Tips for leaving cat at home for vacation...

Well I think I'm only going to be gone for one day, but I'm still worried about my little baby Zero...

I actually had a dream that I was out of town and forgot something about Zero and it actually woke me up! I think I might have forgotten to leave food. I actually thought it was weird that I was in my own home, ha!

So any tips besides leaving plenty of food and water and cleaning the litter box before I go?

I usually put a tiny bit of water (maybe a cup) in the sink in case they knock over their bowl. They were alone overnight and that's all I can specifically remember doing.

I go away on business trips quite often. I do several things before I go. I put a bowl of water in the bathroom sink before I go. Even tho I have a fountain in the kitchen, Frantic likes to drink in the bathroom. A self-feeder works wonders too. I also make sure any phone cords are lifted and curled around the phones and breakables are either moved or put away. The boys don't jump up on my hutch when I'm there, but better safe than sorry. I also close the door to my office when I'm not in the house and all houseplants go in there. Even those I know they can't reach.

The most important thing I do when I go for more than overnight, is I have a friend drop by to check on things and spend some time talking to the boys.

Make sure that the cat can't accidently close the door and lock itself in a room!! Nakita closes doors on herself all the time and I have heard other such stories.

I usually tie something to the door handle on either side of the door so if she closes the door, it will act like a bumper.

A lot of very good advice! Please keep it coming! I know a lot of people are going out of town for Thanksgiving!!

Possibly a sticky-worthy thread until the holiday is over?

I leave a few bowls of food and water in different areas of the house. I make sure the bowls are large enough to help eliminate the possibility of them being knocked over. If I am going to be gone a few days, I have a friend or family member stop by to check up on them. Of course, if you only have one cat, you may try taking him or her with you if that is possible. We took one of our Pixie Bobs with us to New York state 2 years ago for Thanksgiving. She didn't mind the ride at all and it was a 9 hour drive.

Close the toilet lids even if they like to drink out of them. I'd hate to think that one fell in and couldn't get out when I was gone (we have 6 kittens right now).

I have 3 large water bowls plus a fountain - I wash and refill all of them and unplug the fountain.

Top all food bowls off, and I keep their extra food in bins - I will leave the top of the bin off so that if they actually run out of the bowls, they have access to the bins.

Scoop litter out or completely replace right before you go.

Unplug all cords.

Wrap the phone cord up around the phone

Latch any door to a room or closet that you don't want them in.

Call your vet and tell them you are away.

Make sure a neighbor (or friend) knows you are gone and give them your vet's number in case you don't make it back when planned (accidents can happen). Bring your neighbors and the vets number with you.

Empty all garbage cans.

What is amazing that when we go out of town and make out a list of things to do, we add one item: "get cats ready" that covers all of this.

Originally posted by Momofmany
Call your vet and tell them you are away.

Click to expand...

This is what I did when I had to leave my cats for three days. Made sure there are extra litter pans available in other parts of the house. Sometimes in an owners absence, cats will stress out, and not make it to the litter pan in time.

About a week before I left, I took an old pair of sneakers and put them on without socks (ewww) and wore them around the house every day until bedtime. I sealed them up in a plastic bag, and right before we left, I put the shoes in the main room.

I cleared off all top shelves and countertops (just in case)

I lined up someone to just peek in and see that the cats were okay.

I tied the doors open so the cats wouldn't get trapped in one room.

I left water in the bathtub (not a lot) and in the sinks, as well as filled the self-feeder and water bowls.

I left pictures of all my cats on a sheet of paper and their names,and taped them to the inside of the front door- not the outside- in case something happened and people had to go look for them.

I also called my vet and let them know I was going out of town in case one of the cats ended up in his office needing help.

I got down on my hands and knees in every room and tried to figure out what I was seeing that the cats might get into trouble with, and then went about alleviating the problem.

I let my neighbors know I was leaving, and asked them to keep an eye on our place just in case.

I left a radio on a classical station on really low to help calm them.

I made sure all the cat condos were firmly anchored, (I have seen and heard of to many of them toppling over and trapping or injuring a cat.

And despite all these precautions, I worried about all my cats until I finally returned home.


*Also Louse, on stickies, we really try not to have very many in the forums. People tend to ignore them unless they are directed to them. It is just as easy to do an internal search on topics and go from there.*