Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm planning to go away for a week in January. My kitten will be 6 months old then. During that time my dog will be going to stay with her sitter, as usual. It's a place she feels safe/secure. This is the first time I've had a cat and I'm wondering if I need a pet sitter to come every day or if every other day will be fine?
Kitten has never been alone before. And since getting her this is my first trip away. I know cats do better being kept in their environment so she'll stay home instead of being boarded somewhere unfamiliar, but I'm a bit concerned with how she'll do with both me and the dog away.
It is cost-prohibitive to have someone stay over at my house versus using my dog's regular sitter 25 mi away, so that's not really a good option.
It should. We have left ours alone for three days (Friday night - Sunday afternoon), and they were fine. When we first got Cosmo, we'd have someone come every other day but found it wasn't really necessary, but we haven't been out more than three or four days since we got him.
I take that back...we were once, and did have someone come and feed and water him every other day, but I know we could go two days between visits.
every other day should be JUST fine.....i have left kitties for the weekend before with extra kibble and water in a 2-3 bowls and they were fine..... although now i have to have the pet sitter come EVERY day because if the litter boxes are not scooped out at LEAST that often, charlie will poop on the floor next to them........
I've got family that comes and pet/house sits; this is also for the security of the house while we're away. That way the house is lived in and the mail is collected and trash put out as well. Grown cats are typically independent and can do OK on their own. Mine's too used to having someone around 24/7 since fostered, however, so leaving mine doesn't fly...
Being just a kitten, if it were me, I wouldn't leave her alone until she's grown and not so curious. Kittens like to play with things that could be dangerous, esp. if unsupervised. I remember our cat used to want to chew on electrical cords when she was a kitten. She also rolled herself up in throw rugs, found her way into cardboard boxes she couldn't get out of by herself, and somehow got up on top of the kitchen cabinets and couldn't get down.... just something to think about.
Last edited by itscolduphere; 11-19-2009 at 05:32 AM..
Just have a neighbor stop by for an hour or so each day, that's enough for my "high maintenance" cat. (She gets major attitude problems at the first hint of my going away, and also upon my return, but snaps out of it soon.) Best yet would be for the kitten to have visits twice a day or more. Gauge the optimal frequency of stop-by's by how her separation anxiety is in general. Is she overjoyed when you get home from work or shopping, or is the reaction more "Oh, it's you, hi" before going back to sleep? Having the designated visitor spend some time with her in your presence so familiarity is established would be the key to success.
A lot of kitty boarding places are only about $20/day. Given that she is so young, I would board her. I agree that there is just too much that she can get into (and I think that she will be getting into it, with no one esle around to entertain and/or stop her).
If boarding isn't possible, I would have a neighbor stop by. Or you could take kittie with you (:
1. I'm flying to another state and no, I cannot take kitty with me.
2. I will look into boarding her, though I wonder if she'd be happier/better at home with someone coming in each day, since everything there is familiar? I don't want to stress her out by being in a totally unfamiliar place.
3. She has the dog for company and they both come to greet me when I come home. She's never been totally alone except for the few hrs the dog was at the vet once or twice or at the groomer's. I have no idea if she would have separation anxiety or not. I'm assuming she'll have some loneliness, even with the TV on, and even if someone comes everyday.
I was feeling SO stressed about having to leave my pets over the Thanksgiving weekend. I'm still worried, but nothing like I was before. We haven't had to leave our kitty, Milo before. I considered all the options and decided the best thing for him would be to go with our dogs to our friends' house. He acts more like a dog than a cat and is more bonded to people and our dogs than to our house. It broke my heart to imagine him alone.
Unfortunately she cannot because the the dog's babysitter has 3 other dogs and 3 other cats and it would cause too much disruption to the sitter. My dog knows all the other dogs & cats and she has stayed there when I've gone out of town, over the past several years, so the dog is well-integrated into the babysitter's household.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
