leaving kittens when vacationing

[bellebud]

months ago, I booked a mid-January 2012 cruise for my family (11 nights).

a few days ago, we adopted 2 kittens - both female, 3 months and 4 months old.

they're getting along wonderfully w/ our 2 dogs, 2 kids, and just generally in our house.  we love our new additions!

I'm a bit nervous about leaving them for 11 days in January.  the dogs will be kenneled as usual.  my mom will come to our house for the kittens every 2 days.

I plan on leaving 5 litter boxes (I have 2 for them to use all the time, and I have some spares).  of course leaving lots of food/water.  the kittens would have the run of the house like they do now.

My concern is they'll get mad or lonely and start negative behaviors (peeing on the couch or carpets). 

any experienced advice would be very much appreciated.  I'm on the fence of possibly canceling the cruise and still going away, but only for a week.  the family really wants the 11 day cruise (as do I), but I don't want to upset the kittens and possibly ruin a great start to them being a part of our family.

 

[mrblanche]

Check with your vet (or the kennel where you take your dogs).  Cats can be kenneled, too, but you may prefer just to have a catsitter come in every day or every other day to scoop the litter boxes, check the food, put out clean water, and give the kittens some loving.  Most vets have contacts who do that, often their own techs doing some moonlighting.

 

[bellebud]

I appreciate your reply.

My mom will be coming every 2 days, so I don't need kenneling or someone else to come for them.

My concern was the kittens getting upset at being left alone because they're so young.  If it were a year from now, I probably wouldn't think twice about it, knim?

I hoping cats just don't really care much about it, the way dogs do. 

 

[crumbandharvey]

Always worth adding a Feliway diffuser before you leave to help calm their nerves...

 

[carolina]

Sorry to say, but kittens.... 3 and 4 months old... I would not leave alone with someone visiting every other day.... They are an accident waiting to happen... Definitely not with the run of the house anyways.... Sorry to put this out there, but I wouldn't if it was my cats, and in fact, I don't with mine.
Good luck with your vacations, I hope you can have someone check on them at least everyday...

 

[sugarcatmom]

I agree, they really need to be checked on every day, if not twice a day. I would even go so far as to recommend someone stay at your house while you're gone. Would your mom be willing to do that? Or maybe she could trade off with another family member or friend. Kittens that age are full of beans and can easily get into trouble, in ways you'd never expect.  Whenever I go away my MIL moves in to look after my kitties and she loves it, it's like a mini-vacation for her too. And of course the cats get totally spoiled. 

 

[ducman69]

Sorry, I just don't think that is a very good idea.   They are very young kittens, and even for adult cats a 2-day break is a long time to leave them unsupervised.   If they get wild being alone and hurt themselves or get entangled on a loose plastic bag that they grabbed under the pantry door or end up somehow constipated or have a urinary issue, it could potentially be 48hrs before they receive attention.  

I'd invest in an auto-feeder with a counter, so you know they are getting their meals, a pair of water fountains for redundancy, and once a day have parents or a neighborhood trusted babysitter (or sitter service) come in and empty the litterbox, play with the cats, feed em their wet food, and just do a good checkup on them.    You'd only have to pay them for an hour of their time, and back when I babysat I'd be happy to play with cats for an hour for $10.   Leave your number to call you at each checkup, snap a photo on the cell camera if you want, and just give you a confirmation all is OK or ask any questions.  

 

[bellebud]

thank you all for your replies.  you've given me a lot to think about.  I didn't think about them getting themselves into 'trouble' and possibly getting hurt.  that would be terrible! 

I'll talk to hubby and we'll figure out what we're going to do.  thanks again!

 

[olivesmom]

Everyone has given some great suggestions. If you do end up leaving them and having someone just check on them you could always make them their own "kitten-proof room/area" that way there would be less chances of them getting into things. Not sure how big they are, but someone suggested stacking 2 of those baby gates if you need to block off an area.

And, not to be a downer for vacations, because I think everyone deserves a vacation, but I know when I would go out of town just for a weekend my cat would cry and sit by our front door. And I had my room mates who lived with me caring for her! But, since they are young (I think she was 7-8mo the first time I left), with some love and people play time, they should be able to occupy, and tire themselves out. Maybe the person checking on them can rotate their toys every few days when they come to check on them. And not sure if this makes a difference, but it made ME feel better when I had to leave my cat this past weekend and have someone check on her was to leave the radio on softly. We do it for my dog and she seems less stressed when we get home. 

I hope you find a solution that is win-win for your vacation and the kitties!

 

[mrblanche]

We've left cats for as long as four days on their own, and while they're glad to see us back, cats are nowhere near as dependent on daily human interaction as dogs are.

There are places where cats can be kenneled, and if the cages are large enough, it won't be as bad as you might think.  A place with cages large enough for both cats would be best.

 

[frischy]

I just adopted a cat who was left alone a lot while the previous owners went on trips overseas. This cat is aggressive and unsocialized. He is scared of people and literally attacked my daughter while she was sitting on the sofa ignoring him.

I think at this young age especially, your kittens need a lot of human interaction if you want them to grow up to be nice members of your family. If there is any way someone can come stay at your home while you are gone, I think that would be the ideal situation.

It is not only a matter of them getting hurt. It is a matter of them not reverting to feral behaviors due to neglect.

Good luck!

 

[rarepuss]

 I postponed a planned vacation ( it was a cruise too and they are easy to move ) for 6 months when i  brought my two home. Instead I took a week off from work and spent it home with them to bond. They are part of your family now.  Bonding with your new kittens is extremely important early on, and I'm sorry but leaving for 11 days is counter productive.  

Also, when I leave on vacations I have two different people coming twice a day.  I pay the second person, just like you would caretakers in a kennel.   That way, even if one has an emergency and cannot make it, the other is there.  Once every 2 days is not enough.