Going away for 2 months

Sam and tiana

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
36
Purraise
42
Hey all,

So I've recently come to know that my grandma misses us terribly after the passing of my granddad and she wants us to come stay with her for 2 months. We haven't visited her since a bit before covid so it's understandable. Problem is my almost 4 year old kitty Tiana. We're currently looking into someone who can care for her and my mom's Co-worker who also has a cat agreed. She said she'd come in to feed and clean her litterbox once every day. That's the bare necessities and since Ti is a shy kitty she probably would not get close to her quickly. I'm concerned about trimming her claws and brushing her because she'd probably hide. Another problem is leaving her alone for a huge chunk of a day for 2 whole months.

I wish I could take her with us but I'm nervous about the long flight and the change in surroundings. It would stress her out so badly besides she already just went through a move and only started settling in a few days ago. We've been searching for someone trustworthy to look after her the whole time but so far we're coming up with nothing.

I'm so confused and would like some input. I just wanna make sure she's gonna be healthy and happy. She's a short to medium hair so grooming might not be too important but I cut her claws every two weeks so it would be bad without it right? And will she have behavioural issues if left alone for so long? And what do you all do with your kitties when going for a vacation?
 

Attachments

furmonster mom

Lap #2
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Messages
2,764
Purraise
3,959
Location
Mohave Desert
Two months alone in an empty house is a long time.
The longest we’ve left our cats at home was about 10 days. We hired a petsitter to come in twice a day, and asked another friend to drop in randomly as much as possible.
But honestly, if I was looking at a two month absence, and couldn’t find anyone to take them in for short term, I’d probably be looking at taking them along with or cutting the visitation short. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,429
Purraise
33,188
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
Hi. Under the circumstances you are describing, there will more than likely be issues. For one, why do you have to go for two months? Is the distance so long that you can't entertain taking your cat with you? Or shortening the trip's duration?

How long before you leave? Have you thought about getting your cat introduced to a neighbor or friend ahead of time, so that someone could take her in while you are gone?

Is it possible to bring your grandmother to you instead? If it requires flying, perhaps fly to her and bring her back with you?

I think we could use to have more details before trying to give you any ideas on how to manage the situation.
 

BoaztheAdventureCat

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 4, 2022
Messages
243
Purraise
173
Trust your instincts if you're worried that your cat will exhibit behavior problems by being left alone for a long period. I just got done pet sitting for a client who was gone for 6 days. I came in twice a day to feed the cats, but just 6 days of being alone most of the time was enough to make one of the cats decide it would be a good idea to pee on the family's sofa two days in a row. (Thankfully the family thought ahead and covered the sofas with plastic sheeting.)

Do any of your nearest vet clinics offer a boarding option? Where are you located?
 

mani

Moderator and fervent feline fan
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
46,565
Purraise
23,328
Location
Australia
I go to Tasmania, at the other end of Australia, about once a year for one to two months and always get a house-sitter. I'm not sure whether that's something you could do, but to me it's the ideal answer. If I couldn't manage that I'd take mine with me if I weren't going to a house with two naughty dogs. In your case it could be the answer if your grandmother's house is quiet and secure.
Cats much prefer their own home, but not on their own for that long.
 

Margot Lane

Kitten at heart, not a Top Cat
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
4,366
Purraise
8,959
Agree with the sage advice of all above. As for the claws I’ve never trimmed a cat’s claws…I think they enjoy having them. If what you are concerned about is furniture, I can tell you that as soon as I got one of those catnip cardboard scratchers my armchair breathed a sigh of relief….and the cat was thrilled.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

Sam and tiana

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Messages
36
Purraise
42
Hi everyone,

Thank you for the quick replies, I'm happy to say that we finally found a pet sitter who can look after her for 2 months in our house. The problem with leaving her at a friend's place is that most of my friends are also travelling or busy and the others are not very comfortable with taking care of cats. I wish I could fly my grandmother here but she has some issues and is also very stubborn haha. As for taking her there we're crossing borders and flying about 4k miles and my grandma has two lil puppies which may or may not lead into a mess. Still scared about behavioural issues with her but I'm hoping everything goes well. The pet sitter will come around tomorrow to introduce herself to Ti and hopefully it goes well. Idk what to arrange for her, currently she has two litter boxes, food bowl and water fountain as well as a scratching post but that's all. She used to pee on soft blankets up until last year so idk if I should leave clothes with our scent on it around.

Since grooming and claw trimming doesn't seem to be an issue I'll tell the pet sitter to do it if and only when she's comfortable.

But that's about it! I'll miss her WAYYYY too much when we're gone :(
 

Maria Bayote

Mama of 4 Cats, 4 Dogs , 2 Budgies & 2 Humans
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Messages
4,171
Purraise
12,686
Wow that is good news!!!

ask your petsitter to update you daily. If possible, you can install a cctv in the house so you can also check in on her regularly. There are cheap ones that can be bought online.

Enjoy your vacay with your grandma.
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,429
Purraise
33,188
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
She used to pee on soft blankets up until last year so idk if I should leave clothes with our scent on it around.
Would she pee in shoes if you left those out for her? Maybe some socks, or gloves, in the hope they would be too small for her to bother trying to pee on them? A pillow encased first in plastic and then covered with a pillowcase that your scent on it? That way if she did pee on it the actual pillow would not be ruined.

If you come up with something, just remember you will be gone long enough that you need to store some extra scent-carrying items in plastic bags, devoid of air, so that they can be pulled out to replace other items that have lost their scent.
 
Top