Need advice and worried about cats

Hi,

I am hoping to get some advice and understanding from fellow cat lovers because some of my family and friends just don't understand. Here is my situation. We have 2 cats that will be two years old soon are healthy and get along most all the time. They are rarely left alone for more than 5 hours at at time and that is not very frequent either.
Soon we will be taking a trip for about 2 weeks and they will not be able to travel with us. I am already sad to be away from them that long and worried to pieces. We went away last year but at that time my daughter was living at home so even though she was busy at least someone was home with them nights and mornings.

Since then has now moved out and doesn't want to come stay overnights even though we have many perks here for her to do so. She usually works afternoons so would not be over to stay with them until later at night. When she does come, it will be for several hours, but then she most likely would not be back again until later evening or night.
I do have a high school senior coming over when she gets out of school for an hour to check on them etc. I found out she has a couple of cats so thought it was a good choice, plus she is very nice. The cats do not know her but she will be coming over to see them and the house before we leave.

Sooo my worries are mostly because there will be no one from possibly 2am until after 2pm to check on them. They love it when someone gets up in the morning sometimes they can't wait and end up waking one of us. We get up at different times so the cats get attention twice. My boy cat follows me like a puppy, loves attention and is quite friendly if you let him, the other cat is very timid and can be quite skittish. She has taken a lot of work and we have made a great progress with her, although it takes her quite a while to come out from hiding when a new person comes over. Oh did I mention,,,, she is suppose to be my daughter's cat but when my daughter moved the cat could not go with her.
I would think my family would understand but they think I am ??? about all this. They feel that someone coming over once a day is good enough but I could not do that. It is frustrating esp. because my daugher thinks that way too and will probably not get up in the mornings to come over and check on them. If they got checked on and some attention in the mornings I would worry less, but how to get that I do not know.....Ughhh

Sorry to carry on so much but I really am worried to the point I am upsetting my husband. Ok hope you all understand.. What to do????

Thanks for reading and advising,
Skkelly

First of all, I totally understand how you feel. I worry about my own cat when I go away too.

I guess my only suggestion is, have you thought of boarding? I have someone who technically could come by once a day while my bf and I are away, and refill his dish and clean his box, but I just don't feel comfortable doing that, cos this person isn't a cat lover, just someone who's okay with them.

When we go away, we board our cat Wonton at Pet Camp, a state of the art cat and dog boarding facility. I've toured it and it's lovely there, large, comfy cages, you can bring their own bedding and food, they play with them once a day, and let them out of the cage in a room (without any other cats, just with a person supervising) to stretch their legs, and you have the option to purchase VIP playtime for them (which I always do) so that they get even more attention. It's staffed round the clock, has fire sprinklers and an alarm system, I can call anytime day or night and ask how he's doing, ect.. basically, I just don't have to worry. I thought a lot about it, and decided that it's better for him to go there while we're away, instead of being in this house by himself for hours.

That may or may not work for you tho, depending where you live. Not all boarding facilities are like Pet Camp. I hope you find a solution that works for you and your cat

oh heck I cant totally see why you´d be worried about that ! we all want to do our best for our kitties.

As suggested, maybe boarding might be an option for you

But if you have to go with what you have described, well then that has to be - and I am sure they will be fine..

1/ they in familiar surrounds
2/ you know where they are - they are safe & warm
3/ they will be fed & cared for when your cat-carers call
4/ as you know cats do a lot of snoozing
5/ they know your daughter and she will play with them etc

I know its a worry but they will be fine and maybe they wont talk to you for a day but they´ll soon forget

p.s. just a little note - if you do leave lights on for them - make sure they are not those hot ones like halogen - that can be knocked over, in a lamp - a member had a terrible tradgedy when she left kits and they knocked a lamp over that caused a major fire. Better still if you can get those plug-in night lights - they are low wattage and are checked for safety as they are normally for children.