Going away at Xmas - can I give 1 pouch instead of 2?

[NellieRubina]

We are likely to be away for 2-3 days over Christmas. We have a usual pet sitter but she will only (quite reasonably!) do one visit a day on Christmas and Boxing day. Dcat usually has 2 pouches a day and grazes freely on dry food. We will book the cat sitter for one visit per day, but if he has plenty of dry food left out for him, do you think that'll be ok for a couple of days? I'm reluctant to ask friends and neighbours to help out on the main festive days!

[thecatneuterer]

That's absolutely fine.

[squee123]

personally I wouldn't as my cat would just wolf it all down in one go. I'd just get the cat sitter to put the second pouch in a timed feeder to go off at the second meal time. They're pretty cheap

[NellieRubina]

Thanks both. I thought timed feeders were only for dry food but I'll look into that as an option.

[Weatherwax]

I second a timed feeder. Over such a short period of time your pouch food will keep perfectly well, we've done it loads for weekends away. Get a couple and your pet sitter won't need to come out on Christmas day at all!

[NellieRubina]

Thank you! I am on Amazon right now!

[squee123]

wet food will happily last 12 hours in a feeder - I work on the basis that if it can survive months on end in the tin or pouch until it's open it won't go manky in 12 hours once opened provided it isn't in sunshine, exposed to insects which obviously won't be an issue in a feeder in December

[FlyingFlamingo]

When I popped in on a friend’s cat over the summer I just went once a day, his cat has a timed feeder with an ice pack slot underneath so the wet food was fine for 12 hours. I’m not sure if that’s standard? We can’t use one because one of ours also needs a pill twice a day so needs a visit twice a day so I have never looked at them.

[spinn]

I suppose it really depends on how annoyed you want the cat to be when you get back?
If you can cope with the angry glare for any extra 12 hours then it's fine....

[NellieRubina]

Haha! We went away for 2 weeks this summer...he wasn't too huffy...