Can cats be left home alone for several days?

[ohdearwhatamess]

I don't know whether or not to be worried about my neighbour's cat (cats?). She has been away for about a week, but at least one of her cats is inside the house.

I don't want to stick my nose in if this is normal with cats, but I'd hate to think I'd sat back and done nothing if it was actually distressed. The one I've spotted doesn't look unhappy and it isn't crying or anything like that, but it does come to the window every time I park the car, like it is looking or listening out for its owner.

Is it normally a house cat? Or have you seen it outside in the past?

Cats are fine left on their own so long as someone feeds them and gives them water.

Definitely house cats.

ARe you sure no-one is popping in to visit them when you're not there?

Fine if they have someone coming in to feed them and check them regularly. I can't imagine the owner would have left them shut in without thinking it through - Even if there was a huge bowl of cat biscuits and water to last them just imagine the smell if no-one came in to empty the litter tray
If you are in any way worried though the best thing to do is call the RSPCA - they can monitor for a possible "abandonment" and take action if necessary.

BTW - I am not suggesting it is fine to leave a big bowl of food and water out and leave your cats!

an't be 100% sure that nobody is popping in, but I don't miss much - I'm the ultimate nosey neighbour

I have left mine for 2 nights before, they are house cats so left extra food, water and litter trays.

Why don't you do the old sellotape trick, tap a bit to hte top of the doors, if someone is going in to feed them it will be broken IYSWIM?

Got to come back to this - the dcs are fighting

We left ours alone for 5 days over Christmas. We left a cat feeder, which should have feed them for a few day(it didn't it got stuck) so MIL didn't have to to see them on Chritmas day.

When she does come to feed our cats if we are away, she does it at 5am because she's married to a postman.

Ours are fine. I have never left them for more than 2 nights, but we have a 5 day cat food automatic feeder that keeps the food chilled until the day and you can get water fountains to keep them in fresh water.

Whenever we come back there are 2 brown furry patches on the bed, indicating that they probably haven't moved from that spot in 3 days lazy buggers

We often leave our cats for 2 nights (I think they relish the peace). They are left with several bowls of food (dried) and loads of water, they have a cat flap and head of into neighbouring fields. If more than that our neighbour pops in daily to put out fresh food and water.

There is a chance that someone came in to feed them (whilst I was fretting about them on MN). Her wheelie bin has been moved.

Sweetkitty - the sellotape idea is genius, although I'd worry that someone might see and think I was a burglar!