Does My Cat Know We Are Leaving?

[Laylalou]

Hi All-

I am a fairly new cat mom. We have had Layla about 4 months and she is just shy of turning a year old. My family is heading out tomorrow for our family vacation and will be gone about a week and a half. My question is- Does she know we are leaving? Today she started going under my bed for long time periods(not typical) and doesn’t seem to be wandering around and going to places she normally does, like the window sills, my kids beds, the top of her cat tree etc. Am I overthinking things? I have already been having some anxiety over leaving her so long, but our trip was planned before we adopted her.
I have neighbors coming over every day to check on her and spend time with her.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks

 

[catlover73]

My cats know we are leaving when we start packing. I have 4 cats. Some of them climb in my suit case to get in the way and others hide. I think cats can tell when we are leaving.

My cats are comfortable around my cat sitter so they are fine once we are gone. One of my cats used to hide from anyone other than us. My cat sitter knew her hiding places and would peak in to check on her. Last time I went out of town she surprised my cat sitter by asking for pets. My cat sitter spent 10 minutes sitting at my desk petting her. She was very happy Starbuck decided to trust her finally. Our cat sitter is also a friend who does come over to hang out when we are home. My other 3 cats interact with her regardless of if we are home or not.

 

[KarenKat]

If this is your first time going on vacation since adopting Layla, the. She doesn’t know you are going on vacation. She probably can tell you are stressed, and if you are moving things around and packing she may be hiding because of these changes.

Layla will be fine while you are gone. It sounds like you took care of her wellbeing with your neighbors. It’s normal to be worried and nervous, we all are concerned for them. Will your neighbors text a photo of her when they go visit? That helps my anxiety, knowing that they are doing ok. Enjoy your trip, and definitely schedule time for all the kitty love when you get back!