How long would you leave your cat home alone?

[MidnightMeltdown]

I'm wondering how long I can leave my cat home alone when I go holiday.

Would you leave your cat at home for a week? Or would you put them in a cattery?

I have a cat flap and my friend will pop in twice a day to provide food and water and clear up dead mice

We leave ours for a couple of weeks with a cat sitter coming in to feed him every day. He doesn't like it. He also doesn't like going to stay at a nearby relative's house for a couple of weeks or the cattery. What he likes is being at home with his human (slaves). However I like to go on holiday and I have come to the conclusion the cat sitter is least worst option for him....

With a catsitter or my relative coming in twice a day to give wet food, change water and say hello to them, I'd leave them up to a 2 week holiday (not often, though). I'd never send them to a cattery, the poor things would hate it. They're happy in their own space. They also come and go as they like through the cat flap.

Without a catsitter, I will leave them one night maximum (so 2 days Saturday/Sunday) with plenty of dry food and water. Not much point getting a catsitter just for one night as they will be seeing me both days at some point!

@RosieCockle I'd genuinely rather my house risk dead birds and mice than have my cats be caged, stressed and miserable in a cattery! it is a risk, but one I take.

Mine is fine with a week, provided there’s someone reliable coming in twice daily for fuss and fresh food. He’s sociable and will tap up the neighbours for attention if he’s lonely!

Overnight he stays at home with fresh water, an extra bowl of wet food and a bowl of biscuits. Anything longer then he goes to the cattery. He enjoys the Cattery. It means he gets treats he doesn't generally get at home. He just doesn't think much to the car journey there and back! Although pre separation my mil used to come down and feed him a couple of times a day when we went away

I've only ever left mine for 2 days
By the time I came back he had taught himself how to say ma ma and followed me round yelling it at me. Wish I was joking clingy neurotic cat

That's a good idea. I've got a Hive thermostat so I might look at getting a camera to spy on them

Thanks all. This has made me feel better about leaving them. I got them during lockdown and I have mostly been working from home, so they are used to me being here most of the time.

I think I would feel worse about leaving them in a cattery. One of them is nervous and would likely be terrified if she was caged in an unfamiliar environment. They are better off having their freedom and being at home.

We leave ours for a week with someone coming in to feed them once a day. In the summer they spend majority of the time outside and we barely see them anyway. One in particular has never sat n anyones lap and doesn't like being stroked at all. In the winter they spend much more time indoors.

It depends on the cat. Our two had spent six months in a cage at a rescue before we had them, loathe traveling anywhere and love each other. We leave them at home with a lovely cat sitter whom they know well coming in . She comes in twice a day as a minimum, checks them feeds them and plays with them. I also make up the spare room for her and she stays over sometimes. They seem really happy with that. tbh far happier than if just one of us is away and they're at home with the other. Last time DH said one of ours spent most of her time sitting by the front door for the four nights I was away. (and then, being a cat, wouldn't speak to me for 24 hours when I came home.) Mum's last cat (a street cat from the Oman, and very bengalish in nature) would have hated that. He liked to be the centre of attention all day everyday so would not have liked being left. Mind you, I don't think he'd have liked a cattery either. He needed someone there for large chunks of each day.