It's much less traumatic than the drive to the vet, then living in a cage for five days. At home, he'll be able to keep up his normal routine (only minus the snuggles). He'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 When we had cats, we would leave them and have someone look in on them. Just be careful that the cat cannot accidently shut a door and be locked in without food/water. My sister left her cat and it shut the door. It was locked in a room for like 2 days without food/water. It needed fluids and stuff from the vet when she found the cat. But I guess that wouldn't be as big of an issue if you have someone look in every day instead of every 2 or 3 days. That happened to us except the cats were fine but my carpet was not!:glare: We leave our cats for long periods of time with a litter box (or two!), food that is more than enough for the length of time we will be gone, and lots of water. I'll have someone check on them every couple of days, but that is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 As lng as someone comes in twice a day to clean the litterbox and fill food/water, maybe pet kitty if he lets them, he should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Leave the toilet lid open, then you know he won't run out of water. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Depends on the cat. I took care of food/water/litter for a neighbor's cat for about a week with no problem. We used to leave our cats for a few days at a time without issue. Today, I'd feel obligated to board my cats. They've gotten to be such a pain about wanting water from the faucet at least a few times a day that I'd be afraid they'd tear the house apart. You should see my bathroom doors, even with us home most of the time. :glare: I'm not sure having someone come in once, or even twice, a day would help that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April03 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I am fortuante to live in a community with awesome neighbors and we watch each other pets all the time. I daily check is fine! Enjoy your get away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We will leave our cats for 7 days/6 nights about 2x a year. I leave out a whole bag of food in various containers (way more than they would eat), extra litter boxes, and have someone check on them at least once, hopefully twice or more. For water I leave a faucet dripping in a sink they like to frequent with a dish under the drip so fresh water is always available. This seems to work best as far as water, and then I don't worry if something happens and my sitter can't make it to check on the cats. I also leave out a self waterer and other bowls of water as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We used a kennel once. It was too traumatic for them, and could have exposed them to communicable diseases. Having a pet sitter come once a day is fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PygmyShrew Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 sure. When we went on vacation, we'd leave a little radio (turned to public radio) on (not too loud) and have a friend look in every few days. Also, we'd leave a toilet paper roll in the bathroom for ours to shred up and "let her rip" pardon the pun. Have fun on your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabelle Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 I would have no problem with it. Since I overplan and worry about the person *not* showing up as he/she says, I would set up an extra litterbox (which I would do anyway if I was concerned about the person not wanting to deal with it--I think one kitty can make two litterboxes work for 5 days) and put out enough food and water for the time you're gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 (edited) We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. The Lone Dissenting Voice Says: I'd be very careful about leaving things out with this one. Years ago, one of my strays ;) was the same way -- skittish and easily spooked. I went away for a day, and came back to shredded curtains, the bread pulled off the top of the refrigerator (and shredded to bits), paper shredded all over the place, pillows chewed to pieces. :001_huh: I think the cat freaked out. She never did tame well, but she had a home until the neighbor shot her because he thought she was foaming at the mouth. :glare: Other strays have taken years (and spaying/neutering) to really settle down. You will want to think about the impact of the neighbor coming in to check -- more freaking out, probably. I pet sat/house sat for some friends years ago, and their normally calm cat went berserk -- pooped ALL over the place, poop everywhere, just absolutely everywhere. And she would perch on the winding stairs and attack me when I came in the front door. I mean, she literally FLEW at me, claws, teeth and all. It was weird, she was usually so calm and normal. They could not believe my report when they returned, except for the poop that I did NOT clean off the drapes. :tongue_smilie:That was the evidence of a deeply disturbed cat. I swear, I did NOT abuse that cat in any way, not even when she attacked me. I love cats, but some of them are strange when their routines are disrupted. If it were me, I would actually put him in a shelter, so the trauma of being left alone is not associated with your home. Plus, shelter people will know how weird cats can be without their normal environments, but your neighbor might be unaware. HTH. Edited November 12, 2010 by Sahamamama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We have left our two cats lots of times, over the years, with extra food, extra water and someone checking in on them once daily. They have always done fine and were happy to see us when we returned. There was one time they were playing in the guest bath and accidentally shut the door, trapping them inside. Fortunately they were being checked daily so they were found and they were fine. They did claw at the carpet near the door, not surprisingly. I would never even consider taking them to a kennel for boarding. They freak out about riding in the car and I know they would be very miserable at a kennel. They would hate all of the noise, strange people and animals and strange smells and they would be on edge the entire them they were there. They may not be very happy about their people being gone for a while but I know they would rather be in their home than at a kennel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 The Lone Dissenting Voice Says: I'd be very careful about leaving things out with this one. Years ago, one of my strays ;) was the same way -- skittish and easily spooked. I went away for a day, and came back to shredded curtains, the bread pulled off the top of the refrigerator (and shredded to bits), paper shredded all over the place, pillows chewed to pieces. :001_huh: This one was declawed front and back when we found him; part of the reason we took him in was because he was so defenseless. He's never been destructive in any way, and we have left him alone for a weekend with no problems before. He knows the responsible teen from next door who will be looking in on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We hire a service that set up to do just that. They come in to feed and play with the animals however many times a day you request. We only did this for our cats though. Editing to add that they also cared for our chincilla, tortoise and rats too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Leave the toilet lid open, then you know he won't run out of water. :tongue_smilie: I wouldn't do this one, actually. My great great aunt's Chihuahua tried to drink out of my grandmother's toilet once. He fell in and the lid fell shut on him, trapping him inside (luckily not landing on his head). Also luckily, it was during a visit, so they heard him and got him out promptly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We've done that before because ours prefers to be at home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We have left our cats for a week before. I had automatic feeders that opened at a certain time. And an automatic water dish where only a certain amount of water would come out at a time. I also left lots of additonal bowls of water around. My brother checked on them to make sure their food dish was working but they wouldn't come out for him to see how they looked. They were standoffish when we got back but got over it after a few hours. We left them with access to only certain areas of the house, I wouldn't want them to get hurt while I was gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted November 12, 2010 Share Posted November 12, 2010 We'll be away for 5 days and 4 nights, and I'm not sure what to do about our kitty. 5 days seems like a long time to leave him alone, but he was a stray before we took him in about a year ago, and he tends to be skittish, and easily spooked. I'm afraid that leaving him in a shelter would be even more traumatic than leaving him home alone. We have a neighbor who could look in on him every day, but no one who can keep him for us while we're gone. Absolutely. We have 2 cats, so they have each other. But we left our cats for 3 weeks last winter with a neighbor stopping by every day or 2. Cats are fine with this set up and it's much less stressful than taking them out of their happy place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I wouldn't do this one, actually. My great great aunt's Chihuahua tried to drink out of my grandmother's toilet once. He fell in and the lid fell shut on him, trapping him inside (luckily not landing on his head). Also luckily, it was during a visit, so they heard him and got him out promptly. Oh! I was just kidding but thanks for the warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted November 13, 2010 Author Share Posted November 13, 2010 :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 We used to watch a kitty for a friend when she'd go away. That cat was territorial! She would attack, growl, moan, hide to attack. I carried a chair or a stool with me as I walked around in the house, speaking to her to sound like my friend's voice. She didn't like my kids either. A few times two different sons went in to take care of her and man! the one had to jump over a table and onto the sofa to run from her. She wasn't playing. Looking back it is hilarious, but really, she was not pleased. If I visited before friend went away, kitty would tolerate us, sniff us, no growling. We would just feed her, clean the litter boxes, check on her twice a day. Sometimes it was quite risky.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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