home alone for 6 days- help

We have to leave our cat home alone for 6 days (we get home the night of the 6th day). She is an indoor/outdoor kitty. I'll leave lots of food and water and new toys and treats around but I'm having big time anxiety about doing this.

I don't know anyone to come and check on her though I would worry that she'd get out and they wouldn't be able to get her back in.

I'll leave all the window blinds and curtains open and light on for nites.

She's a pretty independent girl at 8 months (spayed).

Wish we could take her but it's impossible and possibly more dangerous for her.

Any advice? Warnings? Encouragement? Will her personality change? Might she start doing her business around the house? Of course you can't know for sure, but has any one had experience leaving a cat home alone?

Thanks,
Elena

Hmmm, 6 days is a long time. I've gone for 3-4 days without having anyone check in on the cats, but any longer than that and I need to get someone to come in at least once.

Is there any way you can hire a petsitter to at least come in once or twice to check on her? If you don't know anybody personally, there are professionals you can hire, and if you don't require daily visits, it's usually pretty affordable. If you warn them about the possibility of her escaping, they should be able to get in and out without losing her.

I probably wouldn't leave the lights on; she's used to them being off at night, and if you leave the blinds open she'll have plenty of light during the day. And leaving lights on all night pretty much screams "empty house!!" to thieves and vandals. A light timer would be a good idea.

Make sure to leave LOTS of water. More than you think she could drink in a month. You never know. Be sure to leave extra litterboxes, too. 6 days is a long time to have only one litterbox without having it scooped.

I cat sit for a wonderful lady. She has door darters - although I don't know if she realizes it. They are indoor kitties, just get VERY excited when I come (FOOD TIME! ). It's really not that hard to ensure the kitties don't escape.

I would be hesitant to leave her alone for 6 days - as if she gets injured or shut somewhere - it could be life threatening.

I am sorry, but I would never leave my cats alone for six days... ever. I would either find someone to take care of her, leave her in a hotel, or not go anywhere. I think MANY things can happen in 6 days, and if your cat finds herself in trouble, or sick, you can come back to a dead kitty.
Sorry for being a party pooper, but no pet should be alone for 6 days.

I would have someone check on her or board her ..

Oh, I forgot about the boarding option (with 10 cats, it's not really an option for me, LOL). There are some very nice kitty hotels/boarding kennels/vets available, she'd get lots of attention there, and you wouldn't have to worry about her getting into something or pottying where she shouldn't.

I would have someone check on her and change litter/water AT LEAST every other day. 6 days is far too long to leave a kitty by herself.

I would never leave a pet alone for 6 days. I leave mine for the weekend and they are fine, but not longer then that./ Look for petsitters on kijiji or craigslist as a last resort in your area. I found an amazing lady that way, she runs cat sitting as a buisness, is insured etc. She met up with me once, I showed her around, the cats needs etc. I have her come if all my friends are away and can't look in on my cats. If I'm gone for more then 2 days, she comes every other day. $25 a visit and she stays half an hour. I am at peace the whole time, she has my cellphone and email if anything was too happen as well as instructions to take them to the emergency vet, no questions asked if something seems wrong. For 6 days you could get away with someone checking in just twice, so it would be an extra $50.

For the future try to find a neighbour or something with pets, then you can swap pet sitting when eachother are away.

Of course there is boarding if you can't find anyone, however it is less stressful on a cat if you can find someone to come to your house.

If you do insist on leaving her, make sure you have TONS AND TONS of water, preferably a water fountain so the water doesn't get gross and stale, cats drink more then you think. ATLEAST 4 + litterboxes, it is really unfair to leave cats with dirty litterboxes, you could get a self cleaning litterbox, but you don't really have time to train her to use it and they aren't always 100% reliable. Expect accidents when you get home and potentially a very upset kitty!

Goodluck............

Personally I would never leave any cats alone by themselves with no one to check or feed/water them - especially having access to outside. If anything happened to the cat, no one would be there to get the cat to the vet.

I would strongly suggest you find someone to come in, or take the cat to your vet and board him for the time you are gone - better to be in the safety of a cage then to be hurt in your backyard.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Personally I would never leave any cats alone by themselves with no one to check or feed/water them - especially having access to outside. If anything happened to the cat, no one would be there to get the cat to the vet.

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I thought of that, too.....but it sounded to me like the cat will be shut in the house for the 6 days? I would never leave a cat for any amount of time with free access to the outdoors. Like GoldenKitty45 said, if the cat got hurt nobody would be there to take her to the vet.

Thanks everyone.

A friend I hadn't originally thought of asking to check in on Spook said she'd be happy to do it. Good thing, cause I just found out tonight that we are leaving a day earlier.

Now here's another question. Would it be better to take Spook to her house or have her come here every other day or so? Which would freak her out less. Are cats like dogs and adjust pretty well to new environments? Or would she feel less freaked if we were gone and a stranger came to the house?

She only has access to the outdoors if we let her out. There is no other way for her to get out. I'm hoping this person, who loves cats, will not let her get out. Especially if she is at her house.

Any thoughts?
Elena

I think it would be better for her to stay home and have your friend check in on her.

I would leave her at your house. Spook will be more comfortable there.

Thanks, that's kind of what I was thinking too. It's soooo hard leaving her behind. The dogs are coming and she is so much a part of the pack. I'm going to have to try very hard to not think about how she is feeling or it will ruin my trip.

Elena

Originally Posted by sledgedog

Thanks, that's kind of what I was thinking too. It's soooo hard leaving her behind. The dogs are coming and she is so much a part of the pack. I'm going to have to try very hard to not think about how she is feeling or it will ruin my trip.

Elena

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Your cat will be perfectly fine at home being looked in on by a friend! I'm sure you don't have to worry now and can enjoy your trip!!!

Originally Posted by lmunsie

Your cat will be perfectly fine at home being looked in on by a friend! I'm sure you don't have to worry now and can enjoy your trip!!!

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In my experience (I do extensive travel for work, well used to ), it is much harder on us then on the kitties... I do have a neighbor that checks on them 2x/day, but I would be comfortable in having her check on them once/day... Luckly my building is a "cat" building, and I have several cat lovers around
Your kitty will be fine - enjoy your vacations!

Have the friend come in once a day to feed, water and play with the cat for maybe 1/2 hour if possible. Be sure its clear that the cat stays INSIDE at all times.