I have to go out of town unexpectedly and I've asked everyone I know and no one seems available to come by and I don't have any family in the area. I cat proofed the house, got a water fountain in addition to leaving other water sources throughout the house 2 bowls of food, they each have their own litter box that I keep clean, I bought them new toys and cat nip, cat beds, and intend to leave the TV or radio on for them before I go tomorrow morning. They play with each other and love on each other and seem to keep each other in good company. I just worry alot, I want to care for them as well as I can. Will they be okay?
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Any thoughts on leaving cats alone for 48 hours?
- Thread starter sjcg2010
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It's hard to say for sure because who knows when a cat will get sick or have an issue but generally they should be fine if they're indoors and have all their needs taken care of. I have left cats alone over the weekend before and they were perfectly fine. I got a Nestcam for peace of mind and aimed it at their food or favorite sleeping spot so I could keep an eye on them. Nothing ever went wrong, but I felt better seeing that they were ok.
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- #3
Sjcg, you sound like a really great cat mom! I have a wedding coming up and am worried about leave my new cat longer than I have before but everything you are doing to prepare sounds good. Maybe you could also leave an article of clothing of yours that is not washed that way they have your scent around. Hope everything goes ok!
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- #5
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My concerns would be primarily with the litter box. Can it really go two days without cleaning? I guess your cats will let you know. Perhaps adding a couple more boxes might mitigate this. But also the food. Unless they are already used to being free fed, they may go through two days worth of food faster than they should.
Can you hire someone off care.com to check in on them once or twice a day?
This will also be a stressful situation for them having their routine (your presence and interactions) disrupted. Stress can be soothed with Home | Music for Cats | David Teie. I called this Krista's "cat rock." I would put it on the sound bar for her during the daytime. Half the time, I caught Krista lounging or sleeping next to the sound bar. I have even soothed a stray I trapped with it. He was singing his captivity song until I set down a Bluetooth speaker next to his pen. And within moments, he was calm and quiet.
Can you hire someone off care.com to check in on them once or twice a day?
This will also be a stressful situation for them having their routine (your presence and interactions) disrupted. Stress can be soothed with Home | Music for Cats | David Teie. I called this Krista's "cat rock." I would put it on the sound bar for her during the daytime. Half the time, I caught Krista lounging or sleeping next to the sound bar. I have even soothed a stray I trapped with it. He was singing his captivity song until I set down a Bluetooth speaker next to his pen. And within moments, he was calm and quiet.
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- #7
They're used to free feeding and don't overeat typically, they're boxes have gone unclean for two days when I've worked doubles so that's not a concern. My issue with having a stranger watch them is when they're exposed to new people that seems to cause them both more stress and fear than not, and I'd rather not subject them to that stress compounded with our absence, which is why I only asked my close friends who have become familiar with our cats to watch them. Apart from new people they're pretty laid back and doubles haven't really disrupted their routine when they've been left alone all day, they tire each other out with playing and new toys pretty consistently.
They should be good since they sound like they are pretty well bonded. My only concern would be like daftcat75 mentioned, the litterboxes. Put another litterbox or 2 out just in case but aside from that it should be ok.
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- #9
I'll also add to this I think it's better to leave them alone than board them somewhere. I had to leave town on short notice for a funeral and boarded my 2 cats at what seemed like a very nice place, but one cat stopped eating there from the stress of being in an unknown environment and we ended up with thousands in vet bills treating the hepatic liver issue when we got back. Fortunately she was fine, but I never boarded her again. So even if it's an option, for 48 hours I think you're better leaving them alone than taking them somewhere else.
They'll probably be fine. Since you don't have any eating problems with them, they'll do well.
In my case, overnight is as long as I can leave them. They are scarf-n-barfers so they can't be free-fed. They'd eat until they burst! If it weren't for that, I could leave them for, say a weekend with no problem.
In my case, overnight is as long as I can leave them. They are scarf-n-barfers so they can't be free-fed. They'd eat until they burst! If it weren't for that, I could leave them for, say a weekend with no problem.
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- #12
I've heard boarding is tricky with cats because some just shut down and won't eat or drink, sounds too scary for me to risk since they're so comfy at home already, sorry about your kitty though, I'm happy she recovered!
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- #13
I thought that would be the case for mine but they've been really good about not overeating, they run around the house and play so much that even if they did I think they would burn it off anyway lol but they only eat when they're hungry it seems and I'm very thankful for that!
