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Going Away On Vacation

post #1 of 14
11/15/06 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, to everyone! I am looking for advice and I was wondering if any of you could please help me out.

My boyfriend has an 8-month-old, unneutered male kitten and he has to leave to go to his hometown for about a month. The problem is "where to leave the kitten", as the trip lasts 4 hours by train. Apart from that, we both assume that the kitten would be confused in a new environment, and it could also be dangerous since his parents have two dogs in the house.

Unfortunately, there isn't a "pets' hostel" around here, and I can't take him at my place because I also have a dog. I am willing to visit my boyfriend's home every day to feed and take care of the kitten, but he thinks that it will feel too lonely during the rest of the day and night. He also thinks that as we won't be around to turn on the radiators and aircondition regularly, it might catch a cold.

Is this true? Do cats get lonely if they are not around people 24/7? And would the lack of constant heat cause the cat health problems? If you have any advice on the matter, please feel free to let me know
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post #2 of 14
11/15/06 at 4:50pm
Hi! Just wondering, is there a reason kitty isnt neutered yet? He should be old enough now to be neutered

Personally, the way I feel is I would rather leave my cats in their own home/environment, even if it meant being apart from me, vs. trying to bring them with me on a trip. I know my cats and I know they would be completely freaked out and traumatized, seeing as they freak out just going to the vets!

The cat might get a little lonely but if you went over every day and spent at least an hour or so with him I think he would be ok. Maybe spend one night a week there? So he can have company. I would definately have lots of toys out for him to keep busy.. maybe get some interactive toys that he can play with by himself like the ball in the round thing (I forget what they're called).

As far as the cold, how cold would it actually get? Cats are pretty resiliant and have thick coats for the cold outside. I cant see a cat freezing inside of a house unless you live in Alaska or something
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post #3 of 14
11/15/06 at 5:14pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you very much for replying

To answer your question, the kitten will probably be neutered the moment he starts getting on our nerves from meowing his heart out! I guess you are right: I believe he's going to be fine on his own as long as I spend time everyday with him. And we would have to take care that there are no hazards around the house because he is very naughty and we wouldn't want him to get hurt when I won't be around.

To be honest, winter over here isn't very cold. It is mostly rainy and even if it snows, it doesn't last for more that 3-4 days. I think that if we would leave him some soft towels and small blankets, he would be OK. I believe the true problem is that my boyfriend is convinced that leaving the kitten on its own, is cruel and dangerous. In fact, he prefers to let me keep it at my place with the dog. But of course, that would mean constant fights as my dog is not very social and the kitten is a bit of a bully!

Once more, thank you very much for replying
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post #4 of 14
11/15/06 at 5:19pm
You may be bothered by more then just meowing if your un-neutered male starts spraying! I would definately get that surgery taken care of before he leaves on his trip.

Anyhow, I have an 8 month old male kitty also -- I would never ever think of leaving him home alone for a month even with someone checking on him. I can't begin to think how lonely a young cat like this would get. When we go on vacation in a month, he will go to stay at my mother's house. It takes him about a day to adjust and then, after that, he acts like he has lived there his whole life.

I hope you find a good solution for this little kitty.
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post #5 of 14
11/15/06 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, but you see there are two big dogs living at my boyfriend's parent house, and they both don't get along with cats. So unfortunately, taking it with him is definately out of the question
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post #6 of 14
11/15/06 at 5:40pm
It doesn't sound like there are many options. Is there any way you could take the cat to your house and keep it in a room where the dog is not allowed or is there anybody who could stay at your boyfriends house for the month that he is gone?
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post #7 of 14
11/15/06 at 9:04pm
Hi, I've gone on vacation for a week and left my two cats alone in the house. When I left, I made sure they had lots of toys, food, water and of course litter. My heater was on 65. I also left a radio on low. When I got home, they were fine. Cat's are pretty good about staying home alone. When I was on vacation for two weeks, I had a friend of mine stop by and check on my cats. He didn't stay long with them, but he played with them and made sure all was well. I hope that this helps. Good Luck
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post #8 of 14
11/16/06 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 
Thank you all for replying!

Unfortunately my flat is very small ( only one room, kitchen and living room are together and a small WC ), so I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my dog and the kitten apart I think that the only way things would work out is by leaving the kitten on my boyfriend's house and checking on it on a daily basis. The only problem is that if we left the radiators on all day and all night for one whole month, we would run out of petrol oil for the rest of the winter! Same goes for the air condition: the electricity bill would sky rocket! So maybe blankets and soft towels would do the work and keep the kitten warm...

Again, thank you all very much
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post #9 of 14
11/16/06 at 6:00am
As long as you're checking on her and spending some time with her, she'll be fine.
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post #10 of 14
11/16/06 at 6:32am
If you could go over there twice a day it would be fine. Then you could turn on and off the heat each day (or night). The cat would also be able to get two meals and wouldn't have to wait 24 hrs to eat again. There's a possibility that the kitty will still get sick and this is something you should watch for. My kitties always get sick when I leave town for more than a week.

But.. if I were your boyfriend I'd take the kitty with me unless I were leaving the country. I can't imagine leaving my kitties alone for a whole month.
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post #11 of 14
11/16/06 at 9:37am
Honestly, I think its better for the cat to be in their own comfortable environment alone, rather than in a new environnent with dogs or other strange things they are not used to. When I was younger we would go on vacation for a month every year and I would have my friend come over once a day to check on the cat, and my mom would have her friend come over once a day to also check on the cat. The cat was totally fine when we returned.
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post #12 of 14
11/17/06 at 9:19am
just a question...but what happens if you and your boyfriend decide to get serious and move in together? then the dog and this cat would be stuck together..i hope you guys aren't ones to dump one at the shelter.....it's better to introduce them now then down the road.......... just my 2 cents
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post #13 of 14
11/17/06 at 2:22pm
the kitten should be fine as long as you visit it and play with it at least once a day. You presumably trust it around the house when you are out for the day?

If there are breakables or damageable items, you might put them in a closet for the duration.

He should have been neutered. He may start spraying if he gets bored or lonely.
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post #14 of 14
11/18/06 at 4:12pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, everybody!

Just to answer a few questions, a) in no way we are going to leave either my dog or the cat on the street or in a shelter! We are both too attached with both animals and we love them as if they were our children If we ever decide to live together, I am sure we are going to find a way to make things work between the two of them! b) Our vet told us to neutere the kitten once he is 10 months old, so we are probably gonna do that in a couple of months. c) I guess I could go check on the kitten twice a day as I don't live that far away from my boyfriend's house (20 minutes by car), but I couldn't do that every day because of my working hours.

Again, thank you everyone for your replies. I'll just have to find a way to convince my boyfriend that the cat will be fine as long as I will check on him everyday
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