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Going out of town & canned food

post #1 of 8
2/14/09 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
I am going to be going on a trip for 4 days, 3 nights but I'm concerned about leaving my kitty! I want to have someone come over to feed him, but I'm wondering how to work out his feeding. He eats 1 and a half cans of wet food per day, and we usually give it to him split up to 3 times a day. I'm worried about having someone only coming once a day and the food sitting out that long. I'm worried it will spoil. But I can't afford to have a cat sitter come more than once a day. What should I do?
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post #2 of 8
2/14/09 at 3:40pm
Some people say it's bad to leave canned food out that long.

Does your cat ever eat dry food? I'm a believer in canned food too, but kibble is very good for these sorts of situations. The pet-sitter could leave some out for him after giving him his canned ration. If he never eats dry, though, you want to be careful in case it upsets his digestive system (and you don't want that happening at any time, let alone when you're away).

Do you have a friend who could come in, say, in the mornings while the pet-sitter comes at night?
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post #3 of 8
2/14/09 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 
Ever since he had a urinary tract infection he has been eating wet food. I'm not sure how he'd react to dry anymore. Unfortunately, I can't find any friends who would be able to make it out to my apartment on a daily basis, which is why we're considering hiring someone in the first place.

I've also been considering reducing how much food we instruct to leave, since I have a feeling he'll spend half of every day a stranger comes over hiding under the bed.
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post #4 of 8
2/15/09 at 4:34pm
I don't blame you for not wanting to try dry - after a UTI, I wouldn't want to take any chances either. And I guess it's obvious you don't personally know anyone who can come in daily (sorry about that). I suppose you could also ask someone to come in just once or twice to supplement the feedings, but then again, you probably want to be careful about confusing the pet-sitter.

Good luck to you; at least you're only going away for a few days!
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post #5 of 8
2/16/09 at 10:31am
I read (from this board) the website of a vet (I don't remember the reference) who says that wet food is OK to be out for 12 hours.

My former cat ate only a can of wet food a day (she also nibbled dry), and I fed her only once a day in the morning, and she ate from the dish throughout the day with no problems.

My current boy eats mainly wet, but he doesn't like his food "stale" and usually will not eat anything that has been on his plate for more than 2 hours, so I have to feed him at least 3 times a day.

If your cat is like my former one, he should be OK with one daily feeding, but if he's like my boy, it would be a problem.

I solved the problem the one time I traveled (he's been with me only 8 months). In addition to a sitter who fed him twice, I had a neighborhood teen who came in to feed him in the afternoons. It was expensive. The next time I travel, I'm considering boarding him, not only because of the feeding issue but mainly because he's an incredibly social cat who needs more stimulation than he gets from a sitter who just feeds and goes.

If your cat is anything like my boy, you might consider boarding.
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post #6 of 8
2/16/09 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
I'm doing a test today to see if he'll eat it after a while, giving him a whole can all at once to see what he does with it.

If he won't eat it all, I think I will consider boarding.
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post #7 of 8
2/17/09 at 8:05am
I was thinking you can have 1/2 feed out of can when sitter comes
and also feed the 1/2 allowance perhaps on a frozen basis, like
a ice cube tray so when it thaws it will fresh 12 hours later;
of course two difference bowls.
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post #8 of 8
2/17/09 at 5:47pm
the minimum i do when going away is have someone come over at least once a day. have them feed wet food, and put away when eaten. leave out dry food just in case.

I do leave out their wet food all day, and theyve been fine the year ive been doing it. i wouldnt leave wet food outside on a hot day, but inside with AC its ok with me
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