Leaving Kitten At Home Or Taking Him With Me For The Weekend

[bravatas]

Hello!

I am a proud owner of a 3 month old baby boy named Skyler. My roommates also have cats (Kitty age 6 and Riley age 2). My roommates and I have ran into a situation where we are all going out of town this Friday evening through Monday afternoon. I am debating if I should bring my kitten with me.

We are going up north to my cottage and the Kitten has never been up there before and there will be a group of us up there. I just don't know if it would be more stressful to leave him home since (I have never left him alone overnight before) or to bring him. One of my roommates thinks it would be good for him to see a new place and there will be a dog up there so he can be introduced to a dog while he is still young, etc. But I am worried that he is too small and I don't want to stress him out with a new place and a dog and new people.

On the other hand, I don't want to leave him alone thinking I abandoned him or something. He will have this Kitty and Riley with him but still we have never left them along for this long. Typically, one of us is always home to watch them.

Please help! I want to do what is best for Skyler.
Thank you!

 

[weebeasties]

I will preface this by admitting I am a worrywart.
Three months old is very young to be left alone for that amount of time. Heck, I wouldn't leave my adult cats alone for that long. You never know what could happen.
Taking him with you also poses a risk because he will be in a strange environment with lots if people walking in and out of the cabin doors. Of course you will be mindful of him, but will everyone else? 100% of the time? Little kittens can quickly dart and be lost.
Could you instead hire a pet sitter or board him for a few days? Then you would know he is safe and someone would be around in the event of a health issue? He is still young enough that if he became ill, he could go downhill quickly. Also knowing he is safe and being looked after will help you enjoy yourself more on your mini vacation rather than worrying the whole time.

 

[bravatas]

I will preface this by admitting I am a worrywart.
Three months old is very young to be left alone for that amount of time. Heck, I wouldn't leave my adult cats alone for that long. You never know what could happen.
Taking him with you also poses a risk because he will be in a strange environment with lots if people walking in and out of the cabin doors. Of course you will be mindful of him, but will everyone else? 100% of the time? Little kittens can quickly dart and be lost.
Could you instead hire a pet sitter or board him for a few days? Then you would know he is safe and someone would be around in the event of a health issue? He is still young enough that if he became ill, he could go downhill quickly. Also knowing he is safe and being looked after will help you enjoy yourself more on your mini vacation rather than worrying the whole time.

I feel a little dumb for not thinking about boarding him....that is a good idea because then I could call and check up on him too if I wanted and it would give me the most peace of mind to know he is not alone too. Thank you for the idea!

 

[weebeasties]

Our vet's office will not only board, but send texts and pictures throughout the day if you ask.

 

[basschick]

do you have a friend who could check on the cats a couple times while you're gone? your kitten will be happiest in her normal environment.

 

[nunnc84]

Hmm. This is a tough one. I too am planning a four day trip. I will be leaving two cats alone. I have never left neither of them that long. I could get an extra litter box and an automatic feeder. The thing is I want to switch them to a "raw" diet. I'll have to board them, because I do not have anyone to feed them. Tomorrow, I will research about boarding them. The vet will let me know if it is possible to separate them, care for the sick one, and keep them on the same schedule. I know this doesn't help you with your question.
I was wondering what you thought of my situation. Switch the cats to the raw diet now and board them in a month?
Or, should I keep feeding them potatoes for a month, and get an automatic feeder and extra litter box?
Emotionally, I am sure they will be fine separated; since they are not bonded and are new to the home. I'll be worried sick though.

 

[Purr-fect]

Then dont go away.

He is your baby, he needs company...simple...dont go.

Definitely do not take him to the cottage. The trips there and back will probably stress him, (my brother inlaw thinks his cat got urinary tract crystals due to the stress of the 3 hour trips each way to his cottage....cost the family $6000 in vet bills.

Your kitten is likely to escape as someone will accidently let him outside. Once he is out, you might not be able to find him. Then you will have to leave him there and hope to find him the next weekend. This has happened to people I know.

You signed on for a kitten: the right thing to do is usually the hardest thing to do. Find a responsible person to look after your kitten, or stay home.

 

[nunnc84]

I thought about my situation,

I am going to board the cats because they cannot be trusted alone.

 

[s0mthinG]

I know I am a little late to the party here and (more importantly) don't have my kittens as my profile picture.
However, leaving your kitten at home for a day for the first time is a very hard thing to do. My little boy Coconut who is now 5 months old was left alone at home for the first time early August when he was about 3 months and 2 weeks old. I was still keeping him in my bedroom for the nights and times that I was away from home such as while I was at work.
I was only leaving for one night so I wasn't too worried, and he handled the situation very well and just missed me lots and gave me tons of love when I got home. He was (and is still) free feeding at the time so all I had to do was make sure he had a clean box and full food and water.

In conclusion, I agree with everything that is being said here, and if I had anything else to add it would be for you to make sure that the first time you leave Skyler alone for one day max in a very safe and controlled environment.

Please let us know how everything ended up!

 

[BlueJay]

I love to travel, and usually do so for a couple of months at a time, staying each place for a few weeks. I did quite a bit of research about traveling with cats before I adopted one. She's only 6 months old now, but she seems to have finally adjusted to the car rides. I think starting out slow is a good idea. She's always been pretty adventurous, and enjoyed visiting parks and friends' houses. My biggest concern was someone accidently letting her out. She is microchipped and I'm working on collar training. She is also harness and leash trained from our previous outings, so I kept those on her inside the house, and it was SO much easier to keep an eye on her and catch her if necessary. Just keep in mind it can get caught and tangled.

I've only taken her on one weekend trip so far, two nights. We were in a closed room with her litter box/water/food so she could have her harness and leash off, which could be dangerous if she got caught while I was asleep. She didn't seem to mind at all.

I realize this isn't helpful for an upcoming weekend, but if you anticipate this be a reoccurring scenario, it's something to keep in mind.