Going on vacation

My wife and I are going to California from Kansas. We will be gone 7 days at the most. We have three indoor/outdoor cats. I have left strict instructions with my 18 year old daughter on how to care for them. I am still worried because I am their main caretaker and I have never left them for more than a night. How do cats usually react? What are your experiences? What can I expect?

I'm guessing your daughter lives at home still, so has a good relationship with the cats?  If so, everything should be fine.  When we go on vacation, we have our neighbor come in twice a day and feed our guys, clean the boxes, etc.  It's not ideal, but it's better than boarding them.  But with a family member they are used to, it should be fine, as long as your daughter can be depended on not to neglect them too  much. 

Even if your daughter doesn't still live at home,  she and the cats are familiar with each other, right?  They don't run from her when they see her?  And even if they do, if she is staying there for the week, they should warm up to her after a day or so and things should be fine.  I can't guarantee anything, of course, especially since they can go outdoors, but can't see why there would be a problem.

I used to leave my previous indoor cats with my mother when I went away.  My mother didn't live here or see them particularly regularly but my cats did know her from short visits three or four times a year.   They were always fine with her - I think most cats are happy as long as they are in their familiar environment and feel secure about their food and water being available for them.

Many years ago I did some house / cat and kitten sitting for a work colleague.  I had never met the cats before but happened to need a place to stay at the same time their female cat had produced a litter of kittens and the family had booked a 3 weeks holiday.   I got introduced to the cats and kittens about an hour before the family left.      Other than me being terrified of the resident tom and the house having the worst flea infestation I could ever imagine, all was fine.   No cats ran away and no kittens were hidden away and not seen again.