Going away for a week, need ideas to ease lonely kitty's anxiety

So far I have: 

- Leaving around dirty shirts me and my partner have worn so he smells us 

- Having his usual pheromone collar up and running

- Leaving out his toys 

- Having someone check in on him once a day

Things like Feliway and automated toys I can't afford atm. Any ideas on the cheap would be amazing! Thank you in advance. 

As long as someone stops by to take care of him, kitty will be fine!

They will only be dropping by to change his water and feed him. He has anxiety issues and experiences separation anxiety as well. The last time my partner and I were gone for three days, we came back to Lux with a bald patch on the back of his ear. This was also because he still had some fleas from a bout earlier this year, but he had never scratched to that extent before we were away. 

I'm concerned! And pretty much trying to overcompensate because I feel bad for leaving him alone even if I am excited for the trip. 

It's always a dilemma when going on vacation, especially if you only have one cat .  I would definitely have the person stopping by leave on a few lights, changing them up so not only will your cat notice the difference, but outsiders as well.  Leaving dirty clothes around the house is what we always do too, plus I put some pillows under the sheets to form a body for them to curl up against as if we were still in bed.

I don't know what your cat eats, but you could always ask your cat feeder to put a few pieces of kibble or dry treats into some sort of plastic container with a few small holes cut out in it (something with a snap on lid) where your cat can roll this container around and work the treats out as a toy/feeder/aggression reliever.  He can bat it all around the house and every once in awhile something wonderfully yummy will fall out of it . 

Leave some music with music he will appreciate, most cats like harp music for some reason, or invest in a cat video (although these don't play forever unless you have some sort of player that repeats), or leave the TV and put it on some channel that might be pleasant for him....something that doesn't have a lot of screaming or loud shouting coming out of it part of the time...remember cats have much better hearing than we do, and lots of noises are unpleasant to them .

Do you have a bird feeder outside where he can sit in a cozy place and watch the birdies? 

I can't really think of much else, because you don't want to leave interactive toys out without being there for a week, since he could get into trouble with them if too bored. 

OH!  The person dropping by is going to clean out his litter box too, aren't they?  That's VERY important.

I agree with Sally's suggestions, all good ideas. If you can't get a Feliway plug in, it's good that he has a calming collar, how about getting some calming treats?  That would be another inexpensive thing that could help. You could hide a few around the house where he might find them, & that would also give him something to do, but maybe also have the person stopping by give him one each time too.   

You've gotten great suggestions in addition to your solid ideas. I was going to suggest soft music also. When I leave the TV for them, I always put on HGTV - sound of voices and not a chance of gunfights.

Maybe your cat sitter can stay and interact with your kitty when coming over for feeding instead of feeding, scooping and leaving.

The only other thing I do is make sure his favorite catnip toy has fresh catnip. ;-)

Oh! Don't make a big "to do" about leaving. When it's time to leave, just leave as though you're going to the grocery.

Have a great time on your trip!

Yes, good suggestion. I leave the radio on WNPR  so, usually classical, everyday when I go to work. Sometimes I will even fill the cd player w/ some of my massage cd's from my office. 

Sense Angel is sensitive to stress, & an only kitty. 

I also agree about the person coming to feed & scoop, spending some play time w/ him too.