leaving home for a week- will my cats be okay?

[ollie4444]

For starters, I have 12 cats. Five 10-month-old cats, three 4-1/2-week-old kittens and four 1-1/2-week-old-kittens, I'm supposed to be gone from April 27th to May 5th and I cannot bring any of the cats with me nor can I have anyone check on them, watch them or keep them while I'm gone- I've tried to find someone but everyone is busy and boarding services are outrageous. Previously I wasn't too worried about leaving them, I planned on cat proofing two rooms to the max and putting 3 (the boys) of my cats in one room and putting the mothers and kittens in the other room, but after speaking with a vet on the website Chewy, I'm not so sure everything will be fine. Any advice?

 

[CrazedCatLady]

You need to get another place to stay where you can have kittens. The cats will be fine if you leave enough food and water out but the kittens you will have to bring.

 

[ollie4444]

I'm traveling over 1,000 miles by car, it would be extremely difficult to bring 2 grown cats and 7 kittens with me.

 

[CrazedCatLady]

I'm traveling over 1,000 miles by car, it would be extremely difficult to bring 2 grown cats and 7 kittens with me.

True. You might also see if a friend or a family member could watch your kitties while your gone.

 

[ollie4444]

True. You might also see if a friend or a family member could watch your kitties while your gone.

unfortunately im cursed with the most dysfunctional and divided family so, there isnt a single person willing to or available to take them in while im gone

 

[CrazedCatLady]

unfortunately im cursed with the most dysfunctional and divided family so, there isnt a single person willing to or available to take them in while im gone

The last

Lucy: Calico, 10 years old


View attachment 447591

thing that i can think of is maybe find a cat daycare.

 

[KittyFriday]

A week is a really long time to leave cats without having anyone check on them. They could run out of food or water (or spill water), have litterboxes fill up, even have some sort of injury occur.

When I leave, I have a local petsitting company come in once a day and give my cat food and water, scoop his box, and just love around on him a bit. It works really well and he's a lot happier than when I've boarded him, plus I'm less stressed as they send picture updates.

I wonder if you could find something similar; if there isn't a company you may reach out on your local NextDoor and see if there is anyone local who is experienced with petsitting, or even a trustworthy high school or college student would work fine. They wouldn't have to do much, but if someone could check food/water and the state of things I think it would be a better option.

 

[fionasmom]

Nine days is a very long time and I agree with KittyFriday is saying about unknown mishaps occurring. Lots of things could happen during that time and I don't want to understate that there are huge risks.

care.com is another organization that members have used. You do pay them, but there are people who work for them who are specifically animal caretakers. You might be able to find a happy medium with having someone come by for a reasonable amount of money, cleaning litterboxes, feeding and changing water.

I firmly believe that you will have to find someone to check on these cats and provide some caretaking for them.

 

[arr]

It’s not possible to leave cats for a week. What if something were to happen? I had a cat somehow break its hip while I was gone. I can’t imagine if he would’ve had to lay there broken in severe pain for several days. One afternoon was long enough for him to suffer before they got here for the evening feeding. What if one of your cats got a urinary blockage? That’s an emergency that needs to be dealt with within hours. You need to find someone, even if you have to just ask a neighbor to come in. The only other option is to cancel your trip, which sounds extreme, but both myself and my husband have had to cancel travel to make sure my cats are taken care of.

 

[iPappy]

Leaving adult cats for that length of time is too long, let alone kittens that age. I was out of the house for 3 hours once and came back and somehow, my tortie had gotten injured and was in pain and needed a vet.
I agree with the others who suggested paying someone to stop in and check them, clean litter boxes, fill food/water and especially check on the very young kittens. Paying one person will be much less costly than boarding 12 cats.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ If you reside in the USA there is a website called NextDoor. As much as I dislike this site, it may be a way to find local people to "cat-sit" while you are away. Another idea is to ask local veterinarians if they know of someone who can come and check on the cats. Many younger people do babysitting and that could also be an option.
Good luck ...

 

[iPappy]

~ If you reside in the USA there is a website called NextDoor. As much as I dislike this site, it may be a way to find local people to "cat-sit" while you are away. Another idea is to ask local veterinarians if they know of someone who can come and check on the cats. Many younger people do babysitting and that could also be an option.
Good luck ...

To add to this, technicians at vet clinics sometimes do pet sitting on the side. With two young litters, this might be ideal as they probably have kitten experience and could notice problems sooner than someone without that experience.

 

[Alldara]

Anything longer than a day is too much. 24 hours maybe if you can set up some cameras.

Another option is to exchange pet sitting services. Or some other barter.

1- check your local Buy Nothing Group (here teenagers in highschool need some volunteer hours to graduate so it's a good bet. Also sometimes someone can't have pets and just wants to be around pets)

2- see if a neighbour with pets will watch yours for you to return the favour. This has been my comfort experience for many years. She keeps a key to my home and actually can even pop by if there's an emergency.

In a big, big pinch...I've left mutliple keys with different neighbors and they've come different days. (For example one for two days and the other for two days and that neighbour dropped our key off with a third who checked the final day - emergency leave for a funeral)

 

[ollie4444]

update.

the rooms that they'll be staying in will be as cat-proofed as humanly possible, making the risk of them injuring themselves extremely low.

along with that, I'll have cameras set up and will leave a house key hidden outside so if an emergency does occur, I can attempt to push for someone to go check on them and take them to the vet if need be.

they'll have water in hamster water feeders (it sounds strange but they know how to use them & it doesn't spill) and they will have multiple slow feeders to be sure they're well-hydrated and fed- the younger kittens will be set up in a playpen area with plenty of food and water as well (they also know how to use the hamster water feeders) where they cannot get out, but their mother can get in.
I haven't decided whether the older kittens will be left to run free or in a playpen as well, but it will more than likely be a playpen just to be extra cautious.

I spoke to a vet and walked him through every detail of what I plan to do and while there are risks, he agrees that this is the best option without having someone come into my home.

I understand that the actual best option is having someone come check on them but that is simply impossible. no friends or family are willing to and having a stranger come is far too risky, too many things could happen. A cat could be let out of the house (even if they're let out of their rooms, I have a bird as well in my living room and the possibility of the cat running around out of fear and jumping on the cage and letting my bird out is just too risky), things could be stolen from me or my home could be left unlocked by accident.

On top of these things, the adult cats were left alone for three days previously due to a very spur-of-the-moment emergency and despite there having been no cat-proofing done, they were fine.

Lastly, I'm shortening the trip so they won't be alone for as long.

 

[Robyn5678]

Sounds like you’ve thought it all thru and have the best setup possible. I have left my adult cat for 2 weeks and have had someone stop in every 3-4 days to check on her food and water etc. I never left kittens that young, so just be prepared mentally Incase something does happen

have a safe trip

 

[ollie4444]

Sounds like you’ve thought it all thru and have the best setup possible. I have left my adult cat for 2 weeks and have had someone stop in every 3-4 days to check on her food and water etc. I never left kittens that young, so just be prepared mentally Incase something does happen

have a safe trip

I have very high hopes that everything will be okay- my main concern at this point is stress and anxiety. I'm looking into things I can safely put in the room with them to help, such as things that smell like me!

 

[Sarthur2]

I think the vet who told you this would be okay is not thinking straight. I’ve never heard of leaving cats and kittens for a week or more without someone checking on them. As others have noted, just about anything can happen!

I think you should re-think your trip and take it another time when you do not have such young kittens. Having this many cats and kittens is a big commitment, and unless you can find someone to check on them, this is just not a good idea at all.

 

[ollie4444]

I firmly believe everything will be fine. the trip has been shortened to 5 days, and cameras will be in their rooms, along with a key being hidden outside incase there's an emergency (no one can consistently come check up on them but someone has agreed to possible show up once if there's an emergenc)

 

[StefanZ]

A sometimes possible solution is to find some kid from neighbourhood. Girls tend to be more reliable than boys... Pay her, and promise more payment afterwards too if job well done - a bonus. (and perhaps more job if everyone happy).
Girl or boy, or a pair friends - if you see someone suitable, think on it...
Tell the kid not to talk too much about the task, to not cause some "pal" of them to demand coming with them...

Of course, take away / lock in anything valuable. Unnecessary to provoke something...

 

[ollie4444]

while I agree that this is a great idea, it just isn't considering my neighborhood- I'd never trust these neighborhood kids.. they'd end up seriously hurting my pets.