Cats on holiday

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We have two one year old (nearly) cats (boy and girl) who we got as rescue kittens last September. I’ve been a bit precious and we only started letting them out a couple months ago, and it’s been very gradual. They increasingly love being out and I’ve started letting them stay out after they’ve been fed, but call them in overnight. We’re going to be away for a fortnight in a month and are trying to decide what to do. We’ll have a cat sitter come in to feed them but not to stay (for various reasons, not really an option). I want to confine them to the house so they don’t run away or get hurt whilst we’re away. My husband thinks that’s cruel now they’re used to going out (and that they’ll trash the house if kept in...).

We have a month to get them used to being allowed out all night if that’s what we decide to do (and I’ll be away for some of it, but my husband (who is less “their person” will be around). However, I’m really worried that something will happen....

Any advice please?! Either in support of my viewpoint, or to reassure me if we do keep the catflap open whilst we’re away.

(For background, we live in London, near a not very busy road in a road of semi-detached houses - ours is not one with a side return so a bit more difficult to get to the road. There’s a trainline at the end of the garden and we get foxes.)

Absolutely in support of your viewpoint here. I volunteer for a cat charity and we do some catsits for adopters, and it's one of our conditions that the cats need to be kept in for the duration of the catsit with the catflap locked/blocked.

For various reasons really...
Safety - if something happens, it can take a long time for anyone to discover.
Tendency to roam - when no one is at home to come back to, cats are more likely to wander further from home.
The catsitter will be guaranteed to see them - I did a catsit for a neighbour a few years back and rarely saw the cat during the 10 days as she was always out! It was quite worrying not being sure she was OK every day...

As you are in London, you should also know the M25/UK Cat Killer is still active - look up the SNARL page on Facebook if you're not aware of it already. SNARL strongly recommends all cats are kept in at night and ideally supervised as much as possible when going out at all times.

Thank you! He will require some convincing, but I’m stubborn.... I am thinking of asking our nanny if she can stay some of the time, as she knows them well and I think it will be different if the cats have someone to come home to (and I do feel sorry for them being kept in for a fortnight), but I think that may be tricky.

It is much safer to keep cats in overnight. We always have "kitty curfew" in our home. Our lad seems ok with it as have previous cats.
I also agree withkeeping them in whilst you're away. It's less worry for you and the cat sitter.

I always feel more relax if my cats are in the cattery. As there is someone there all the time in the day and it's run by a vet and a fireman.

We’re away for a few days later this week, and MIL will be coming in morning and night for food and fuss. Last time our girl actually wouldn’t go out when we were away. I often leave her out for the afternoon during summer - teacher, so off for the holidays - so happy for MIL to let her out in the morning and then in from dinner, but not overnight. She tends only to go as far as the gardens either side and the one behind anyway. We don’t have a catflap so she needs a slave to open the back door.

Oh God no! Keep them in while you’re away. Whatever you do don’t ever let them stay out at night.

We keep ours in. I remember our family cat sitting for neighbours as a child and their cat was run over. Not a happy way to end a holiday.

Do they come in reliably for meal times? If so you could consider allowing them out during the day, then when the sitter gives them their tea you can lock them in. That's what my mum and dad do when they feed our 2 when we're away.