Travel for 5-days/4-nights

[Mimitran]

I have a 3-yr old tabby male and I’ll be going away on a 5-day/4-night trip, leaving 7am March 20th and will be back 7pm March 24th.

I’ve gone away for weekend trips and 2-night/3-day trips before (ie: I leave Fri afternoon, back Monday evening) with an automatic feeder, water fountain plus water bowls, and 2 litter boxes set up. Plenty of toy options and hidden treats available, and he has window seats all over the house to watch the squirrels and birds (and stray cats) outside.

Usually for those weekend trips he’s been fine on his own.

For this longer trip, my roommate is coming with me so no one will be home. Will it be ok to have another person come check on him 2-days in (at the halfway point before I come home), or should I have someone check more often? My cat isn’t too friendly, not even towards my roommate who he’s been around for almost his whole life (lol), so not sure how good he’ll respond if I have a stranger straight stay over.

 

[vince]

My cats can't be left that long because of feeding issues, but they do fine with a visiting cat sitter. It should be okay for you to do the same. I'd have him looked in on daily.

I once cat-sat for a neighbor who had a particularly unfriendly cat. There were no issues. He stayed under the bed while I took care of the food, water and box, and we were just fine with that arrangement.

 

[Babypaws]

When I go away for a day or two I also leave a radio on for them, maybe put it on a timer. Having someone come by every day or every other is a good idea whether your cat is friendly or not…he can just hide while the person is there.

 

[GoldyCat]

Do you have someone specific in mind to come in? You could have that person come over ahead of time to meet your cat and to show them where everything is. Even if the cat hides the whole time it would be good if the sitter came at least twice during the 5 days. I would not leave him unattended for that length of time.

 

[Mimitran]

My cats can't be left that long because of feeding issues, but they do fine with a visiting cat sitter. It should be okay for you to do the same. I'd have him looked in on daily.

I once cat-sat for a neighbor who had a particularly unfriendly cat. There were no issues. He stayed under the bed while I took care of the food, water and box, and we were just fine with that arrangement.

Thanks for the input! The only person I have to come over is my parents unfortunately. They’re not particularly fond of animals, but will do the necessary checks and put out new treats. They’ve met my cat maybe a handful of times pre-pandemic but all times he’s ran or hidden. So it won’t be much interaction, just the bare minimum checks. Will that be ok? I thankfully also have cameras where I can speak and see if anything is wrong.

 

[Mimitran]

Do you have someone specific in mind to come in? You could have that person come over ahead of time to meet your cat and to show them where everything is. Even if the cat hides the whole time it would be good if the sitter came at least twice during the 5 days. I would not leave him unattended for that length of time.

Thank you! It’ll be my parents; it’s been a while since they’ve been over though to meet him. Ill ask them to come twice to check on him!

 

[GoldyCat]

Thanks for the input! The only person I have to come over is my parents unfortunately. They’re not particularly fond of animals, but will do the necessary checks and put out new treats. They’ve met my cat maybe a handful of times pre-pandemic but all times he’s ran or hidden. So it won’t be much interaction, just the bare minimum checks. Will that be ok? I thankfully also have cameras where I can speak and see if anything is wrong.

Since he's been ok on his own for 2-3 days at a time, that should be fine.

 

[vince]

Having mom and dad do the sitting should be fine. Kitty might not like them, but who knows? Maybe having them feed him will make him view them in a new light. I think this might be a win-win situation.