Tips for Keeping Single Cat Happy While I'm On Vacation? (kitty, kitchen)

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by lottamoxie

Later in Oct I'm going away for 4 days. I will have a cat sitter come in to check food/water/litter. However, the sitter will only be there for a 30 min. visit. My cat is very shy and hides from people she doesn't know, so she will probably run away and hide while any sitter is there.

My cat (1 yr old) is now an only-cat and there are no other pets (dog passed away 2 months ago). I'm worried about her getting lonely while I'm gone. I'm not ready to adopt another pet at this time, so that is not an option.

Any tips for keeping her from getting too lonely?

I was planning on keeping the plasma TV on so she'd have something to watch/listen to.

And for you safety conscious: yes, toilet lids remain closed in my house, cords are out of the way, and there is plenty of food/water/litter available at all times.

Your cat will definitely get lonely. However what you can do to help alleviate it is wear a shirt and then leave it in a common place that your cat hangs out very frequently. Your scent will comfort her.

How close are you and the cat sitter? Perhaps before you go, the sitter could come over and try spend some time with the cat. But if she is very shy as you state, getting used to the sitter will take a long time. So probably not the best route.

Get more of her favorite toys before you go and introduce them to her. Let her play with them.

Get a timer for your lights from a Home Depot or hardware store. Put one in the room where she spends her evenings when you're home. Set it to go on when it starts to get dark outside and turn it off at your normal bedtime.

[lottamoxie]

She has access to my dirty laundry and that has my scent on it (lol).

I already use timers in my house and we have a routine set where I go upstairs when the lights go off.

I'm sure she'll be fine...I just feel 'guilty.'

[chilaili]

I think we all do, no matter how much effort we make on their behalf. Funny thing is, a friend of mine told me once that cats have no sense of time so they don't really notice if you're gone for 1 day or 10. I'm not sure I entirely agree with that. When I was gone for 2 weeks they definitely seemed happier and more excited to see me despite having a sitter come in every day. Of course, that happiness lasted about 30 minutes and then it was back to the usual barely concealed indifference

[lottamoxie]

barely concealed indifference

Well at least yours make some effort at concealment!

Mine actually does follow me around some. She doesn't cuddle with me and doesn't want me holding her and she won't sit on my lap. The most she'll do is lay up against me in the middle of the night if she's cold. And that's only by default now that our golden is gone--she much preferred snuggling up to the golden, despite protestations and occasional grumbling from the dog.

[Mrs. Skeffington]

Originally Posted by lottamoxie

She has access to my dirty laundry and that has my scent on it (lol).

I already use timers in my house and we have a routine set where I go upstairs when the lights go off.

I'm sure she'll be fine...I just feel 'guilty.'

I wrote in another post that I put my unwashed workout sweatshirt in my kitty's bed (which she seldom sleeps in) while my daughter was sitting her, and she curled up in it the whole time. I know your kitty will be fine. Be prepared for a real welcome home when you get back. G. D. Cat clung to me like a tick for a long time.

[elm2003]

We are going on a trip for 2 weeks, and I was nervous about leaving our spoiled furbaby, but this made me feel better.

[Ohiogirl81]

I fell guilty, too, when I leave. When I get back I'm either ignored or loved to death.

[Sandy Schlindwein]

I have exactly the same situation,I need real answers and I'm sure so do you . Does the Tv or radio really work? Would I have to build a climbing wall out of crates,as of now I don't think shes been climbing except if a dog is chasing her. I'm so scared, she just lost her sister after 12 years together. Do you think fresh catnip would help? I would thank you for any or all suggestions as I'm sure lootsamattsa would!

[Meemur]

Mine isn't into toys much, either, but she loves boxes!

I will leave out two new boxes in separate rooms if I have to go away again. As it is, I try to give her a new box every two weeks or so.

With permission, I bring home empty copy paper boxes, printer ink boxes, etc. from work. If my job didn't have boxes, I'd try stores. Even if the box has been taken apart, it can be reassembled.

Ha! The things I do to make cat toys!

[lottamoxie]

I'm the original poster and I wrote that post in 2010, so going on 5 years now.

My cat will be 6 yrs old this July. When I do travel I have a pet sitter come in every other day to clean out her litter, food, and just check on her. She is not social with anyone other than me and it's just the 2 of us since my dog passed away back in 2010. Because my cat is not social and is your basic scaredy cat, she hides in fear when the pet sitter comes over. Sometimes she'll be asleep and then get surprised, hisssss, and run away when the pet sitter comes. I'm fine with that because at least I know she's alive and well. So that works out fine.

I don't travel very often (maybe once or twice a year for up to 6 days each time). My cat misses me, but she is absolutely fine and does better without TV or radio on since those are noises (and voices) she doesn't recognize. She is easily frightened so the less stimulation of noise, the better. She sleeps a lot, as all cats do, has her favorite lounging spots, and watches out a couple big windows at the birds and squirrels.

So that's how it all turned out. She remains a very loved, very spoiled, solitary pet of my household. 1 pet, 1 human.