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

Original poster

How long would you leave one cat with twice daily visits?

31 replies

Coloursoftrue · 29/10/2025 17:24

We are away for just under 3 weeks next year. We have one cat, a 6 year old boy who never roams far from home and loves human company. When we go away, we usually have our cat sitter come and feed him/play with him for 2 x half an hour visits a day and he is settled. However, we usually only go away for a week max. Originally, a family member had agreed to come and stay to look after him for the 3 weeks so we booked our trip thinking he was sorted. The family member can now no longer do this due to work so we are wondering what to do to keep our cat happy.

Our cat sitter is available for the 2 x daily visits but doesn’t do overnights. Our cat has only once stayed in a cattery when we moved house, and he wasn’t happy, and we don’t want to go down that route again given he is used to being at home.

I’m debating whether he would be happier with his usual cat sitter coming in each day, or if we are better trying to find someone who can stay all or part of the time so he has more company.

Just wondering how long you would leave one cat at home with 2 x daily visits with a trusted cat sitter?

OP posts:
autumn1610 · 29/10/2025 17:35

3 weeks seems a long time for very little interaction in my opinion, but you know your cat. I would look at alternative options they maybe ok in a cattery over an extended period of time. Personally i wouldn’t leave my cat for that long with that little interaction a week at most. He likes being around people so wouldn’t be fair on him

LadyGreySpillsTheTea · 29/10/2025 18:31

No, I wouldn’t do that. We always get a live-in sitter from a housesitter scheme (Trusted Housesitters). Our cat was very unhappy when we had twice-a-day sitters.

MakingPlans2025 · 29/10/2025 18:35

See if you can pay your cat sitter a bit extra to stay longer on some days. I am a cat sitter and for some of my fluffs who need a bit more company I bring my laptop and stay for a few hours and do other work just to hang out with them. Works well especially for longer bookings

Pinkybike · 29/10/2025 18:39

We’ve left our cat for three weeks before with twice daily visits.
she stays out at night in the summer and comes in and sleeps all day.
She hates the cattery and stops eating when she’s there so I think although she probably does miss us , she’s definitely better off being left at home.
she has plenty of places to shelter outside and was a feral kitten so loves to be outside and we are in a rural area.
Definitely depends on the individual cat x

Gettingbysomehow · 29/10/2025 18:40

Im going to have surgery abroad for two weeks and no way am I leaving my cats at home. They are going to a lovely cattery together with a nice view of birds and trees. I need someone to be around them all day.

Mt563 · 29/10/2025 18:45

You know your cat. Can a friend/ family member stay at weekends maybe to break it up? I really wouldn't go cattery for mine, they've never settled well there and would rather have all the space and comforts of home with less interaction than a small space with more interaction.

Hopefulbride18 · 29/10/2025 18:52

It's a tricky one. I'm dubious they get any more attention in a cattery than they would during 2x 30min visits daily. One of my neighbours often goes away for 2 weeks or more. I often feed the cat twice daily but they will arrange for family and stay for the weekends. This seems to work better and keeps the cat happier. Just an idea if you can't find a car sitter for the full time - would agree this is the best option but I know it's hard to find those people.

Orangebadger · 29/10/2025 18:54

Very much depends on your cat. My old cat, maybe a weekend tops but she was a very social, almost Velcro loving cat who just loved to be with people and in the thick of it. My cat now, I actually don’t think he even notices when we are gone so he’s fine with twice daily visits for food etc

hereismydog · 29/10/2025 18:56

My cats would be fine, my Mum’s would think the world had ended. Really depends on the cat!

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 29/10/2025 19:01

I left my two for four days a while ago, with DS2 coming in twice a day.

They were okay, but I wouldn't have left them for longer than four days.

Cats hate having their routine interrupted.

FuzzyWolf · 29/10/2025 19:09

I have six cats and two of them would probably be fine with twice daily quick visits, but they live in the stables and are semi feral.

The other four love human contact and I think they would struggle with just two daily visits for a week, let alone three weeks and that’s with each other to play with.

Can you get someone to stay or be around for much longer periods, especially since you’ve only got the one cat?

Unless there wasn’t an option, I would never use a cattery. I just don’t think cats are happy in such a small and unfamiliar cage.

user1471548941 · 29/10/2025 19:16

Mine go to a cattery that we love and trust as they have medical issues that they are able to cope with!

I would say not all catteries are created equal! The first one we tried looked pretty but it was clear they hadn’t spent much time with our boy.

We started using a place that was a little further away but came with recommendations. They are a little scruffier, a little less organised and have far less chalets. Every time we pick them up they tell us stories about what they’ve been up to and it’s always consistent with what we know of them e.g. one stands on his back legs for treats, the other squeaks for cuddles! It’s clear to us that they spend plenty of time with them and have got to know their personalities. My boys also HATE being at home alone and are very clingy even after a day in the office whereas I know in the cattery there are people around all the time!

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 29/10/2025 20:56

I wouldn’t do this for our boy - he loves company too much. Even if we’re both out at work all day (on average we have two days a week when there’s no-one WFH and he’s left from 8-5ish) he is at the door waiting on us, flumping dramatically to the floor shouting about being abandoned! We have MIL come in twice a day to feed if we’re away, but as she’s retired/loves cats and gardening, she’s happy to hang about and potter around the garden or sit and watch telly with him.

LikeWhoUsesTypewritersAnyway · 29/10/2025 21:11

VERY tricky. If you'd had 2 cats I would say 'no problem, they will have each other,' but also as your cat is only 6, they are young enough to get out and about and explore. (Do you have a catflap? If not and your cat is indoors all the time, then I would say no to kitty being stuck in for 3 weeks. If you do have one that's not so bad.)

Upshot is, as a pp said, maybe ask the sitter to stay a bit longer - like half hour each time, and your cat should be OK. If they can get out.

I would rather do this than have my cat holed up in a cattery in a cage for 3 weeks. Just no.

Stormwhatnow · 29/10/2025 21:21

Not 3 weeks she would be so lonely. A week max and I'm not really comfortable with that now she's older.
Try trusted house sitters or cat in a flat. Someone will be happy to come and stay and look after him. There's loads of FB groups for this too.

Apocketfilledwithposies · 29/10/2025 21:26

Could you get someone to come mid day each day for a couple of hours, or someone to stay at the weekends alongside your twice a day cat sitter visits?

FiercelyFree · 29/10/2025 21:31

I leave mine for three weeks, first time they were really unhappy and my pet sitter told me never again. This time I got house sitters through an official house sitting site, a much better option. No cost to either of us, house occupied and secure, cats had laps to lie on and reliable servants.

DaisyChain505 · 29/10/2025 21:39

House sitter 100%

Ifitaintgotnoswing · 29/10/2025 21:41

Gosh I’m a cruel sod
our 2 get one visit a day which probably 10-15 mins max.
none of the professional sitters do 2 visits and the person we use wouldn’t either.
having a stranger in the house is not an option. I dont think they mind

Gettingbysomehow · 29/10/2025 21:58

One of my cats is very old so I need to know she's being properly supervised all the time.

stormsandsunshine · 29/10/2025 22:36

It really depends on your cat. One of our cats really doesn’t like servants who aren’t us being in the house when we are away - even family members she knows. As long as the non-regular serving staff are there she just hides. I think she would rather have no company than someone she doesn’t know that well hanging around and cramping her style. The first time we left her, relatives came to offer a live in catsit and she was really not pleased about it.

Other cats are more social and might want some company and attention during the day and it might be unkind to leave them with only brief visits.

cupfinalchaos · 29/10/2025 22:46

The answer is one week. I would not leave a single cat on its own any longer than that with twice daily visits, it will be lonely and I think it’s cruel.
The cat sitters I use refuse to do longer than a week with twice daily visits for that reason.

you really need someone to live in, someone reliable. I get my cousin’s son to move in who works from home, we pay him a fair amount so everyone’s happy but most importantly the cat.

tragichero · 29/10/2025 23:01

I'd definitely opt for this over a cattery (at least in my own experience of catteries - unless there are some much nicer than ones I have seen). I think cats prefer to be in their own place, with familiar stuff around them. Obviously it does depend on the cat I am sure.

However, it would be even better to have someone to stay for at least some of the time - would a family member, friend or aquaintance do it? Free holiday?

One of my old school friends, who I am only occasionally in touch with, asked a while ago on Facebook for a cat and dog sitter and DD and I would definitely have done it if the dates had worked out - we love animals and she lives in a town we would like to visit. She offered to pay our train fair and leave food in the house for us, which felt like a good deal.

Years ago I remember my then husband getting his friend to stay in our home and care for our cats, and she stole the emergency cash I had left for if there was an emergency (this was on top of us paying her and providing food). So I guess you do have to be a bit careful.... But most people could be trusted I think.

Another alternative is, would a friend have your cat for you? My ex-husband (different one) had my cat while I went on holiday a few years ago. He had to keep her in one room, as he has several other cats, but I felt it was better than being alone at home. Another time a friend's boyfriend cared for her in his flat.

You might be surprised how many people are willing to help you out if you ask.

Good luck.

Original poster
Coloursoftrue · 30/10/2025 21:01

Thanks all, it’s useful to hear different experiences and thoughts.

We’ve decided to see if anyone who knows him or loves cats would be willing to do it for a week or so, and any time we can’t find someone, we’ll get our normal cat sitter to do twice daily visits. Two friends have indicated they would be keen to do a week or so, which would break the time up for him and hopefully mean he will only be on his own for 5 days max in between the two visits so we are trying to see what we can juggle. He absolutely loves people so I really worry he would be terribly lonely for longer.

OP posts:
thisishowloween · 30/10/2025 21:49

I’ve done cat sits where the cats are left for a month with just two visits a day and they have always been absolutely fine.