How long is too long to leave a cat alone?

17 years ago

I've bee cat-sitting as a favor to a friend..... actually more as a favor to the cat, Hobie who is a lovely mature boy of about 14 yrs.. My friend has gone numerous times to Havaii and been gone for 2-3 week stretches. I visit with the cat every other day, change his litter, feed him and play with him. Usually he is an outdoor cat but stays inside when his owner is gone. I have 4 indoor cats of my own, otherwise I might consider taking Hobie into my home.

When the owner is away Hobie behaves well..... and is wonderfully affectionate to me when I visit.... although he makes it clear he wishes he could go outside.

Now my friend is buying a second home in Hawaii and hopes to spend maybe 2 months in the winter there and this leaves Hobie without her for 2 months. She said maybe she'd come home to CT. every other week. My heart bleeds for Hobie to live his last years so alone. If it were me I would make Hobie my first priority in front of Hawaii. My friend is a very loving person and I know she loves her cat... I don't know the extent of how much she is considering Hobie here.... In passing she said..... maybe she should have someone living at her house while she is away.... but she doesn't know yet what she will do and I know a part of her thinks Hobie is old and who knows if he will be alive next winter. Still feels sad to me but I can't know all the details of my friends situation and her family...... All I see is a devoted loving long time friend/cat being emotionally neglected when he is old. I may be projecting somewhat.... I am aware but still............

What do all of you out there in the world feel?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

weed30 St. Louis
17 years ago
I don't think you are projecting at all, and I agree with you. That dear cat deserves to have a proper life, and especially a proper end of life. Someone needs to be there to love him just as he loves them. I am not a cat person, but sometimes it seems that people think a cat can deal with being alone, like it's in their nature. I really disagree ~ even the most aloof cat needs *someone* there, preferably their owner.
vacuumfreak
17 years ago
I posted a few months ago about leaving a cat for a weekend, while your situation is different maybe some of the responses will still apply!

Here is a link that might be useful: my post on same subject
Related Discussions
Can we legally leave her home alone? (Long, but we need answers)
Q
Comments (28)
What can I say--I feel you pain. My MIL has been with us for a little over a year now. I have recently quit my job of 9 years to stay home with her. She is 85 and her mobility is not good, confused on a daily basis, short term memory is bad and right now trying to keep her dressed seems to be the new thing with her. All in all she is a joy--pleasant and loveable but a real handfull sometimes. She stayed alone while my DH and I worked for nearly a year. I lived in fear that she would fall or get hurt while we were gone. We came home and found the house full of smoke and we knew we were really pushing our luck with this. She (for some reason) filled a skillet full of oil, placed it on the stove, turned it on and walked into the other room and forgot it. She didn't even see the smoke. She apparently fell asleep cause she said a loud noise woke her up--smoke alarms. And she still didn't notice the smoke. We came in just in the nick of time. I didn't go back to work. The first week I was home with her I was amazed at how good she was at "hiding" her confusion. Somedays she shines like a little star but others not so good and we are having a lot more not so good right now. I'm really suprised she didn't get hurt--we were so lucky. I REALLY miss going to dinner and running to the store or just going somewhere. It seems like my life revolves around how she is today. I miss doing things with just my husband or daughter. We sort of do shifts--one of us stays with her so the other can get out for a while. Like you we couldn't get any straight answers about the legalitys of leaving her home alone--and still can't . I guess we just have to go with our judgment with this. I keep telling myself how wonderful she's been to me through the years and how I"ll be in that shape one day. It's not easy.
...See More
how long can you leave a cat home alone
Q
Comments (15)
I agree that if your cat isn't used to traveling, leave him home. I think the longest I've left my cats for was around a little over a week, maybe 8 or 9 days - I really don't remember. We had neighbors come and check on them every day, and feed them and such. They did fine. I wouldn't make a habit of it though. There was a lady that came into the nursery I work at looking for flea control for her cat and her home. One of the things I recommended was to vacuum every day. She said she couldn't ask her neighbor to do that. Turns out the lady was a flight attendant and was only home 1 or 2 days a week - the neighbor took care of the cat the rest of the time. That, to me, is abuse. That, to me, is her neighbor's cat that just happens to live in her house. Sad. But, that's not what you're doing. Thinking of traveling with cats reminds me of the book, "The Cat Who Went to Paris." I don't remember the author's name, but it was a non-fiction account of his life with his cat, and how they went everywhere together. It's an amusing book that I recommend to cat lovers. Sally
...See More
Leaving cats alone for 3 weeks?!
Q
Comments (15)
While there are many good things to be said about professional pet sitters, depending on how you currently feed/maintain your cats, you might be fine with a neighbor popping in once a day. If your cats are free-fed or eat dry food, a neighbor could stop by just once a day to check on them, give them fresh food and water, and clean the litter box. This is coming from the person who had her mom move into her place for a week when I went to Omaha in August, so I'm certainly not advocating neglecting pets. However, if your cats eat dry food (or you have a neighbor or friend who can stop by more often to feed them wet food - or even just set an automatic feeder), it's certainly doable without a professional pet sitter. Not knowing where you live, it's hard to give suggestions, but I'm currently in an apartment building in an urban area, and sure I could find someone to watch my cats in a pinch. If I lived in a rural area and wasn't 100% sure I had access to a reliable pet sitter, I'd probably board my cats. There are a lot of factors to consider. Do you have a neighbor or even a neighbor's mature kid(s) who could take care of them for a nominal fee? When I was only ten or so, I was walking dogs and pet sitting for our neighbors (this was in the 90s, so not exactly the "olden days"). Heck, I even did it for free. I was just an animal nut. Even so, I'd still make sure parents were 100% on board if you considered using the services of a minor. However, your dollar stretches a lot farther with a neighborhood kid than with a pro. I live in an area with a very high cost of living, but I know pet sitters are much cheaper in other areas. It might not be as expensive as you think. If any of your cats have health problems or require medication, I'd highly recommend going the route of a professional pet sitter. There are other options, and it sounds like you've got plenty of time to figure out the details. Dad isn't your only option. This sounds like what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, and I'd hate for you to have to worry about your pets while you should be enjoying yourself.
...See More
How long is too long?
Q
Comments (17)
Actually I looked at your house and the comps and I think yours shows pretty well compared to most of them. Some are clearly estates with no updates, most have things that some buyers don't like, like multiple wallpapers, most have carpeting instead of hardwood in the LR. Your blue carpet is a negative, but there are similar negatives in almost all the other comps, I think. But--there are about 70 listings in your area and a little over a dozen that are almost identical on paper, including price. It appears that there may be a lot to choose from in your target market. I agree with the other comments: Reduce the number of Kitchen photos to maybe two good ones. The LR photos are very unflattering and make it look crowded. Take some things out at least for the photos. Show the bathrooms even if they are old. Not showing them makes people suspect the worst. Get them to take some of the pictures without the fishbowl effect. I don't know that your agent can pester other agents into providing feedback. My Realtor who has been in the business for 30 years and is a top seller in good markets and bad (I am in Philadelphia area, too), said the business has changed a lot in the past ten years. She feels that in this area a lot of people became real estate agents in the booming period when houses were selling themselves, and they didn't have to do much, including being polite to sellers or other agents--or do much "work" to sell a house. So while it used to be standard to leave a business card at the house, follow up with feedback and other niceties (and this was more work before everything was online), she feels that a lot of people who got into the business when it was easy, don't really like it now that its harder. For agents who may be reading this and thinking, that real estate is Always hard work, I agree, in most areas it is. But here, especially when prices are up, you can make a livable income selling a few houses a year. I had one agent repeatedly not show up for appointments. Once he showed up about 5 hours after he was scheduled. I asked the Realtor if this agent could be Not allowed to make appointments, and she said in a fast market, maybe you could do that, but in a slow market you are hostage to the unprofessional agent and the potential buyer, no matter what a pain they are.
...See More
Meghane
17 years ago
I don't think it is a huge issue for cats to come and go to Hawaii any longer. Maybe the first time, but if she lives there then I am not sure but she should be able to just take him on the plane. And cats can go in the cabin where they are safer, not in the cargo hold.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hawaii's quarrantine laws
Lily316
17 years ago
Geeze, and I stress if I leave my cats overnight..I think that's downright sad to leave a older cat , or any age for that matter, for such a long period of time.
Terrapots
17 years ago
That is so cruel to leave a pet alone for long periods of time. My near feral cat keeps `me in sight most of the day, is a 100% indoor cat and occasionally may lose me when I happen to be working in the office, thinks she's alone and will let out this plaintive howl at the door so I know she will get lonely when left alone. If she sees me leave,I'll usually find her asleep by the garage door in the kitchen which is where I exit. I would think it isn't out of the question to take the cat to Hawaii or give the cat to someone who will be kind to it. This cat is used to traveling with us and is so easy to manage, is happy in her carrier and there are motels that welcome pets, we've found out.
dances_in_garden
17 years ago
My (now deceased) Patches was not a social critter, and I think she would have preffered if we moved out permanently and left her the house LOL. But even still, we made sure somebody came every day to check on her food and water, even though it was a bulk feeder and a circulating water fountain.

The two cats we have now are more social (with us, specifically me), but do okay if they are alone for a while. I make sure somebody comes over every day to feed them and check the water. Xena likes to put stuff in the water, and I have this fear of a big, sodden, swollen pile of toys sucking up all the water and the cats dying of thirst while we are gone. Plus, who knows what kind of trouble they can get into? Jasmine jumped up and got her paw caught in the spindles of the chair, and hung suspended as she twisted around by her leg - and I was standing right there. I shudder to think if we had been gone for a week or something.

How long is too long to leave a cat alone?

Comments (6)

weed30 St. Louis

vacuumfreak

Related Discussions

Meghane

Lily316

Terrapots

dances_in_garden

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US