How Often Should I Visit my Cat After I Move?

Hey guys,

New to the forum, and I thought I'd ask for your advice.

I'm 25, and I've been living at home with my parents and grandparents since I graduated college. I'm financially able to move (and have been for a few years), but I've stayed at home to help take care of my grandparents, who have each had a slew of very bad health issues over the years.

While I've been stir crazy living in the same town/house where I grew up, the best benefit has been spending time with Snickers, my now 16-year-old male Maine Coon. Snickers has been a member of our household since 2002, and he's been such an incredible friend over the years. To this day, I spend time with him every morning and every night, and he's always by my side when I'm in the house.

Despite his advanced age, Snickers is in tremendous health. He has endless energy, eats and sleeps like a champ, and hasn't been sick (beyond a few minor stomach issues) in years. I believe he is so healthy because he has had so many people taking care of him in our crowded household. He's never without a personal masseuse, a playmate, or someone to just sit with.

But here comes my dilemma. I live in New England, and the winters here are absolutely brutal. From November to March of every year, I'm completely miserable in the cold and snow, just waiting for the weather to warm up. I know for a fact that I'd be happier and healthier living down south in the winters, and for years I've had a promise to myself that I would begin spending my winters down south starting in 2016. But as the move gets nearer, I've been staying up late at night knowing that I'd be leaving Snickers behind for a few months. And I'm not sure I'm okay with that. My biggest fear is that I'll commit to the move, Snickers will get sick, and I won't be there for his final days. While his health is strong right now, I know he's already far exceeded the life expectancy of most cats. And if he does get sick, I know my family won't tell me because they know I'll be on the next flight home and they know how important this move is to me. 

I am moving in January no matter what because I need to start my life. But I'm now contemplating staying here in miserable New England so I can visit Snickers regularly. If I go down South, I will probably only see him once over the course of three months.

Has anyone here had an experience like this? Any advice?

Just out of curiosity, is bringing Snickers with you feasible?

FhiCat said:

Just out of curiosity, is bringing Snickers with you feasible?

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Unfortunately not. Just a 10-minute drive to the vet gets him all out of sorts for days. I can't imagine how a flight would affect him.

FWIW, cats can live into their twenties with proper care. 

I heard of a family who adopted an 18 year old cat, expecting just to make her "last days" more pleasant, and she lived another 7 years, to the age of 25.

Most cats who stay with the same family adjust well to a family member leaving and coming home from time to time.  It happens all the time when kids go to college, and cats are fine if they stay with the fmily in the house they grew up in.  I have friends with two Maine Coon mixes who take their cats everywhere.  They winter in Vermont an then come to Georgia for two months in the spring, and often they board the cats with me while they make sub-trips around the south to see family and friends.  One of these cats is outgoing and adjusts to everything.  The other is the opposite an used to hate every new place they went, but he has adjusted over time.  He was a rescue cat so he was less secure, I think, than the other one who had been raised with people and never had to worry about anything his entire life.

You said your cat hates to travel, so I think he will be happiest staying with your parents and getting visits from you as often as time permits.  You will probably miss him more than he misses you since he will have his familiar home and other people.  He may be glad to see you when you come home, or he may ignore you to punish you for a few days, but I do believe that leaving him in his familiar surroundings is the right thing to do.  Don't make up things that have never happened to make you fearful of the future, as that;s a waste of energy.  If you are meant to be home when he finally does cross the Rainbow Bridge, you will be there.  If not, then you were not supposed to be there.  Go. Enjoy the south.  I grew up in snowy New Hampshire and moved to Georgia in 1977.  I love when it snows here, and everyone acts like kids!  Have a good time in the south and a good time in the north, and love your cat from near and from far.  His soul is always close to you.

Red Top Rescue said:

 
Most cats who stay with the same family adjust well to a family member leaving and coming home from time to time.  It happens all the time when kids go to college, and cats are fine if they stay with the fmily in the house they grew up in.  I have friends with two Maine Coon mixes who take their cats everywhere.  They winter in Vermont an then come to Georgia for two months in the spring, and often they board the cats with me while they make sub-trips around the south to see family and friends.  One of these cats is outgoing and adjusts to everything.  The other is the opposite an used to hate every new place they went, but he has adjusted over time.  He was a rescue cat so he was less secure, I think, than the other one who had been raised with people and never had to worry about anything his entire life.

You said your cat hates to travel, so I think he will be happiest staying with your parents and getting visits from you as often as time permits.  You will probably miss him more than he misses you since he will have his familiar home and other people.  He may be glad to see you when you come home, or he may ignore you to punish you for a few days, but I do believe that leaving him in his familiar surroundings is the right thing to do.  Don't make up things that have never happened to make you fearful of the future, as that;s a waste of energy.  If you are meant to be home when he finally does cross the Rainbow Bridge, you will be there.  If not, then you were not supposed to be there.  Go. Enjoy the south.  I grew up in snowy New Hampshire and moved to Georgia in 1977.  I love when it snows here, and everyone acts like kids!  Have a good time in the south and a good time in the north, and love your cat from near and from far.  His soul is always close to you.

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Thank you for your beautiful message. You made my day and helped to put my mind at ease!

Red Top Rescue said:

 
Most cats who stay with the same family adjust well to a family member leaving and coming home from time to time.  It happens all the time when kids go to college, and cats are fine if they stay with the fmily in the house they grew up in.  I have friends with two Maine Coon mixes who take their cats everywhere.  They winter in Vermont an then come to Georgia for two months in the spring, and often they board the cats with me while they make sub-trips around the south to see family and friends.  One of these cats is outgoing and adjusts to everything.  The other is the opposite an used to hate every new place they went, but he has adjusted over time.  He was a rescue cat so he was less secure, I think, than the other one who had been raised with people and never had to worry about anything his entire life.

You said your cat hates to travel, so I think he will be happiest staying with your parents and getting visits from you as often as time permits.  You will probably miss him more than he misses you since he will have his familiar home and other people.  He may be glad to see you when you come home, or he may ignore you to punish you for a few days, but I do believe that leaving him in his familiar surroundings is the right thing to do.  Don't make up things that have never happened to make you fearful of the future, as that;s a waste of energy.  If you are meant to be home when he finally does cross the Rainbow Bridge, you will be there.  If not, then you were not supposed to be there.  Go. Enjoy the south.  I grew up in snowy New Hampshire and moved to Georgia in 1977.  I love when it snows here, and everyone acts like kids!  Have a good time in the south and a good time in the north, and love your cat from near and from far.  His soul is always close to you.

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Crazy4Strays said:

 
FWIW, cats can live into their twenties with proper care. 

I heard of a family who adopted an 18 year old cat, expecting just to make her "last days" more pleasant, and she lived another 7 years, to the age of 25.

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Wow, what a resilient cat! It would not at all surprise me to see Snickers live into his 20s. He's small for a male Maine Coon, and as I mentioned, he still hasn't slowed down a bit!

Something to suggest: you could video chat/FaceTime your parents and be there through sound and vision for your cat. And it might help with missing your cat when you're down south.