Is it cruel to leave cat unattended for 14 days?

[VinoEsmeralda]

Neighbors gone on holiday and left their 8 month cat alone. Not seen anybody to come and feed it.

I think this is cruel ( same people think it is acceptable to let kids jump on trampoline with rabbit on it)!

AIBU?

... she drunk out a dripping tap in the garden mostly or from puddles

Ah - another one

It doesn't matter how clean or fresh our cat's water bowl is (we've even tried mineral water in case she dislikes the chemicals, heaven help us) but still she prefers it from the tap, the pond, puddles or, believe it or not, the toilet!!!

Maybe the taste of chemicals isn't such a problem for her after all ...

My aunt had a siamese she insisted he would only drink bottled water until she caught him with his head in the watering can

It's supposed to be because they prefer running water, you could try one of those waterfall bowls.

Our old cat got dehydrated because she wouldn't drink water.

I knew someone who'd go on holiday and lock her two cats out, trilling 'a-hunting we will go!' She made no arrangements for them.

These were pets, not semi-feral animals who barely came inside. I could understand it if they were. That's how those kind of animals live and I think that's fine.

I guess the neighbours fed them. No matter how good a hunter a pet cat is, I wouldn't want it to rely on what it could catch. For one thing, it might not find anything, and for another, I wouldn't want it to eat vermin because I'd be worried that might eat a diseased animal or be injured in a fight with a rat or another starving cat.

I can't understand why they came back. Perhaps they liked her children. Or maybe they were biding their time and plotting their revenge on her by slinking around her ankles when she was at the top of the stairs.

When we go away our neighbours who used to own the cats (she developed allergic asthma when she was pregnant) come and make far more fuss of our cats than even DD1 does. We come back and they look at us imperiously because we occasionally allow their bowls to run empty.

Horrible, Hope you have called the RSPCA.

When I fed my neighbour's cats, it was at 6.30 - 6.45 am. Most other people in the street were asleep and wouldn't have known I was at the house!

Are you sure they aren't being fed?

Our neighbours went away last summer and their cat mewed piteously outside our windows in the wee hours of the morning, but didn't want anything to eat as I went and bought cat food to be on the safe side.

Turned out another neighbour was feeding the cat, but she was clearly missing her humans!

Can't you just put some food out and see - if the cat is hungry that will tell you that it's not being fed.

Does the 24 hr rule apply to gerbils ? When we go away I ask the neighbours to change the food and water every other day, but it doesn't need done every day.

Our regular catsitters come early or late so I doubt the neighbours see them, but they are still there. Plus even after 10 years with us, they do such a good impression of STARVING to DEATH, even if they've been fed half and hour ago, that DH and I still can't see through it reliably. I'm amazed no one has reported us yet, based on their amateur dramatics. They also have a wet food diet and don't drink from water bowls.

As you leave food down for her and she presumably isn't eating it, surely she must be being fed? Those automatic feeders only last a couple of days.

My cats prefer being at home to being at a cattery as they are used to roaming around outside and don't like being in a cage for 2 weeks. Also one of the HATES being in the car and wails loudly and constantly from the time the car starts moving until it stops.

Tape on the door would be useless as whoever feeds them has a back door key and wouldn't go anywhere near the front door or see anything through the letter box.

And as for checking at least once in 24 hours, both cats frequently disappear for a couple of days or longer, so I don't know how I would do that, let alone anyone feeding them while I was away. Last time they were meant to be going to the cattery my boy went walkabout and I had to cancel the cattery at the last moment (and still pay) and get my neighbour to feed them as I knew my girl would pine if she went without him. He turned up 2 days later (think he knew what was happening and voted with his feet!).

Have just seen this. I'd do the tape thing or leave a note for the "cat sitter" (if (s(he) exists) and if there's no reply in a day or so, call the RSPCA. It is much better to call them needlessly than to do nothing and later feel guilty because the cat dies. Personally I rarely even leave my old boy (13) alone overnight and I feel guilty about that as he has had health problems in the past, but he always goes to the cattery for holidays etc. I found a brilliant lady who is FAB registered and he often seems reluctant to come home.

As for the rabbit thing, that is truly F-ing horrific. If they did that, I think it's highly likely they wouldn't look after the cat properly. I seriously wonder why some people have pets if they can't be arsed to look after them properly. Incidentally if you are a bit worried what the reaction of the neighbours might be at your intervention, don't bother leaving a note. Just call the RSPCA.