Scared of long absence

[sabca]

I left my young cats for 8 days in December while I went on vacation.   My nephew looked in on them twice a day, feeding them and cleaning out litter box.  He never saw them the whole time.   They did great and were like we had never been away immediately upon our return home.   They are definitely 

"our" cats.   

On Monday we are leaving for a 4-6 week stay in NYC (2 hours away) while my husband is in the hospital having a stem cell transplant and I am on the verge of tears.   I know they will be well taken care of while we are gone but I hate knowing they won't have our human company and that they will "change" from their sweet personalities and forget us when we come home again.   These are the type pf cats who hide when someone comes into the house and don't come back out until they leave.

Lucy is sleeping on my lap right now and I am fighting back the tears.

 

[margd]

First best of luck to your husband!  I hope the procedure goes well.  

    About your kitties:  four to six weeks is really an awfully long time to be left alone, even with someone coming twice a day.  Is there any chance they could actually stay with your nephew?  

In terms of forgetting you - that's very unlikely.   My daughter's cat (who used to be mine) recognized me after two years.  When I first got to my daughter's house, Lucy treated me like any other visitor but then, when I was sitting on the couch, I noticed that she kept watching me.  Suddenly she jumped into my lap and started head butting and rubbing her face against mine.  Your kitties will remember you, too.

In terms of personality changes,  that's hard to predict.  I used to have a cat who would snub me for several hours if I stayed away longer than a day or two but he eventually allowed himself to be cuddled and kissed again.  I was never gone that long though. 

Hopefully someone with experience leaving cats long term will have some input for you.  I hope the following article helps a bit.  
[article="0"]How Long Can A Cat Be Left Alone  [/article]
Again, best of luck to your husband.  

 

[sabca]

No chance of him taking them to his house.  3 children under the age of 8!

I also have 2-3 other people who will be stopping by to try to interact with them.  Still feel this is better than boarding them.  At least they are comfortable in their own surroundings.  

 

[sabca]

Well, we arrived home on Wednesday after being gone for 3½ weeks. I had my husband's nephew come by every morning and evening for food and litter. I also recruited 3 ladies to take turns come over and be around the house for a little while just so there was some human activity. None of the women ever saw them. The kitties just stayed under the bed.  

Desi finally came out for a brief encounter with the nephew just this past Sunday so it took him 3 weeks to warm up to a stranger.  

Fast forward to yesterday. Desi came out within the first 30 minutes of our arrival home. Lucy still stayed under the bed but was watchful. I had some errands to do and came back about 90 minutes later. Being exhausted from the trip home and then shopping, I went out to my recliner in the sunroom and they both came out there with me. Lucy jumped up and nestled under my arm and we both resumed our daily 3 o'clockish naps together. All was right with the world again.  

Oh, and by the way. Husband's stem cell transplant went very well. He is just confined pretty much to home for the next 3 months.  

I must say that these 2 babies have the sweetest dispositions of any cats I have ever seen. Nothing really gets them upset for very long, if at all. EXCEPT THE DOORBELL!!!!!

This morning I had to clip their nails as they had gotten very long and sharp. Right afterwards Desi laid down on my lap and then Lucy climbed up and snuggled under my arm. Instant stress relief!

First pic is Desi and other two are his sister, Lucy, my love bug.  

!

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• sabca
• Feb 28, 2016

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• sabca
• Feb 28, 2016

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• sabca
• Feb 28, 2016

 

[margd]

Good news all around!  That's wonderful that your husband's stem cell transplant went well - I hope he continues to do well.  And what a relief it must be for you that Desi and Lucy are okay and not acting out because of your long absence.  Thank you so much for the cheery, hopeful update.  

 

[barbgee]

Glad to hear all is well, after all!

A long time ago, I came down with an illness that put me in the hospital for about 6 weeks.  I had a few people looking in on my cat during my absence.  Cat didn't forget me, when I came home she was thrilled to see me.  After a few weeks, I had a setback and had to go back to the hospital for another 5 weeks!  This time, when I came home, and got myself settled into my bed for a rest, the cat jumped up on the bed, and placed herself right down on my chest!  It was as if she was saying, "you're home, and I'm not letting you go again!!"

I'm often gone for short weekends.  I have a sitter who comes in and checks on my two cats while I'm away.  When I come home, they are both overjoyed to see me and want my attention!  It's adorable.