Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

How long do you leave your cats for? Is this too long?

30 replies

Plump82 · 16/12/2018 10:01

I usually take the cat to my mums but both her and my mum find it too stressful. Shes ended up at the vets the last 2 times and for such a short trip i feel taking her to my mums over Christmas isnt worth it.
Anyway this years its our turn to go to jy partners parents for Christmas. We need to leave her from Christmas Eve to kid day Boxing Day. Ill come home from work on Christmas Eve to sort her food and clean her litter boxes. We have a few food timers so she'll have food while we're away and ill get plenty of litter trays for her. Im worried about what time i can leave her from on Christmas Eve. My partners mum was planning a nice meal for us on Christmas Eve but i think leaving in time for that will be too long? Ill need to leave here about 6 to get there on time.
Just for more info, shes an old cat so will probably just sleep while we're away.

OP posts:
MintyCedric · 16/12/2018 10:08

Personally I wouldn't be happy leaving my cats for that long without someone popping in to check up on them, but I'm sure people do it and if they've plenty of food and water wouldn't come to any harm.

Lindy2 · 16/12/2018 10:09

Why don't you get someone to come into feed and check on her a couple of times a day? If you don't have a neighbour who would do it there are usually pet sitters who will.

HerestoyouMrsRobinson · 16/12/2018 10:10

She'll be fine. As you say, she will eat and sleep.
Could you get a webcam so that you can check up on her that way?

JeremyCorbynsBeard · 16/12/2018 10:13

We regularly left our cat for this long. As long as there's enough food she'll be fine. Feral cats don't always get to eat every day and they survive, so 48 hours with plenty of food will be fine.

HotInWinter · 16/12/2018 10:17

For a first time, I think it might be too long.
I used to leave my cat that long occasionally, but it started with just an overnight, then overnight and most of the next day. We then would go away on a Friday evening, and come back Sunday evening, maybe 3 times a year.
But equally, she might prefer it to going in the car (certainly for us, this was the case)

borntobequiet · 16/12/2018 10:17

If she’s fed, watered and warm she should be fine in her own home for 48 hours. I hate leaving my cat and am lucky enough to have a neighbour pop in, but she is happier at home and like yours would just sleep most of the time if I left her without the neighbour coming in.

Original poster
Plump82 · 16/12/2018 10:21

Sorry i should have mentioned she's been left on her own. The longest for a full day with us leaving in the morning and coming back mid day the next day.
Unfortunately i dont live anywhere near family and dont know anyone here to check in on her. Ive checked a company that offers cat sitting but theres no one available over Christmas day which i guess is understandable.

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 16/12/2018 10:24

She will be fine but I'd expect to come back to 'accidents', quite possibly in your bed.

Even with cat sitters, all my cats have been better in cattery. They seem to find being in our house without us v stressful. While in cattery they come home v fat.

LittleLongDog · 16/12/2018 10:29

Mine is the opposite to Anna: would hate a cattery and much prefer to be at home.

I’ve left mine for a night and day before and she was very very pleased to see us when we got back. I wouldn’t want to leave her any longer.

MeetOnTheSIedge · 16/12/2018 10:31

We tend to limit it to 36 hours, so maybe Friday night till Sunday morning at the most. We have autofeeders but they are tricky to set up and I always worry they won't open, so we leave out loads of dry food and water.

Celebelly · 16/12/2018 10:35

We do this pretty frequently with our two. No issues.

Fundays12 · 16/12/2018 10:36

It depends if it’s summer or winter. In the summer 2 days with the playhouse open and his food dispenser full of enough brekkies for a week but he often out for that long anyway. In the winter he doesn’t get left overnight at all as he doesn’t like the cold.

Fundays12 · 16/12/2018 10:37

Sorry I should have said my cat won’t use a tray so can’t keep him inside in the winter when we are not there for a night. He goes out to the toilet twice a day normally in winter then hibernates in his bed lol.

BentNeckLady · 16/12/2018 10:39

We don’t have anyone come in and check our cats in we’re away for 2 days and they’re always ok. I don’t even think they notice we’re not here tbh. Any longer and mil comes in and checks them every day. They do have the hump with us when we get back if we go away for 2 weeks.

80sMum · 16/12/2018 10:40

I think 48 hours should be fine, especially if you have a timed food dispenser.

madcatladyforever · 16/12/2018 10:47

With all my previous cats 3 days is fine although I usually pay for a cat sitter to check on them once a day.

I put a few bowls of water around in case one gets knocked over and a few big bowls of cat bicuits.

I haven't been away from my current cat for two years as she is poorly with diabetes, hyerthyroidism and chrone's disease on steroids and has a plethora of injections and pills everyday. She is too aggressive to be left with cat sitters as she bites strangers.

I am pretty much resigned to being stuck at home for the duration. but she is a precious and still very much enjoys life so that's how it is.

Original poster
Plump82 · 16/12/2018 11:34

Shes nearly 18 so i definitely wouldnt use a cattery for the 1st time. Plus shes fat enough so dont want her coming back even fatter! 😂 It would be less than 48 hrs so it's good to see other have left theirs for longer and it was ok. Shes an indoor cat so no need to worry about her not getting out. The timers we have are actually pretty good and have always worked when we've left her before. Im planning on getting puppy pads and put those and plenty of news paper down in the hall. She already has 2 litter trays so ill get her 2 more and ill also put puppy pads and old towels on the bed.

OP posts:
minkies11 · 16/12/2018 11:40

I've shortly got to leave my 2 young outdoor cats alone for 2 days and I'm really worried too. Have no choice as is a funreal abroad. They've never been left alone before and really don't tolerate any other people except me and DH. Am going to shut the catflap, refresh litter tray, leave lots of food and water and leave the heating on. Don't know what else to do but think that will be enough :(

Original poster
Plump82 · 16/12/2018 13:14

Minkies11 thats more or less my plan as well.

OP posts:
minkies11 · 16/12/2018 15:45

@Plump - think we've got it covered! Good luck :)

Oldraver · 16/12/2018 19:22

We have frequently left Ernie form Friday coming back Sunday. He's fine and just leave his timed feeders (as I think he would scoff all his food at once.

I wouldn't leave him for any longer and if we are not going to be back till Monday we put him in the cattery

SpanishFly · 19/12/2018 09:20

we do this regularly - no problem or stress from either us or the cats

Original poster
Plump82 · 26/12/2018 18:23

Well we got home today about lunch time. She had used all 4 litter boxes and ate alk her food. She meowed loads when we got back which made me think she was just pleased to see us back but shes still mewoing and it also sounds a little like a wail so now im worrying!

OP posts:
dancemom · 26/12/2018 18:28

She's trying to make you feel guilty 😆

Maryann1975 · 26/12/2018 18:30

We’ve left our cats in from Friday afternoon till Sunday morning before. They were fine, probably very bored and had missed us, but there wasn’t an option. I like to know our cats are in over night and I wouldn’t want to put this pressure on my neighbours, so easier to leave them in and then get neighbours to let them out on Sunday morning when we know we will back Sunday afternoon to get them back in.

We leave plenty of dry food, wet food which may or may not get eaten when we are here anyway and a couple of clean litter trays. I also expect a bit of mess where boredom has set in and they might have knocked over a plant/stuff of the windowsill etc. But never had a major problem.