Leaving My Cats Outside For A Week While On Vacation

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tamarammm

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Hello! I have two cats that are indoor/outdoor so that means they come inside at night and go outside for the day and they like to sleep inside a lot. If I leave them outside for a week while I am on holiday with having my parents come to my house and go out and refill their food and water outside, will they still be around and will they want to come back inside when we come back and will their behaviour towards us change?

We dont want to leave them inside and we dont want to hire a petsitter or leave them at a cattery so this is our only option.
PLEASE HELP AND REPLY WITH ADVICE
 
duckpond

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Leaving cats outdoors always comes with huge risks. However i do understand sometimes this is the only option, for some cats, and it sounds like yours spend a lot of time outdoor anyway? My mom and dad live on a farm, very rural area, there are no sitters or places to board a cat. Her cats also stay out during the day and often spend the night in house. When they have to go away for a few days the cats stay out, and my brother will run by to feed and water them daily. I don't think they will run away, or dislike you at all, they would just face all the dangers that other cats face, especially at night outdoors. if you do leave them out, then try to give them a safe protected area to spend the night. Have they ever spent the night out?
 
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tamarammm

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duckpond said:
Leaving cats outdoors always comes with huge risks. However i do understand sometimes this is the only option, for some cats, and it sounds like yours spend a lot of time outdoor anyway? My mom and dad live on a farm, very rural area, there are no sitters or places to board a cat. Her cats also stay out during the day and often spend the night in house. When they have to go away for a few days the cats stay out, and my brother will run by to feed and water them daily. I don't think they will run away, or dislike you at all, they would just face all the dangers that other cats face, especially at night outdoors. if you do leave them out, then try to give them a safe protected area to spend the night. Have they ever spent the night out?
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Yes they have spent the night out but one of them ends up waking me up early morning like 4 or something to let them in. They do love being outdoors though!
 
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tamarammm said:
Yes they have spent the night out but one of them ends up waking me up early morning like 4 or something to let them in. They do love being outdoors though!
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And we are going to set up a little area for the two kitties so that they can sleep safely so I really hope they will be fine
 
Norachan

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It's a really bad idea to leave them alone so long. Having food and water outside will attract other animals. Your cats could be injured if other cats, raccoons etc move into the area. There is also the chance that they will get sick while you are away. With no one there to watch over them what will happen then? You can't leave them outside for such a long time and just hope they will be OK until you get back. You wouldn't leave a child to fend for himself while you go off on holiday so you shouldn't leave a pet either.

Why can't you leave them indoors and ask your parents to come into the house to give them food and water?
 
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Norachan said:
It's a really bad idea to leave them alone so long. Having food and water outside will attract other animals. Your cats could be injured if other cats, raccoons etc move into the area. There is also the chance that they will get sick while you are away. With no one there to watch over them what will happen then? You can't leave them outside for such a long time and just hope they will be OK until you get back. You wouldn't leave a child to fend for himself while you go off on holiday so you shouldn't leave a pet either.

Why can't you leave them indoors and ask your parents to come into the house to give them food and water?
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Thanks for your advice but...
a cat and a child are completely different! and there are barely any cats around my rural area beside my two cats and my parents will be outside refilling their food and water and be watching them so if they are sick my parents will just call me and take action. They are well behaved friendly cats that generally stick around our backyard sleeping on chairs.

I cannot leave them indoors as they are not trained to be alone inside the house for such a long time and there are many indoor risks as well with our house. I believe them being alone outside would be just as dangerous as leaving them alone inside, right? What if they run into glass because they get spooked? What if they get stuck inside somewhere? What if they both fight with eachother? The what if?'s are endless!
 
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tamarammm said:
Thanks for your advice but...
a cat and a child are completely different! and there are barely any cats around my rural area beside my two cats and my parents will be outside refilling their food and water and be watching them so if they are sick my parents will just call me and take action. They are well behaved friendly cats that generally stick around our backyard sleeping on chairs.

I cannot leave them indoors as they are not trained to be alone inside the house for such a long time and there are many indoor risks as well with our house. I believe them being alone outside would be just as dangerous as leaving them alone inside, right? What if they run into glass because they get spooked? What if they get stuck inside somewhere? What if they both fight with eachother? The what if?'s are endless!
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They are definitely not used to spending such a long amount of time inside and outside but i figured that they spend more time outside so they should be out there where they belong.
 
lavishsqualor

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tamarammm said:
Thanks for your advice but...
a cat and a child are completely different! and there are barely any cats around my rural area beside my two cats and my parents will be outside refilling their food and water and be watching them so if they are sick my parents will just call me and take action. They are well behaved friendly cats that generally stick around our backyard sleeping on chairs.

I cannot leave them indoors as they are not trained to be alone inside the house for such a long time and there are many indoor risks as well with our house. I believe them being alone outside would be just as dangerous as leaving them alone inside, right? What if they run into glass because they get spooked? What if they get stuck inside somewhere? What if they both fight with eachother? The what if?'s are endless!
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Your logic here is faulty. You're reaching because you want to leave your cats outside to avoid the cost of a pet sitter or boarding and you want us to agree with you that such a thing is okay.

It isn't.

As others have tried to tell you diplomatically and kindly: Leaving your cats outside is a terrible idea. If you do, I personally do not believe that they will be there when you get back. And if they are there they will have suffered in one way or another, either with fear or with physical injury.

Your cats must not mean much to you if you are willing to take such risks with their well-being.
 
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Norachan

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I have to agree with lavishsqualor lavishsqualor If you can afford to go on vacation you can afford to pay for a cat sitter or a cattery. You've asked for our advice and we've told you that this is a bad idea. It puts your cats at risk if you leave them outside while you are away.

I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's our honest answer to your question.

Please reconsider. If going on holiday is the most important thing to you it might be better to surrender the cats to a place where they will be properly cared for.
 
danteshuman

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ACK!!!!!! Keep them inside!!! Our semi-feral took to using the litter box instantly when he had to be stuck inside for 2 weeks to receive medical care. Also we had to stop leaving food in the garage for our semi-feral because stray cats & possums helped them selves! Please, please keep them inside!
 
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lavishsqualor said:
Your logic here is faulty. You're reaching because you want to leave your cats outside to avoid the cost of a pet sitter or boarding and you want us to agree with you that such a thing is okay.

It isn't.

As others have tried to tell you diplomatically and kindly: Leaving your cats outside is a terrible idea. If you do, I personally do not believe that they will be there when you get back. And if they are there they will have suffered in one way or another, either with fear or with physical injury.

Your cats must not mean much to you if you are willing to take such risks with their well-being.
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I do appreciate your opinion but be realistic when you are helping people for advice. cats are cute. end of story. not trying to be rude but i just had to say the truth!!
 
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Norachan said:
I have to agree with lavishsqualor lavishsqualor If you can afford to go on vacation you can afford to pay for a cat sitter or a cattery. You've asked for our advice and we've told you that this is a bad idea. It puts your cats at risk if you leave them outside while you are away.

I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's our honest answer to your question.

Please reconsider. If going on holiday is the most important thing to you it might be better to surrender the cats to a place where they will be properly cared for.
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I went away for 8 days and came back today. They are fine.

I do appreciate your opinion but be realistic when you are helping people for advice. cats are cute. end of story. not trying to be rude but i just had to say the truth!! all opinions are welcome but this is how my cats are trained and they are trained well because they are the cutest things in the world ever to exist.
 
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