Should I leave my cat alone in the house?

Hi all,

I have a 6month old Himalayan. She is very affectionate and likes to be around people all the time. I need to go away for 3 days and leave her in the house on her own. She will have all the food and water dispensers but I am concerned she may get lonely and upset and go crazy in the house. She has never been on her own before (apart from me working during the day). I would prefer to keep her in her own environment as I don't want her at the vets or a cattery. As she is a indoor cat only, I would prefer that no-one checks on her as I don't have anyone close by to help out.

I would love to hear feedback from others who have left there cats alone for a short number of days, especially cats that seek alot of attention.

Thanks


Amanda

Hi, i suggest that you keep her in only a room. She should be confined in a smaller space than the whole house. I would suggest the master bedroom if you live in a house. If you live in an apartment then just let her roam around the house. If it comes to where you made the decision to keep her in a vet office, at least you will know shes safe and being taken care of. But if you dont want her at a vet office then, ask your friends if they dont mind making the trip to your home to play with your kitty for a little while. Keep Posted.

Amanda is there no one at all you could trust?. I have a neighbour who goes in on my girls once a day when i'm at my partners just to top up their food bowl, scoup their litter tray etc..., but i stressed to him that he must make sure the door was properly shut when he came in just incase it opened and the girls got out.

Me personally i couldn't leave mine for 3 days without someone checking on them.

What about your vets surgery?, they usually have people who could do a visit on peoples pets.

She will be lonesome and miss you.

However if you have no choice, just make sure there is extra extra extra water because what you leave out could evaporate or get tipped over. A cat can live without food for a few days, but without water and they will die.

Also make sure you leave a radio on for company. At least there will be a voice in the place for the kitty. And keep some lights on too.

It really is better if you had someone to check in once per day on the cat, especially such a young one because she's still a kitten bearly separated from it's mother.

Make sure you keep all poisons locked up and any plants that she likes to chew on that are poisonous too.

I don't think I will leave my kitty until he is older (16 weeks now). When they are young they just have to have that human attention. The other thing I worry about is destructive behavior when I would be gone.

My parents will take my kitty next month when we go away for 4 days. I also found a "cat hotel" near me run by a lady who LOVES cats. There, at least I know he will get playtime three times a day which is more than if someone was just "checking up" on him.

If you feel she would be lonely, is there anyone that could stay at your place while you are gone?

Personally I wouldn't leave a cat, especially one that age, alone for 3 days - there's just so many things that could go wrong and she'll probably be lonely and bored. Is there not anyone who can pop in once a day to check on her and play with her for a while? Why don't you want her at the vets or a cattery? If you cant' find someone to check on her I think those would be good alternatives.

I agree - take her to a cattery. What happens if something happens and you need to be away for longer? At least this way you can check out a local cattery to see what you think of them, without your girl having to be there too long. If you don't like them, you don't need to take her back. If you do like them, you can keep them in mind for the future.

Catteries are pretty good. It's a bit stressful for the cats, but they get attention, they're well looked after, and it gives you peace of mind.

Go and have a look at a couple, speak to the staff, then decide what you think of them.

I agree with the Previous posters. I would not leave my cats alone for 3 days unsupervised at all. The most I would go is overnight, where I'll be back in the mid morning/afternoon to make sure all is well.

We have a group of friends who we rotate through who will stop by at least once a day and play with them, top off their dry food, give them some wet food, and check the water/litter situation.

I agree with what's been posted already. If you don't have anyone (family or friends) close by that could stop in, what about a vet tech? A lot of times they'll do home visits.

Another reason to have someone stop by is in the event they somehow injure themselves or get sick; it would be terrible if it wasn't discovered for 3 days! In some cases, this could prove to be fatal. Better be safe than sorry, IMHO.

I went away for 10 days one time to California and my sister was supposed to come every other day to check on mine (6 cats in a 2 bedroom apartment) and she only came once. I do not recommend doing this but my cats were fine. It was a little smelly when I got back but I would, as recommended above, confine her to a smaller but comfortable room with nothing to knock over. Make sure it is really kitten proof. Leave the tv or soft music on. Lots of toys, stuffed animals, extra water and food and litterboxes.

Best way would be for someone to stop in once to check on her. How about a next door neighbor?

Originally Posted by CurlyQ629

Another reason to have someone stop by is in the event they somehow injure themselves or get sick; it would be terrible if it wasn't discovered for 3 days! In some cases, this could prove to be fatal. Better be safe than sorry, IMHO.

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Exactly. Cats, especially kittens can get into much trouble on their own.

Back in the 1980's I had a gorgeous long hair black cat named Gem. She was a stray that I took in and she was the apple of my eye. I gave her a morning cuddle, fed her and made sure her litter was cleaned and fresh water put out. I went to work as usual and came back home at my usual time about 5:30pm. Usually she greeted me but this day she didn't. I lived in a very small 1 bedroom in the upstairs of a house and looked everywhere possible where she could hide.

Then I remembered that a few days before she had been on the small counter between my fridge and stove, so I decided to check behind to see if she managed to jump down there to sleep.

To my horror I found her head first in the back of the fridge grate She must have jumped or fallen and got her head stuck and couldn't get out and suffocated. I was frantic. My neighbours boyfriend came over to get her out and we took her out to the country to bury her.

That was one normal day alone. Lots can happen in a day. More can happen in 3 days.

I'm paranoid now and I want my cats in my sight as much as they want me in theirs. I have never forgiven myself for what happened to Gem and I still cry when I think about it

Two years ago when I was in the hospital I was frantic with worrying about my babies being home alone with someone checking on them. Had I known I was going into the hospital I'd have made arrangements for them to be with someone on a regular basis, even if it were a cat hotel.

Can you not take her with you? She should be ok if you were driving and she was in a cat carrier. Just make sure you stop for litter breaks and food/water breaks, and don't let her out of the car or she will run away.

I would not make the cat go somewhere else, like a boarding facility. She'll be much happier at home. Sure, she'll be a little lonely and bored, but I've heard vets say that a cat is always going to prefer its home environment to the trauma of being uprooted; it's a human conception that they'll miss us so much they'd rather be somewhere strange (where other cats are, no less).

Three days is not that long. She'll be fine.

I think you have to think of it from the cat's perspective. Either way, you've disappeared... is it better that her whole universe disappears at the same time, and new scary elements are introduced?

Originally Posted by emmylou

I would not make the cat go somewhere else, like a boarding facility. She'll be much happier at home. Sure, she'll be a little lonely and bored, but I've heard vets say that a cat is always going to prefer its home environment to the trauma of being uprooted; it's a human conception that they'll miss us so much they'd rather be somewhere strange (where other cats are, no less).

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I actually think a 6 month old kitten would get on rather well in a strange environment (better than an adult cat unused to it anyway) and it could be a good socialising experience for her. I think it's always a good idea to get cats used to catteries when young as you never know when you might need one and it helps then if it's not the first time. I really can't imagine leaving my 6 month old kitten on his own for even 24 hours, although he's maybe a bit more boisterous than a himalayan. He'd cause havoc! And he definitely needs human contact and stimulation on a daily basis.

why would you prefer that no one checks on her? and if that's the case, why won't you take her to a boarder? example: i just finished getting instructions from my neighbour on how to care for their dog for the next week. i was given their house keys and everything! can't you find SOMEONE you trust enough? and again, if you can't find someone you trust enough, board her!! she shouldn't be left alone for 3 days!! yes, cats are independant animals, but there are limits.

and if you do decide to leave her on her own, DON'T confine her to one room. unless you want to drive her completely over the edge.

Thanks for all your advice.

I ended up leaving her on her own and she was absolutely fine. She had plently of food and water and suprisingly did not damage anything. She had missed me alot! She is a very placid cat who sleeps alot.

Unfortunately i was travelling with my family so they couldn't look after her and they said i wasn't allowed to give anyone the keys to there home so I had no-one to help out and she is a indoor cat.

We have a very large granny flat downstairs and she had lots of toys so I am glad everything was fine.

Definately I would not leave her alone again for that amount of time. She has not stopped following me since I got home

Amanda

I leave Duke and Sibohan on weekend all of the time. Not normally for longer than 2 days I give them a lot of water, plenty of food and 2 clean litter boxes. They are fine with it. although by the time I get home they have half of the sheet off of the bed from crawling around under the covers, but that is a easy fix. Do make sure there are no planys for your cat to dig in or you will come home to a big suprise. but other than that I think it's fine to leave a cat for a few days they are very independant.