Frequent job related travel!

Oh no! I just got a very good job straight out of college, BUT it requires about a week of travel a month!

I don't know anyone in the town I'm moving to, so I can't ask for anyone for a favor. Do you think it'd be ok if I got another cat (I've been wanting one for some time) to keep him company? Is a week too much to leave a cat unsupervised? I don't want him to be lonely

I think a kennel is the easiest answer, but I don't want him to feel neglected

Can you check into professional pet sitters in the new town? Or, since you will be needing to find a vet there anyway, why not ask them who they would recommend when you call to schedule an introductory visit?

Another cat might not be such a good idea ... if you are worried about one while you are away, two would only increase the worry - why not try a pet sitter first and see how that works out before adding another cat to the mix.

~gf~

Earlier in my career, I had a job where I traveled every Monday morning and returned Tuesday night. I had 1 cat at the time and was able to leave him for that short period. I would go up to 4-5 days without getting a sitter but any longer than that I always found someone to house sit him. Hippocrates was very healthy but you could tell anymore than 2 days alone would stress him out. On day 3 he would start knocking plants off the shelves. On day 4 he would ignore me out of anger when I got home. By day 6 he would cling to me when I returned.

If you get another cat, you have to really make sure they are fully bonded before you can expect them to keep each other company. If they are not friends, you have a much bigger issue on your hands (leaving them alone together when they don't get along). I tried another cat friend for mine back then and they didn't like each other - only tolerated each other. With my travel, I ended up adopting the second cat to my brother as it was more stressful with 2 than 1.

If its 4-5 one-night or 2-3 two-night trips scattered across a month, meaning an absence of ~72 hours at a time, I'd invest in a cat water fountain and a time-release feeder to take care of things. I'd make sure to decorate your new apartment with a window perch and a nice cat tree so your boy will be comfortable. Definitely go with three litter boxes staged around in strategic locations and maybe some new toys.

But after that...IMO, whatever negativity he feels from your absence doesn't outweigh the disruption to his routine of suddenly having a revolving cast of secondary caretakers who might not be loyal pet lovers. I have heard some second-hand horror stories involving those professionally bonded pet-sitting services.

As for a second cat, I'd wait until you are established in your new city and your current cat had acclimated before taking that step.

But again, you are the one who best knows your cat and if he can't stand being alone for 12 hours or if he is fine to be by himself for 96 hours.