Okay to leave cat along for 3 days????

Hi everyone, I am going on a trip for 3 days, 2 nights. I have two cats, Brocolli and Gargomel that live with me in my apartment. Is it okay to leave them alone that long? Any suggestions on any precautions I should take?

I've left them alone for 2 days before and they were fine, just a little worried about 3 days though. They have the water fountain bowl with the extra storage and a HUGE food bowl (that holds up to about a weeks worth of food). Last time I left, I filled the entire food bowl and water and left extra water in pots in the sink and counter just in case. I also left old shirts and sweats lying around so they could smell me in case they thought I'd abandoned them and called a few times a day and left messages on my answering machine so they could hear my voice.

I've thought about boarding them, but one of my cats, Gargomel is very timid and bit of a scaredy cat and I dont want to take the chance of traumautizing him and I can't bear the thought of leaving him in a boarding in those small cages. I usually ask my sister to pop in once a day to check up on them when I got on trips, but she is going with me on this trip as well as most my friends that I trust. I dont know my neighbors well enough to trust them with my keys, much less a stranger (like a pet sitter)

Do you guys think they will be okay?

I would hire a pet sitter. Most are insured and bonded. You can get one with references from your vet's office. Sometimes the vet tech do this to make some extra money. I've used my cat sitter for over 4 yrs and have never had a problem. It makes me feel more secure knowing my girls are looked after.

I left mine for that long before with plenty of food and water like you did. An extra litter box might be good too. Since it will only be 2 nights, I think they'd be ok. There are 2 of them, so they won't be lonely. AS long as they are both healthy,not on any medications, and old enough not to get into trouble?

Yep they are both healthy and they are both 4 years old. They generally behave pretty well, except when there is cotton pads around. I've watched what they do, and they seem to sleep about 70% of the day anyways, so I'm hoping they won't miss me too much and that they will be okay.

Originally Posted by Snuzy

I left mine for that long before with plenty of food and water like you did. An extra litter box might be good too. Since it will only be 2 nights, I think they'd be ok. There are 2 of them, so they won't be lonely. AS long as they are both healthy,not on any medications, and old enough not to get into trouble?

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I don't know much about pet sitters, but what exactly does "insured and bonded" mean?

ckatz;1511984 said:

Most are insured and bonded. QUOTE]

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That's probably the longest I'd leave them alone. Is there anyone you know who could come in once or twice to check on them though?

When John & I leave for a few days, we have a friend that comes in and feeds/water/scoops for us, and just to check on them too, is there anyone, like a close friend that you trust to check in on them a few times while your away?

I wouldn't personally leave them that long unattended. You never know what might happen - e.g. knocking over water bowls, knocking over something breakable so that broken glass is on the floor for them to tread in or just being taken ill. None of those things may happen, but they just might. Can you get someone to pop in once a day to check they're ok?

I'm probably in the minority here but I would feel much better about leaving my cats at home than boarding them. I think that would completely traumatize my cats. Like someone else said, it depends how comfortable you are in leaving them. If you can have a friend or family at least drop by once or twice that would be ideal. I would probably go through the house and 'cat proof' it really good before I left.

Since it's only three days and there are two of them, I'm sure they'll be just fine. With two, they won't even be bored or lonely the way single cats get.

I think boarding is traumatic, too. It's the same conditions cats are in in shelters... and what cat wants to go back to that? They much prefer being in their own familiar home.

I personally wouldn't leave a cat alone that long - but then I generally get people to feed/scoop trays even if I am just away overnight, I would just worry that something might happen to them. And while it might only be 2 nights, it is also 3 days as well as those two nights. I do hope you can find a solution.

I've left my cats for that long. I don't think that's a problem. They always act peeved when I get home and ignore me for several hours, like "what? I didn't even notice you were gone" If it makes you feel better, have a friend pop in once while you're gone to make sure everything's in order.