babysitting a Tom cat for 2 weeks, Ok to keep in a room ??

[MalloryKnox]

My brother has asked me to look after his cat for 2 weeks, while he waits for his new house to become available. I gave him the cat, I had 2, a brother and sister from the same litter, ...I gave him our Tom cat because 2 cats were too much to deal with with little kiddies, and the little f**rs were trashing my house.
So my bro, is sofa surfing for a bit, and he doesnt want to get rid of the cat, (they have built a good relationship, hahah..his words)

Now the cats are a 1 years old, I have yet to have my little female cat spayed, Im not ready to leave her out yet, he hasnt had his nads chopped off yet either..............So basically, what Im asking is, would it be cruel to leave My brothers TOM cat in a room for two weeks (with a litter tray) I will obviously go and spend time with him, feed him etc etc???.....My brother thinks this is cruel...

we cant afford kitty camp...or what ever they are called.

Take them both to the vet and have them done is my advice. Yes, it is cruel to keep a cat locked up in a room for two weeks. It is also irresponsible to have unneutered cats of either sex. Unless you want to be drowning in kittens of course.

I don't think you can keep a cat in one room for two weeks - really not fair. I really think you need to get one of them neutered/spayed or you need a schedule where you can be certain they never meet! If you can't afford neutering/spaying I think Blue Cross or others may assist. Cats Protection League maybe?

Yes it's cruel to keep a cat in one room for a fortnight. It's also grossly irresponsible for neither of you to have had these cats neutered. If you can't afford for them to be properly cared for in a cattery for example then maybe you shouldn't have these pets? Have the cats had their injections?

I havent neutered my cat yet, because I live smack bang in the middle of a very busy town, with a busy road, and was thinking of keeping her as an indoor cat.....i havent got a a very big garden either...I do plan to have her done, only when she was ready to go out....my friend that works in a vet said it would be ok, because if you put a cat in a cattery for 2 weeks when you go on holiday, they dont get a great deal of room to roam around in.???

they arent even a fully year old...they are about 10 months

She just needs to get out once, Mallory, and she will, sooner or later, and you will have kittens on your hands.

Perhaps it would have been more useful for your friend who works in a vet to tell you that your cat is at serious risk of getting pyometra, probably pretty soon, if you do not have her spayed, which could kill her.

It is unfair to keep a cat shut in a room for two weeks, esoecially if it is a tom cat and there is an unspayed female around. She may well come into call and he will be desperate to get at her.

Plus when they want out they usually get out! Stopping a determined cat from exiting a doorway can be like trying to catch smoke. Angry smoke
Two weeks is a LONG time.

I would say get the female at least spayed ASAP. Have they both been vaxed and wormed? If she is spayed, then they can live together for the two weeks, but I'd suggest also getting the Tom neutered.

I would personally feel a bit guilty about a cat being on his own in a room for two weeks, but having said that, he wouldn't have much human contact in a cattery either, except for feeding and cleaning, BUT he would have the company of other cats.

A lot of pet cats spend 16+ hours alone if they belong to a person who works and are often quite happy if they have another cat to keep them company and plenty of toys etc, as they are supposed to sleep for two thirds of the day anyway.

ok..thanks everyone....this cat babysitting is gunna cost me a fortune....yep I ll get my little female cat spayed this week. (even though I wonrt be letting her out)..I will persuade my brother to get his cat done otherwise he will bully her...blimey...