Leave or give? Going away, cat at home dillema!

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We are going away for two weeks over Christmas and feel torn about leaving our cat alone in the ( cold and dark) house. He's got a cat flap so totally free to go in and out whenever. Neighbours will come to feed twice a day but we thought the two weeks can be a long time for a young cat who generally enjoys the company of humans. A colleague at work offered to host our cat for the entire two weeks in her flat (no garden so hopefully can't run away).

The argument for leaving him at home is that cats don't like to move and can get a bit crazy if change environment. But the argument against leaving him is that if he feels his humans left him, he will run away. He has a history of going places for long periods of time, and he is at this age when exploring the outdoors his favourite thing!

What would you recommend then? Leave or give???

Personally I’d have booked a cattery .

How about a cattery? At least he'll be secure and will have cuddles.
Yes, it will cost, but what about peace of mind?

Pay for a cat sitter to visit for an hour a day?

Saves bothering the neighbours, and gives your cat some company without uprooting it

Imo a few bags of Dreamies and dcat will give zero fucks who is handing them out.
Than your friend very much for the kind off and start packing for dcat now....
It could be the start of a beautiful friendship for them both.

I’d leave at home and lock the cat flap. That way he wouldn’t run away and would still be at home comfortable in his environment

We use a Catsitter - two visits a day to clean the litter tray, feed her and give cuddles.

Imagine the uproar if someone asked if they can leave their dog alone for 2 weeks, with just someone popping in every now and then.

Cats need company too, its horrible to leave them along for 23hours a day for 2 weeks.

Two weeks is far too long. A weekend would be fine but that's not fair for that long.

Either pay for a cattery, get someone to stay at your house or pay for a pet sitter. It's nice the neighbour will feed your cat but will they stay in with the cat and cuddle it?

Wil you're leaving the heating on a timer to come on once or twice a day to keep him cosy?

I think he would be fine at home!

It won't be a solution for everybody, but we use a live-in petsitter when we go away. I think there are agencies you can pay to provide someone, but instead we use a website called Trusted Housesitters and it's been good so far. You just have to be careful to do your own due diligence and make sure they're responsible.

Disclaimer- I'm a dogs walker and cat sitter.

Cats are very different creatures to dogs. For many of them a Cattery is absolute hell. Some cats are fine, but others hate the journey, change of scenery, new routine and proximity to other cats. Some catteries spend time with the cats, some don't- just a quick feed and litter empty.

I visit cats between 1 and 4 times a day. Sometimes I sleep overnight. Some cats like lots of attention, play and fuss. Others like me to be their servant- keeping things just as required but not overstepping they mark and being too friendly.

IMO the key is fitting arrangements to a cat's individual personality.

Many customers worry about leaving their cat but very few seem remotely bothered about being left alone. They sleep much of the day, eat well and although they are pleased to see me I rarely get the feeling that they are struggling with their owner's absence.

I’d leave st home with neighbour popping in. My neighbour once went away for a month and I went in twice a day. Cat seemed perfectly happy. Only problem was my cat could open their electronic cat flap and started hanging around in their house!

@peoplepleaser1 Leaving a cat for a few days is very very different to 2 weeks!
Cats might not love catteries, but few actively hate them. And it keeps them safe and secure.

Leaving any animal alone for 2 weeks with very limited contact is cruel imo.

Thank you all so much for sharing different perspectives.
I sort of agree with the latest post about catteries. They can be very distressing for cats. I don't mind paying but I genuinely feel it is not the best option.

I didn't put too much energy in finding a cat sitter, but maybe I shiuld. I don't have much time now but please offer suggestions where I can find one (latest poster - where about are you? Maybe PM me with your details..) its sound like a hard work. It will only work if they live-in as cat in and out all day. Most likely the cat will not be at home when a sitter show up. He is mostly out and for long periods of time. I know my neighbours would not mind playing with him but 9 out of 10 when they come in he is not there.. he roms free..

I don't think I can lock him in for two weeks either, someone suggested, but it does not feel right.. I think he will really go crazy!

No one really commented on giving him away to my work colleague.. any thoughts? Journey of about 1hr to South London.. he hates cars!!!

Thanks so much, didn't expect so many replies so quickly.

I imagine cat sitters will be fully booked for the Christmas period now.

The problem with your other suggestion is, if your cat goes missing, gets hurts, how will they/you know? Your cat could potentially be missing/injured for 2 weeks before you know.

The London/friend idea- can you be sure the cat won't escape? Lost in an unfamiliar place as busy as London could be dangerous.

Go and view a few catteries, some have lovely outdoor areas for the cats which he will appreciate. He might not be thrilled about it, but cats tend to just get on with things, and at least you can relax over Xmas, knowing he is safe and secure.

@LochJessMonster I don't share your POV- I have visited many many cats for periods of two weeks and they have been perfectly happy.

I have also offered emergency cover in catteries where some cats are extremely distressed and / or withdrawn and shut down. A good cattery will report this back to an owner so different arrangements can be made in future.

There is no one perfect solution.

Implying that a cat is safer in a cattery is a big strange, as they will be just as safe at home as they are when living there day to day.....

It really depends on the cat.....

OP i would be cautious about giving cat to your colleague. Unless they are very switched on they may have underestimated how easy it is for a cat to escape- think open windows, guests arriving, plus a cat which is determined to make a door dash can be very difficult to stop escaping (door arrangements incorporating a porch are really helpful).

From what you have posted your cat sounds very independent and may cope just fine with neighbours / sitter.

I do 20 / 30 min visits. If the cat really doesn't want to interact I respect this (and pretend I don't care- a sure fire way to pique cats interest).

I discuss with owners how to handle not seeing the cat, and if this is to be expected. This is rarely an issue.

Look for a person with insurance, a DBS, who makes detailed notes about how to keep cats routine as required, with references that you can read from people who are happy for you to call them too, experience with cats, and who you feel are trustworthy.

Do PM me if you'd like more advice. I'm midlands based.

Implying that a cat is safer in a cattery is a big strange, as they will be just as safe at home as they are when living there day to day..... and when their owner doesn't come back after a few days? The cat will wander further away from the house, go looking for them.

And the owners won't know their cat is missing for 2 weeks, in which time he could be anywhere, in any condition.

I worked in a cattery, very few cats got that distressed.

But of course, we are entitled to different opinions!

Our cats loathed the cattery when we took them. We leave them at home with the heating on low, their favourite cushions and chairs accessible and some toys to play with. We pay the teenage son of a neighbour to come in and feed them and he usually sends us a fe photos of them while we’re away. We come back to happy cats.

@LochJessMonster absolutely we are. I'm glad that you didn't have to Carr for any unhappy cats in your cattery.

I see your logic, but honestly over many many years of cat ownership and care I've never known or heard of a cat that wanders to look for their owner.

This would be more the norm for dogs. I never accept offers of work caring for dogs whose owners are away unless I can stay overnight with the dog. I have to turn away quite a lot of work because I don't believe this is in a dog's best interest. I honestly see it very differently when it comes to cats and am very comfortable offering a pop in service.

In contrast to Loch I too have worked in catteries and as a result would never use one for my cats. Lock the cat flap so he can’t go missing or worse when you aren’t there. I think the best solution is having a pet sitter or friendly neighbour pop in to feed and spend time with them. I’ve got some cats who would hate being uprooted to someone else’s house and a couple who would take it in their stride. But the risk/ worry about them escaping in an area they don’t know is a concern.

I think either are fine (mine don't get distressed by catteries), but I prefer a cat sitter purely on the basis that I like to have the house checked in on. It's less hassle all round as well.

I book ours into a very good cattery. We tried the leaving her at home with a neighbour feeding her but I don't think she was very happy. She loves company and kept trying to get into other people's houses.

The cattery we use is great. The cattery area is like a massive zoo enclosure and each cat gets time outside in their garden area each day but whilst being completely safe from being able to escape. My cat generally also spends some time "helping" in the stockroom when the staff are working in there. They know her very well now.

I would have to set the heating to come on afew times a day atleast.

And a light on a timer...
You can get them plug in timers for lamps, for maybe the main room she settles in.

Our cat, hates being alone, doesnt like the dark and loves the heater / radiator.

If she has been in the front room for an hour and we are up in the bedroom, she will come find us...

I couldn't imagine leaving her for 2 weeks but every cat is different

I leave ours at home with SIL popping in twice a day to feed and sort the litter trays. But we do have two so they have each other for company.

I'm sure one will be fine though - I wouldn't fork out hundreds for a cattery if I didn't have to.