Leaving Kitten at home

[slowblink]

We have to leave town for a funeral, and are trying to figure out the best situation for our cats. Yuri is 1 year and Merida is 7 months.

we left them at adifferent home last time, and they didnt come out from under the bed most of the days we were gone. We are thinking about leaving them home alone this time in their own space, and a neighbor has agreed to come feed, check on, and (maybe) play with them.

we will be gone about 2 days, traveling on a fri morning and returning very late sat night.

is it okay to leave a 7 mo old kitten "alone" for that long?

thanks!

 

[LTS3]

Both cats will be fine as long as the neighbor checks in on them twice a day and refill the bowls and clean the litter box. Maybe put the cats in one room with everything they need so the neighbor does't have to go looking for them to see if they are ok or not. I'd leave the neighbor your cell phone number in case there is a problem or concern.

 

[neely]

In addition to your neighbor tending to their food and litter box needs I would recommend asking her or him to play with the cats especially since you mentioned Merida is 7 months and Yuri is still a young kitty. Do you have any interactive toys for them?
This Article may have some good ideas and helpful suggestions for you:
8 Superb Automated Cat Toys That You’re Going To Love! – TheCatSite Articles

You may also want to ask the neighbor to text with updates and send a few pics. Sometimes we have unexpected events come up that we cannot avoid, e.g. the funeral you will be attending The cats should be fine and I'm sure they will be happy to see you when you return.

 

[vince]

I leave mine regularly for up to 14 days at a time, being looked in on by a sitter. They always do just fine (cats: "Look, old 'what's his face' is back again"), and they like the sitter (actually, they like just about everybody). If you're still worried, the idea that you leave your cell number with the neighbor is good.

 

[tabbytom]

we will be gone about 2 days, traveling on a fri morning and returning very late sat night.

is it okay to leave a 7 mo old kitten "alone" for that long?

Here's an article for you to read :- how-long-can-you-leave-your-cat-alone-for

 

[vince]

I didn't notice you're going to be gone only a little more than a day. I can leave my three overnight, if I feed them well before I leave and do the same promptly upon my return. I also leave some extra water bowls around, too. I've done this when one was a kitten too.

I don't really like leaving them on their own any longer than that. It's primarily feeding issues. They can't be left to free feed, or they'll pig out until they puke.

I would think it depends on the level of independence of your kitties. Mine all are self-assured and occupy themselves fine (i.e., they beat up on each other). I do leave a radio on some talk station and there are ticking wall clocks so the place isn't as dead as a mortuary. Kittens do better with a ticking clock or heartbeat toy. It mimics their mom's and siblings' heartbeat and soothes them. At only 7 months, your little one might do better with a little noise.

 

[slowblink]

Thank you all! I was feeling pretty good about this, but update - the landlady told me that starting on the day we are out of town, a crane/crew will be coming to get rid of some dead trees on the property close to our house. What timing!

i know that will be terribly noisy. I'll plan to set up a sound machine in a good spot in the house. I think the plan is still to leave the cats for such a short amount of time. If they want to play, I think the neighbor would be happy to. Fingers crossed all goes well! Thanks for the support

 

[vince]

Having a tree removed near the house didn't traumatize my cats. They went to the back of the house while the crew was there (tree was in the front yard) and came out after the crew left, no worse for the wear.

Do your cats have good "hidey holes" they can go to during the tree removal? How do they do this time of the year with firecrackers? That might let you know how they'll fare with the tree crew.

 

[slowblink]

Having a tree removed near the house didn't traumatize my cats. They went to the back of the house while the crew was there (tree was in the front yard) and came out after the crew left, no worse for the wear.

Do your cats have good "hidey holes" they can go to during the tree removal? How do they do this time of the year with firecrackers? That might let you know how they'll fare with the tree crew.

Good point that the fireworks can be a test. What timing. The cats were okay last night, there's some checking in from our older cat, Yuri - she'll look to us for assurance when things are scary or unknown. I think my landlady told me there are 7-9 trees total coming down... but at least it will all be within business hours so there will also be quiet for the cats too.

Also - yes, there are quite a few hiding places and the middle of the house has their food bowls and I'll put a few more cat beds in the area to make it extra cozy, as it will probably be the quietest spot.

 

[vince]

Mine look to me for guidance, too. I just try and ignore it and them. They've always done pretty well with most outdoor noises, although they don't like car door slams at night.