I'm worried..

OK so when I was gone on friday night I got word that Joey was being extremely spaztic and acting extremely depressed because he really missed me! Apparently he would not even go to bed that night, he was pacing everywhere. Then he went to his little house and pouted for sometime. Well I mentioned to my mom "What are we going to do when I go to Canada and be gone for 2 weeks?" My mom told me, "Oh that cat will die if you leave, he will not eat!" How do we know this for sure though? I mean my mom has told me before that her sister's cat Kitty Baby, when they were gone for 2 weeks that cat was nearly starved when they returned because it was so depressed that everyone was gone. I don't know what to even do to even test to see if he'll eat or not..I don't want to leave knowing that my cat might not eat for a whole 2 weeks.

Oh, poor little thing, your kitty Joey was pouting because he missed you! Do you think it would help if you called (when you go on vacation) and your mom put you on speaker phone or something, so he could hear your voice in the room? (Just an idea...) Poor kitty. It's hard because you can't exactly *explain* to him what is going on, that you will be back!...

Maybe you could try being gone MORE over the next couple of weeks, and ask your mom to try to become your cat's new best friend -- lots and lots of attention. Sort of wean him from the need to be with you and give him someone else to attach to.

Don't know if it would work, but it's an idea.

Also, I don't think many cats will actually STARVE themselves to death over missing their owner....

Kathy

We went on a vacation a few years ago, and boarded our dog for the first time. This is a dog who only eats when we are home. Her food is always available to her, but if we are gone for a long time, the first thing she does after saying "hello" is to eat! She just won't eat til we get home!

Well, I took a package of hotdogs with to the kennel, and she never needed them. She had a lovely time, and ate her kibble just fine!

Does Joey have any special treats he loves? Stock up on those before you leave, and ask your Mom to give them as needed. I'm sure Joey will be fine!

My mom's dog- who may be crossing the bridge very soon , would do this. If my mom was gone during the day he wouldn't eat until she got back that night. If she didn't come back, he would stand looking very pitifully at the door, and then reluctantly eat a few mouthfuls of food. He usually got back to normal after a few days, and he never seemed to be starving or lost weight. I have no experience on this with cats though..