Leaving cat alone while away

[fenya7]

I am leaving for a long trip, leaving May 3 back may 27. My good neighbor will come twice a day to feed, clean and play with my beloved cat. She is a year old calico, very independent... But I am worried sick, I never left her for such a long time. I hate her to be bored and lonely. How will she deal with this? If anybody has stories to share about long absence, please respond. Any advise is very much needed...

 

[pinkman]

I don't have experience, but you can place a Feliway plugin or use Rescue Remedy to help de-stress her while you're away. Also, leave some dirty clothes with your scent around. It's good that you have someone who's willing to come by everyday while you're gone. I know it's worrying, but maybe you can ask the catsitter to text you or email you some photos everyday of your cat so you can be at ease? 

 

[GoldyCat]

Does your cat know your neighbor? It would be a good idea to have the neighbor come over a few times to play with her while you're there. I wouldn't worry too much about her being bored unless she's used to you playing with her all day long. Cats spend a lot of their time sleeping anyway. I agree with pinkman, you can ask your neighbor to send you updates while you're away.

 

[andrya]

You've had great advice so far.

l would agree on not worrying. When l was growing up, any time we took vacation our cats would go to a "cat hotel", or boarding. l remember them being very stressed after (we even lost one from boarding. Both were accidentally let out and only one returned).

l'm not a fan of boarding, so l believe your cat is in the best situation by staying in her own home.

When my older son went to Florida for 3 weeks, l took care of his two cats. l only visited every second day as he lives across town, but the cats were just fine. They had enough litters, he feeds kibble so there were several dishes out. Also, he left a shallow casserole dish in his sink with a slow water drip in case they tipped over their water dish.

l will say they were happy to see me when l arrived, so they were lonely, but they were in the home they know and l think this is much less stressful for them.

Try to enjoy your trip knowing that your kitty is safe, and being cared for.