Leaving cat for 48 hours - too long?

[WinkyTinky]

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about dH bringing a cat into the home and not telling anyone, long story, lots of replies and useful input. To cut that long story short, the cat (Max) is well looked after by us, not so much dH who still flits off doing his own thing whenever he likes. He's had his second set of injections this morning, and presumably will want a snuggly sleepy day. But at the weekend we are all away for a couple of days at a caravan place and will be out of the house Friday 5pm til Sunday 5pm. I thought that dH would have organised something like a cattery or at least someone to come in the house, but having just asked him, he says his plan is to 'leave three meals out for Saturday and we'll be back on Sunday so all is fine'. Is it? Before I go searching out catteries and taking over responsibility again, do I leave him to it?

Could you take the cat and leave your husband behind?

Have a look on Cat in a Flat, you might be able to find someone local on there.

@EducatingArti brilliant.

I leave mine on her own for 24 hours max in absolute emergencies - and she’s a calm adult cat with a small appetite who only likes dry food, so I know if I put enough down for 24 hours with some left over just in case she’ll be ok.

Look at Cat in a Flat or Pawshake. I can’t remember how old Max is but young kittens shouldn’t be alone for more than 3 hours - let alone 48!

You did say you’re planning to leave this irresponsible twat?

Depends on the cat but yeah I think 48h is about the maximum that's ok.
A timed feeder thing is better than leaving food out though because cats usually don't like to eat food they think isn't fresh

I wouldn't leave my two on their own for that long and they're older and have each other for company - not to mention the litter trays. Your husband is an irresponsible callous arsehole.

I’ve just been back to look at the other thread. Max is about 5 months old now. There’s no way he can be left all alone for 48 hours.

Personally it's too long. Not just for feeding, but they need company and the litter tray will need cleaning.

At a real push I'd do it, if desperate, with plenty of dry food. But much better for someone to come at the very least on the Saturday to feed him and make sure there's enough water. I left more food than I thought possible for two cats to eat when I was away for one night and it was all gone - not a morsel left. They are big cats but not overweight at all (in fact one is on the skinny side).
Ask a neighbour or pay a teen to come once on the Saturday. £10 will do.
Your DH is not a good cat dad.

None of @WinkyTinky’s posts have mentioned that this is a FIVE MONTH OLD KITTEN we’re talking about. He shouldn’t be alone for 12 hours, let alone 48.

Fucks sake. Some people shouldn't have pets. He's an arse.

If he doesn't book someone appropriate to come in twice a day to check on the kitten and feed/water/play with it then I'd not be going away and I doubt I'd be unlocking the door for him when he returned.

Keep the cat. Ditch the guy.

Just take the cat with you?!
Some cats are happy to go on holiday, so it's definitely worth a try.

Adult cat - fine!
Kitten - no.

We put our cats in a cattery once while we went on holiday and they came out obese and miserable. Cats are generally happier at home with someone checking on them periodically. If we’ve done that the cats were never there when the person (MIL) went in.

I agree it's not just about food and litter trays. Last week I took my boys for a day out, although we didn't leave the house til around 12, knowing dH would be back around 6 and the food we left out would be enough. Anyway, lo and behold, dH texts me about 6 saying he was off to a gig and wouldn't be home til early morning. So we drove home as quickly as we could, concerned for the cat being on his own until around 9pm. For me that was too long as he's only little. dH just seems to have no concept of taking care of things once you've got them. Yes he took Max to the vets this morning, but he's gone off out somewhere again tonight. It's so bewildering, I convince myself it must be me in the wrong.

It's not you in the wrong as far as Max is concerned. He is only little and your instincts are right. I'm struggling to understand how you can bear to be around your husband though.

Can a neighbour pop in? We usually have MIL come in morning and night if we’re away but I happily do one of our neighbour’s pets if she’s away.

My cat would eat all the food in one go so I would never do that. We tried an automatic feeder but she wouldn't go near it (too small for her whiskers I think). We had a neighbour going in to feed her for the night we were away.

Failing [in England & Wales] to ensure your cat is cared for by a responsible person when you go away can cause you to be prosecuted for animal cruelty. (Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats).

A 5 month old kitten should not be left alone for longer than 5 hours - Max is still a wee baby really. Even my big grown-up cats aren’t left humanless more than 12 hours: someone comes in to feed them, clean their trays & refill their water bowls twice a day, plus fuss them if they’re feeling sociable.

Honestly OP, I’m not sure I’d trust your husband with a pet rock 🫤

I have someone come in twice a day to feed, do litter and play.

This

If you knew your husband isn’t to be relied on for looking after the cat, why didn’t you arrange something in advance yourself?
Obviously the cat can’t be left all that time.

Do you really think that’s practical, or safe?

This thread is from last November I'm assuming all went well

We used to take our cat on holiday. MIL had a holiday cottage and we used to take Harry with us when we stayed there. He obviously had to stay indoors but he seemed to enjoy it.

That’s rather different from a cat being left in a caravan! It would be likely to escape, not to mention having a litter tray in a confined space!

Not really, he could have still escaped. What do you think we did with the litter tray?! We had it at the back of the living room!