How long is too long to leave a cat on its own?

[Drdr88]

There are a lot of factors to answering this question, but I wanted to get a general consensus anyway. I will be taking a 4 to 6 week backpacking trip, and I plan on leaving my cat at my apartment on his own and to have a friend check in on him daily. My cat sees this person a few times a year, so there is a minor bond between the two. My cat does generally well on his own, but definitely has a lot of pent up energy that needs to be let out regularly. I'll also be switching him from timed feeding to free feeding, so he'll put on a little weight too.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with their cats being alone for prolonged periods of time? When is it "too much?"

 

[tnl]

It depends on the cat. I had one cat that would poo on our bedspread if we were gone for a weekend even though my mom would come over to feed him. I've had others that just got depressed and wouldn't eat much. I know one thing for sure...as independent as cats are, they really miss their "people".

 

[KarenKat]

We have left at most 2 weeks at a time, and we would typically have someone come over once or twice per day. Twice when we had a cat that would plump out freefeeding so we had someone come over to feed some wet and some dry food.

I will say to expect excessive loving when you return. It’s quite a long time and they will need so many cuddles! If you are worried about the lack of exercise and weight gain you can have your friend do a few bonus visits for playtime, or stay an extended period once in a while for attention and comfort.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Your cat's age also makes a difference - too young or older usually require more attention than mature cats in their 'prime'. I personally would want someone to come in to take care of my cat twice a day and stay for at least 1/2 hour each time. I would also want someone who would be willing to spend more time with my cat if they see that the cat is acting a bit off by being left alone for so long. Even the possibility of someone staying overnight once a week is something I would want to consider, given how long you are going to be gone. However, having said that I would never have left any of my cats for that length of time - not alone anyway.

Make sure the cat is very comfortable with your care taker, so it might be worth it to have them come over for a few visits before you leave, even though you say your cat knows this person already. Worn, unwashed clothing of yours can be placed in areas where your cat spends time so that he can smell you in your absence - although I suspect no scent is going to last that long. Any friends or relatives that could help out by making extra visits during your absence? I know you are back-packing, but I presume you will have a cell phone or tablet with you. Ever thought of a Zoom call once a week, if your cat would be the type who would pay attention to at least your voice?

 

[neely]

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with their cats being alone for prolonged periods of time? When is it "too much?"

In my book there is never any amount of time that is too much. I worry terribly about the animals when I'm out of town and I've never even left for as long as you're planning to be gone for your backpacking trip, i.e. 4 - 6 weeks. We have a pet sitter that we've known for ages who will stay over if we want or come as many times as need be but usually twice a day is sufficient for us. However, she stays for a minimum of half an hour. She even brings over her dinner and keeps our cat(s) company.

Since you mentioned your cat has a lot of pent up energy I would encourage you to have your friend come a minimum of twice a day and spend quality time with him, rotate toys and keep him engaged in activity. I agree 100% with everything FeebysOwner posted above.

 

[Maurey]

My cats are both very people-oriented (read: needy), so I don’t feel comfortable leaving them alone for longer than say, 8 hours, without people checking in for at least an hour a day, at least twice a day. Not to mention they’re raw fed, so I can’t really leave food out for them. Some cats can and do stay home alone well, but mine do not. If you have doubts, you could always look into hiring a sitter who’d be able to spend more time with your kitty at a time.

 

[game misconduct]

graycie i wouldnt trust unsupervised for that long she gets destructive when bored. i would probably come home to every wire,cable chewed in half along with my tarantula cages all dumped over. i would have to pay to board her. or have i somebody trusted to house sit the entire time i would be gone plus the apartment i have is on the bottom floor so it bakes like an oven in this summer heat with no real cool down at night so the ac needs to be run during the day to keep temps lower with fan on during the night.plus she is very used to having me clean her litter after every use so i am not to sure how she would react to it if i had a person come once a day to clean her littershe might decide its to full and find elsewhere to do her thing.

 

[neely]

In my book there is never any amount of time that is too much.

ETA: I think I misinterpreted your question about when is it "too much." In rereading it I believe you meant what is the maximum amount of time you can leave your cat, is that correct? Instead I thought you meant too much time to worry about being gone. Thus I replied never any amount of time is too much, i.e. I always worry when I'm gone whether it's one day, one week or more. Does that make sense?

 

[Pjg8r]

I have left mine for three weeks but I have multiple cats so they are not completely alone. I have a sitter come twice a day. She stays about 45 minutes each time. She turns on the radio for her morning visit so there are voices, music during the day. Usually my out of town trips are limited to a week to 10 days but as I said, I have had one trip that was three weeks long.

 

[abyeb]

I think it depends on the cat. Charlie thrives off of attention, so when I’m out of town I have a cat-loving friend of mine, who Charlie also likes, come in twice a day to feed him, scoop his litterbox, and play with him. I’ve also cat sat for owners whose cats were not fond of people other than their family, so they wanted me to just visit once a day to give food and scoop the litterbox.

 

[maggie101]

There are a lot of factors to answering this question, but I wanted to get a general consensus anyway. I will be taking a 4 to 6 week backpacking trip, and I plan on leaving my cat at my apartment on his own and to have a friend check in on him daily. My cat sees this person a few times a year, so there is a minor bond between the two. My cat does generally well on his own, but definitely has a lot of pent up energy that needs to be let out regularly. I'll also be switching him from timed feeding to free feeding, so he'll put on a little weight too.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with their cats being alone for prolonged periods of time? When is it "too much?"

Cat will be fine especially if given attention. Just a warning, first time I left my cat dry food to graze I took her to the vet a week later more or less. She had a stool stuck in her and was on meds for 2 weeks. I'm guessing that's why because I only feed her canned except that one time. I was gone 11 days. There are timed feeders for wet food

 

[pipperoo]

Can you get a housesitter? I'm not comfortable leaving my cat for more than a couple of days without someone "living in". A warm body to curl up with, some company. I used to get a young co-worker who loved the break from roommates to stay at my place.

I don't know you or your friend, so the following is said from a neutral observer standpoint!: It is hard to expect friends to want to do much more than the basics, especially if they have to come over every day for six weeks (that is a long time)--they have a life going on, so this is a big commitment on their part too! What if something comes up where they can't make it over? Now, if they live next door, that's one thing, but if they have to travel at all or go out of their way to get to your place, well, I would see if you could come up with a different arrangement. I also think your cat is going to be starved for attention and stimulation--a half hour daily visit to feed, scoop, water isn't going to be enough unless your friend loves your cat and wants to hang out for much longer.

Another option - which isn't right for everyone, is a cat hotel or boarding situ. It can be costly, but at least there are people around all the time that can keep an eye out for your cat, play with it etc etc. Some have great setups and spacious accomodations with lots of planned interaction. Some cats do better than others with being away from home (I had one diabetic cat who had to stay at the vets for a couple of weeks while i was out of town--the vets were fantastic, but my cat was traumatized. My current cat would love the attention though--she's a people person).

Sorry, probably not the answer you wanted. To be honest, I always panic around planning any time away because my first priority isn't the trip, its my cat!!

 

[Suru]

When I go on trips, I leave my cat at my friend’s place. So I would do that if it’s an option...

 

[Maria Bayote]

Before COVID we used to go back to my home country for a month's vacation every year. We'd leave the cats at home but with a cousin who also had to stay at our apartment while we were gone. That way, he could feed the cats and clean the litter boxes before he left for work, and attend to them as well at night. He'd report to us daily, and send photos of my cats sleeping with him in bed. My cats are also people oriented, so it will depend on the personality of your cat. Since you say he is active, better to get someone who can spare time to play with him daily. I suggest to ask a relative or anyone you trust to also stay at your place while you are gone. Otherwise, your cat may get bored and chew on stuff. Will this be your first time you'd be leaving him?

 

[Mr_Kitty]

I'm still very new to the whole owning a cat deal but I leave him overnight on some weekends and prior to doing so I spend a lot of time with him but ignore him the last few hours so he doesn't attach too much before I leave.

It seems to work pretty well but like someone mentioned on here, he will be super affectionate after and extremely energetic as he's been either closed up in a small space or just too depressed to move around as much on his own.

kind of like you'd do with a human being in certain scenarios when they haven't seen you for too long, treat it with common sense. With my little experience of owning a kitten, this has worked quite well.

then again you're leaving for way longer so I guess just use my comment to add to what everyone else already said.

 

[danteshuman]

The max amount of time I would leave my cat is two weeks. I think 6 weeks sounds like a very long time. Yes your cat can survive it; but I think it should be avoided if at all possible! Mind you I left my cats at my mom’s; who they knew very well.

My current cat views Nana’s house as his second home, had his 2 siblings that live there & he was still lonely the week I was in the hospital.

If you are going to be gone that long, can you hang a compressed seed bird feeder near a window? Then you can leave the window open& let him hunt birds through the screen. The birds really love the grub, nut & fruit one or the cranberry one. You can buy a few backup bird bells or columns for the cat sitter to hang if they get eaten. Bird baths work great for attracting birds.

Interactive toys?(where she can rotate a new one every day or other day) will help your cat a lot.

I will be honest, for a trip that long; getting him a kitten brother a couple months beforehand sounds ideal. That way he won’t be alone while you are gone.

 

[Miamha]

I've never done more than two weeks without someone staying with the pet/s. Can this friend stay at your house as kind of a staycation for them? Maybe some nights, or make some meals, watch movies, besides play and snuggle time? You could get a Wyze pet cam for $25, it is free to use on your phone and has two way audio. I use that because I have 3 days a week when I'm gone (commuting and at work) 10 hours at a time.

 

[daftcat75]

Cats have emotional needs that can’t always be filled by a sitter who comes to change the inputs and outputs and offer a brief play session. They like their people and want to be near them. And cuddles of course. For four to six weeks, I would look into a temporary rehoming with a friend or family member so that he will have companionship and cuddles. If you have time between now and your trip, I recommend installing a WiFi camera in your home. Practice leaving him and seeing how he does and what he gets up to. Go for a weekend and see how he handles it. If he’s anything like my angel Krista was, she spent most of that time not sleeping as much and sitting on the media bench, waiting on the door. Even during work days, she only slept so much. And then she spent a lot of time waiting for me to come home.

 

[daftcat75]

The last time I left Krista for a concert. She was waiting like this for me all night. Every time I checked in on the camera.

So while your sitter may be able to handle the inputs and outputs and play sessions, that’s a lot of boredom and loneliness in between. I really believe your cat should be with another person while you’re away. That’s just too long to leave a cat on his own.

 

[tarasgirl06]

There are a lot of factors to answering this question, but I wanted to get a general consensus anyway. I will be taking a 4 to 6 week backpacking trip, and I plan on leaving my cat at my apartment on his own and to have a friend check in on him daily. My cat sees this person a few times a year, so there is a minor bond between the two. My cat does generally well on his own, but definitely has a lot of pent up energy that needs to be let out regularly. I'll also be switching him from timed feeding to free feeding, so he'll put on a little weight too.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with their cats being alone for prolonged periods of time? When is it "too much?"

Drdr88 I like a lot of the thoughts already posted, but basically agree with daftcat75 on the subject. The longest I've left cats was a 3-day weekend, with lots of clean litter boxes, a large supply of dry food and fresh water in addition to a big wet food meal when we left, and lots of toys, scratchers, cat furniture, beds, etc. I was concerned for them every single second we were away. They did very well. But I have to say I didn't! and I will never leave them again for more than a few hours. I have roomies now, which helps; but I'm just not comfortable with leaving my cats, who are 16 and bonded only to me, and 13. Of course, each cat and each household is individual.
game misconduct Hey, West Covina! I lived really close to you in South El Monte for years. I'm now in Glendale. So I know all about the climate challenges!