Leaving a cat alone

Hi everyone!

I am not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here we go...

Let me first start by introducing myself. My name is Jennifer, I live in New Jersey, I'm 23, a writer and a first time cat owner. I recently adopted a 4 year old tabby cat, Sebastian, and I trying to learn the "ropes" of being a cat owner!

It seems that I have gotten a different answer everytime I have asked someone this question and I thought I'd ask you folks, to see what you think...

This thanksgiving, my plan is to go to my mother's house for two days, she lives 2 hours away. My mother has two dogs, both are very friendly, but one is somewhat large and neither have been around cats before. I am concerned about bringing Sebastian into a new place, with two dogs, when he is just getting use to my apartment, and my intention has been to leave him at my apartment, with plenty of food and water, where I believe he'll be the most comfortable.

So, I ask you: Do you believe Sebastian would be better off home alone for 2 days or coming with me to my mother's?

Thank you for your help!

Hi Jennifer! Welcome to TCS

Are you away for two nights? If you have someone that could check in on Sebastian, I would suggest leaving him at home.

Jennifer welcome to TCS!

We have plans to be gone a week this Thanksgiving and I have a bundle of cats. We have hired a company called Critter Sitters to come in twice a day to check on the cats and feed them as well as litter changes and to take care of our reptile pets.

Would this be an option for you? Or even as Karen said, maybe a friend wouldn't mind coming over to check on Sebastian?

I would recommend living him home.

If it was me I would leave your new cat home, especially if she is just getting use to the new enviorment. If your mother didn't have dogs that might be different. I have left my cats (2) many times for 2 days and they are always fine. Of course they always act like they missed me when I get home. But I always figure its safer and less stressful for them to stay at home. I'm sure others with have insiteful information for you also. Good Luck and welcome to the world of cats, it's a blast. Laurie

I recommend leaving him at your apartment, but only if you can have someone come in after 24 hours. A pet sitting service would be the best, and around here they charge 15 dollars a day. If you are leaving early thurs. morning, you would have someone come in on friday morning to scoop, put out fresh wet food, and fresh water. Thurs. am, you can make sure all food, water and litter are good for a day. I would also make sure the blinds are up so kitty can look out all the windows, and maybe leave a radio on very low. If you take him home to your mothers, is there a room he can stay in by himself with his food and litter. preferably the room you will be sleeping in?
It will be less stressful on your kitty to stay home. Find a friend with a cat so you can share the favor. Comes in handy for long trips.

We'll be going to my fiance's parents over thanksgiving weekend (actually, we're going this weekend too) and we'll be gone (both times) from Friday evening till Sunday afternoon. We do this regularly and even though his mom says we can bring the cats we both feel they are more comfortable at home. We leave them enough food and water to last longer that we'll be gone and they always miss us but they have never had a problem. Some probaly don't agree with this but we'll leave them unattended for up to 4 days at a time.We don't like to and it doens't happen often (average is 2 days) but we will do it.

I agree with the other posters about leaving the cat at home.

When we go on vacation or have to be gone more than overnight I have a friend ( who I'd trust with my own life ) who comes in and feeds, cleans litter and plays with my cats.
I've always found that it's less stressful for my cats to leave them in their home and have someone they know come in to take care of them.

If you leave plenty of food and lots of water, a clean kitty litter box and the toys, your baby will be just fine.

I show cats and have left them at home alone from Friday nite till Sunday nite with no problems. They had extra food/water (especially the water) and an extra litter box.

Cats are not social animals and really don't like to go visit like a dog would.

Ya I agree, just leave plenty of food and water and he will be fine for 2 days on his own. For the first time, I would have someone come and check on him the second day. But otherwise, 2 days is nothing. Unless you have a house full of dangerous things and breakables.

I get my upstairs neighbours to play with Gizmo and scoop her box and feed her when I am away. She needs a lot of loving but adjusts reasonably well to the change.

Do not take your cat to your parents'. It's far better to leave him at home, even if no one can look in on him and you can only leave extra food and a fresh box. He will be fine. He won't be fine with some frightening dogs and new places especially so soon after you got him.

I adopted a four year old cat last year (this is her first anniversary!) When I took my first trip away from home, I was worried that Gizmo would hate me when I was back...the neighbours looked in on her twice a day for the week I was gone.

She did not hate me, she was just fine...the only reaction was an exasperated "Meh!" when I came home. (That's Gizmo talk for 'I am angry that you left me!") Then she was immediately all purrs and cuddles again.

Your boy will be fine.

I would leave them at home, but if it's going to be for more than 24 hours I'd get someone to check up on them. They'd probably be ok for longer, but accidents can happen at any time (or they might be taken ill). If they're unattended for too long it could make the difference between life and death.

I agree that he'd be much better off at home. Most cats don't like to travel, and 2 dogs in an unfamiliar house would be terrifying.
I leave my cats alone, but for peace of mind I like to have someone checking on them once a day. You never know when they're going to knock over the water, get tangled in something or whatever.

We leave Carl (3 yr old tabby, adopted about 2 months ago) at home alone for up to 2 days/1 night without anyone looking in on him, but if we are gone for 2 nights, we always get a friend to come in, play with him, feed him some wet food and clean his box.

We are going out of town for Thanksgiving and we have not been able to get any of our friends to come look in on him, so I am hiring a pet sitting service. It's $15 per day and they come feed him, spend 30 minutes hanging out with him and clean his litter box. They are fully insured and bonded, and the woman who runs the place is a vet tech, so I don't worry about him at all!