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I think you are doing the right thing. Incidentally, it's not just the cords from blinds that are dangerous, but the blinds themselves, especially if they are the horizontal kind. Cats cat get caught and injured in the slats, or the strings that hold the blinds together.
I really dislike blinds.
Oh, gosh.....now you've given me something new to worry about. But I have to say that the only blinds she ever "explores" are in my bedroom, so I'll raise them beyond kitty reach. Thx for the warning. (Of course I'll have to remember to lower them before I get undressed in the evening or my neighbors are in for a treat!)
I think you're making the right choice. In different circumstances I might say ok to leave her alone overnight. But you're talking a trip out of town, and you have to think worse-case scenario (mechanical problems, accident, etc.) that could delay your return. The best way to cover all your bases is to have her under someone's care (pet sitter or boarding) in case you don't make it back as planned. Vet boarding isn't ideal, but at least you know she's being cared for.
Here's the situation: I have a late-afternoon appointment in a nearby state on Friday, and I'd like to stay overnight there rather than make the long trip home in the dark (and possible rain, like today).
My kitten is 7 months old, and just last month she "graduated" to being left home alone for as many as 8 or 9 hours. But I've never left her overnight. (She's alone overnight in a sense since I shut her out of my bedroom - I hope to change that later but right now she's too rambunctious - but of course she knows I'm in the house.)
I would leave my house at 11 am Friday and be back by 11 am Satirday - so 24 hours. Could I just leave her a big bowl of water, a generous amount of wet food, and a bowl of dry as back-up?
(My appointment involves family responsibility. I really need to go.)
I know some people see kittens and cats at these helpless little animals who are unable to function without us, but nothing could be further from the truth. They are VERY capable of being alone for extended periods, as long as you leave plenty of food, water, and litter boxes.
Every year, we go away for 5 days at Thanksgiving, have been doing it for 30 years, and we have left our little fur buddies in the house with huge bowls of food, lots and lots of water, and a couple of extra litter boxes. They do fine. In a month we are leaving again for that annual 5 day trip, and will do the same thing we have always done. This year, we are setting up a remote camera so we can chat with them at times via our phones, but that is more for us than them.
Overnight is nothing, she will be fine. They are smarter and more self reliant than we can imagine. I feel it is actually more cruel to disrupt their lives by putting them in strange boarding situation than to let them stay in the home they know and love. They will think they have been abandoned by us if we put them someplace
strange...….in a cage !
I just asked Lucky his opinion, and he agrees with me.
Of course you can. Leave a clean litter box, enough food and water and close off any rooms you don't want him in. I have 2 cat's they are about 15 months old now. I have left them alone more than one night - 2-3 with what I said above. They are fine when I get home - but next to me wherever I sit or lay down for days after I get home. I do board my dog though.
Ours wasn't a kitten, but a little over a year old and we left her alone for two days. She had plenty of food and water and litter box was ready. Had no problems.
As far as the strings on the blinds, even if you're going to just go to the store, take the strings and stick them through the slats on the side, out of the cat's reach.
Oh, and NEVER leave a pet with anything like a flea collar on them. Years ago, before we were smart about it, we had flea collars on our cats. One morning we got up and found the one Sniffy was wearing hanging on a bar stool post ! She evidently got hung up over night and luckily squirmed out of it.
She could have died from hanging herself, so we never used one of those ever again on any pet.
I know some people see kittens and cats at these helpless little animals who are unable to function without us, but nothing could be further from the truth. They are VERY capable of being alone for extended periods, as long as you leave plenty of food, water, and litter boxes.
Every year, we go away for 5 days at Thanksgiving, have been doing it for 30 years, and we have left our little fur buddies in the house with huge bowls of food, lots and lots of water, and a couple of extra litter boxes. They do fine. In a month we are leaving again for that annual 5 day trip, and will do the same thing we have always done. This year, we are setting up a remote camera so we can chat with them at times via our phones, but that is more for us than them.
Overnight is nothing, she will be fine. They are smarter and more self reliant than we can imagine. I feel it is actually more cruel to disrupt their lives by putting them in strange boarding situation than to let them stay in the home they know and love. They will think they have been abandoned by us if we put them someplace
strange...….in a cage !
I just asked Lucky his opinion, and he agrees with me.
I agree 100% with you as well!
Last edited by Lover of Animals; 10-29-2019 at 06:48 PM..
We’ve left ours for several days many times using automatic feeders and water dispensers. They are much more comfortable and less stressed in familiar surroundings. You just might hear all about it when you get back if she’s vocal like ours and be prepared to give extra attention and love for a few days!
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). We don’t leave our dogs overnight even though they are pad trained. I worry about them getting sick.
