Can I Leave My Cat Alone For 5 Days?

Meieiei

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Hello,

I will have to flight back to my home in 2 days unexpectedly. Will my cat be ok alone for 5 days?? The most I have left her alone is for a weekend.

  • I have an automatic feeder that dispenses food 2 times a days. Never had a problem with it, always dispenses on time with the correct amount.
  • I live in a loft (no doors), so i'm no worried about her locking herself up somewhere without access to her basic needs.
  • I have an aquarium that she likes a lot.
  • I have 2 cat towers and toys laying around.
  • I will disconnect my electric stove.
  • I'm considering asking a neighbor to come by at day 3 to ensure everything's fine but... I don't really know my neighbors so there's no trust.
Is there any other considerations that I haven't thought about yet? Have you had any experiences about leaving your cat alone for this amount of time? ):

 
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Meieiei

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Can a friend come over everyday to check up on her and play with her. Preferably someone she already knows and likes. 5 days is quite long and she could get lonely.
She doesn't really know anyone except me ):
 

1 bruce 1

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My big concern would be a medical problem suddenly comes up (they usually show up on Sundays, holidays, or when you're out of town :dizzy:) so if you do know someone who would check up on her once a day, that would be ideal.
If anything, call your vet first thing in the morning and ask them for a referral for a pet sitter that they've had clients express good reports from and call them. They might be booked up, but checking in on a cat once a day isn't like taking care of 6 large dogs, so they might be able to fit you in the schedule.
Safe travels, as well!
 

LTS3

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The best options would be to hire a pet sitter to do twice daily visits or board the cat at a boarding place. 5 days is too long for a cat to be left alone even with plenty of food and water. Don't forget the litter box. 5 days of a dirty litter box is too much and your cat may just use the floor or your furniture instead. Does the aquarium have fish? You're going to need someone to feed the fish too and make sure the filters and air pump are running and the cat isn't messing with anything.
 

Maria Bayote

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I agree with the others above. I am sure your vet knows a trustworthy pet sitter to check your cat even at least once a day to make sure no water is dirty, cat food is fresh, etc. Overnight is a bit ok, but 5 days is too long. Also, you have to plan way ahead. What if something again comes up and you have to extend your stay at your home? Hence, better to have somebody to come over to check your cat.

BTW, have a safe flight :)
 

Purr-fect

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No 5 days is too long.

Remove toilet paper from bathroom. We were away for 2 and a half days and our cat put a roll of toilet paper in her water dish. It absorbed all the water and she almost died.

You cant rely on an automatic food dispenser, its mechanical, it will eventually fail.

Leave a radio on.

Put a bird feeder in window for cat to watch.

Litter box will have to be cleaned, or add a couple more.
 

vyger

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There is this thing called a pet cube that allows you to interact and monitor pets remotely.
Petcube - The Smartest Pet Cameras For Cats & Dogs. Alexa built-in
While it is not as good as actually being there it does allow you to monitor what is going on and actually talk to the pet. If something did go badly it would enable you to know right away. If you could have someone on "standby" just in case that could help out if things went wrong then they would only be needed in case of a problem. Monitoring is the next best thing to being there and pets don't have privacy issues. It would give you a lot of peace of mind.

By the way, I would trust a cat being alone much more than I would trust a dog. Dogs really tend to get into things.
 

GaryT

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This is the hardest thing about traveling. I don't know anybody I would trust to do the daily combing and interaction. I have not gone anywhere for anything more than a few hours in over 12 years. I would be constantly worrying about Theo. This is one of the aspects of having a fluffball like Theo. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
 

dustydiamond1

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So what happened? What course of action did you decide on. I just saw this today, almost a week later or I would have recommended boarding your baby. We work different shifts and Gypsy hasn't been left alone for more than 8 hrs (on Christmas, Thanksgiving etc...) since she moved in. I would have reccomended asking your vet about a place to board your poor baby, who would be terrified you had abandoned her if you left her alone that long. I never would leave any animal alone more than several hours. So what did you do and how is your beautiful girl?
 

MysticPisces

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Being honest your cat would be fine. I’ve left my cat at home by himself while me and my family went on a vacation came back a week and half later he was perfectly fine and didn’t destroy anything in the house. We filled a medium size plastic container with a whole bag of food he had 2 water dispensers and 2 litter boxes.
 

Azazel

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Being honest your cat would be fine. I’ve left my cat at home by himself while me and my family went on a vacation came back a week and half later he was perfectly fine and didn’t destroy anything in the house. We filled a medium size plastic container with a whole bag of food he had 2 water dispensers and 2 litter boxes.
Just because your cat ended up surviving doesn’t mean that this is a good idea.
 

MysticPisces

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Just because your cat ended up surviving doesn’t mean that this is a good idea.
I’m just speaking from experience we did this for years never had a problem. We went on cruises, road trips, etc. and my cats were always fine. As long as there’s food, water, and litter boxes there shouldn’t be a problem.
 

basscat

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I’m just speaking from experience we did this for years never had a problem. We went on cruises, road trips, etc. and my cats were always fine. As long as there’s food, water, and litter boxes there shouldn’t be a problem.
You were either lucky, or not unlucky. I too have done the same. Given all the preparations, thought, and consideration that went into it? I feel I was "not unlucky". I sure don't suggest leaving a cat alone for a week, but, emergencies are just that. You use your best judgement, go against it a little bit, and just do the best you can with what you have.
 
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