Leaving cat home alone for several days

gleason

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My cat is 10-1/2 yrs old. She is strictly an inside cat and the only cat in the household. I have gone out of town on several occasions for several days but my husband was home. A week ago we decided to go away for a couple of days. She was left home alone with plenty of food and water. When we came home she seemed to be fine. Meowed a lot and wouldn't leave my side for the rest of the day. Now we would like to go on a longer trip. Would be 4-5 days. I'm concerned about leaving her that long without humans around. Will she be okay that long alone? Any suggestions?
 

LTS3

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I would have someone check on the cat daily if you will be away for more than 2 days. The person can refill the food and water bowls and scoop the litter box and make sure nothing is out of place in the home (knocked over broken items, etc). Ask a neighbor, co-worker, vet techs at your vet's office, etc.

If having someone check on the cat daily is not an option, you will need to look into boarding the cat with your vet or at a boarding facility. Expensive but at least you know your cat will be safe and taken care of.
 
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gleason

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Would taking her along be too traumatic for her? We would be going in an RV. She would only be left alone in the RV for a few hours and we would be back each nite. Really not any different than when we are home.
 

ArtNJ

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I've left cats alone for up to 7 days, with plenty of food, water and multiple extra litterboxes. At best, no matter how many litterboxes we are talking about, its a recipe for a serious mess.

Its not a great practice, on a lot of levels. I wouldn't do it again. But in the scheme of things if there is no one to cat sit for free and you cannot afford a paid sitter/boarding the cat . . . well its far from the worst thing in the world. You'd certainly need at least one extra litterbox.

As far as whether its better or worse than the RV...I'm not sure. I'd probably lean towards bringing the cat IF you are confident you can prevent escapes. If it gets out, its quite possibly a very serious problem.
 

susanm9006

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I used to have to travel for work on short notice and left mine home without a cat sitter and had no issues. I wouldn’t do this with a young cat nor a senior with medical issues but a healthy adult cat should be fine. Set up a video and have someone who can stop over if you grow concerned as a backup.

I think she would be much much happier at home in a known space than on an RV. Routines and home are very important to them.
 

Jcatbird

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I have to say that , to me, it is much like leaving a child alone for that long. Even an older child can have problems arise. I always worry so much if I leave, I cannot enjoy it and I never leave for more than a few hours. If longer, I leave a friend here. Even then I only do day trips. My cats are pretty used to being in a vehicle in a crate and I have evacuated with them for nearly two weeks. It was all about making sure they stayed safe wherever I had them. When we got to the place we evacuated to then if I left the house, they were in a large folding cage with litter, food, water and a bed. I have boarded a cat that was sick but honestly, I found that nights there did not necessarily mean a human was present at all times so if you board, make sure you know the routines there. At this point in life, I just don’t leave them without a human to protect them. Maybe a trusted friend could stay over?
 

Cat McCannon

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The decision to take your cat in the RV depends on many things. Some cats seem to be bonded to a place, others to a person or other creature. Some are a bit of both. I met a couple that had a year old cat that went with them everywhere. The cat was more comfortable traveling with her guardians than being left home.

If you want to travel with your cat, get it used to traveling. Have a good carrier and a portable catio. Make sure the A/C works. You don’t want to leave your cat alone in a hot RV.
 

Robyn5678

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I left my cat alone for 4 days with plenty of food and water. The litter box was a mess when I got home but that was expected. Anytime I was gone longer than that, I’d have someone stop over every few days to check on her.
 
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gleason

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My cat has no health issues and is in good health. I'm thinking of having my son check in on her. He doesn't like cats but I'm sure he would do this for me. My daughter has 2 cats and leaves them all the time when they go on vacation for a week at a time. The 2 keep each other company and my daughter has never had any issues. This has been going on for several years. Do you think I should leave a radio on at low volume so there is some noise and human voice for her?
 

susanm9006

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My cat has no health issues and is in good health. I'm thinking of having my son check in on her. He doesn't like cats but I'm sure he would do this for me. My daughter has 2 cats and leaves them all the time when they go on vacation for a week at a time. The 2 keep each other company and my daughter has never had any issues. This has been going on for several years. Do you think I should leave a radio on at low volume so there is some noise and human voice for her?
I don’t the the radio is going to make much difference for her. She is going to go about her usual routine and ignore it.
 

hurricanemix100

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I hire a pet sitter for like $20 a day. They come in, refill the food/water if necessary, scoop the littler box, give the cat attention for 15 minutes and leave. Easy money for them. Peace of mind for you and the cat. It's so easy to "check in" on a cat. You could probably get a neighbor, friend, or relative to do it for free. I pay a pet sitter just so I don't have to go through the hassle of tracking down someone to do it, the potential for them to forget, and the minor guilt of imposing a slight inconvenience on them.
 
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gleason

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We live in a rural area with no pet sitters available. I think I can get my son to stop in and check in on her.
 
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