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Old 10-18-2019, 09:38 AM
 
281 posts, read 245,684 times
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I have a trip in December (roughly in a month and a week) and I need to leave my cat at home. The other option is to take him to a cat hotel or have someone take my cat to their home. I think my cat would enjoy being in a familiar setting . My brother is far away and he can only visit my cat once (mid-week).

I am thinking of getting another cat so he will have a friend. I always want 2 cats but I was going to get the other cat after my trip. I wonder if I should get the other cat before my trip, but I am afraid that the cat will not have a chance to adjust (in 1 month).

What is your thought?
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Old 10-18-2019, 10:07 AM
 
Location: Virginia
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First off, I wouldn't get a new cat until after your trip, so that the two of them will have more time to adjust to each other in your presence. Secondly, I would strongly advise that you either board your cat or have a pet sitter come to your house daily to take care of your cat. Once a week is certainly not enough. You could look at the site www.care.com to find pet sitters in your area, or put an ad on Nextdoor.com if that is in your area as well. However, I would make sure that whoever comes has been checked out (background check, etc.) and has experience with cats. I used to have a vet tech that worked for my regular veterinarian take care of my 5 cats at my home when I went on business travel. Sometimes I was gone for two weeks at a time, but she did a wonderful job. I now have a professional service on call in case of another hospital visit.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Kansas City, MISSOURI
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Yeah I'd go the pet sitter route, definitely.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Northern California
127,515 posts, read 11,757,700 times
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Yes, pet sitter for sure, call your vet or ask at nextdoor.com or do a google search. I agree about getting a second cat only once you return & can watch them. I have used pet sitters in the past, as well as neighbors & I would not feel comfortable leaving my cats unless I knew they were being looked after, daily.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:28 AM
 
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Agreed. I have let my cat go 2, sometimes almost 3 days (e.g., we leave late on day 1 and get home early on day 3), and they're generally ok. That said, my current cat is very social, and when we left her for a weekend it was clear that the quiet house was unsettling for a gal used to a busy household. The next time we left her, we got a neighborhood kid to come take care of her daily, and she was MUCH happier when we got home.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:33 AM
 
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Thank you everyone. I will wait until after my trip to get another cat. But a cat sitter is out of the question at the moment. I had hired multiple in the past but at the presence, cannot do that right now due to various circumstances.

It is not preferred, but if you have any suggestions as to what will make him happier at home by himself for 3-4 days until my brother comes, that would be great.
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Old 10-18-2019, 11:34 AM
 
Location: Northern California
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toys. My youngest cats loves all kinds of balls & fake mice.
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Old 10-18-2019, 12:05 PM
 
Location: Virginia
10,043 posts, read 6,307,300 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KitKat85 View Post
Thank you everyone. I will wait until after my trip to get another cat. But a cat sitter is out of the question at the moment. I had hired multiple in the past but at the presence, cannot do that right now due to various circumstances.

It is not preferred, but if you have any suggestions as to what will make him happier at home by himself for 3-4 days until my brother comes, that would be great.
You did say you can take him to a "cat hotel" so I would definitely recommend boarding him at a reputable facility instead of leaving the cat at home.
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Old 10-18-2019, 01:16 PM
 
11,183 posts, read 19,336,877 times
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Please don't leave your cat alone for 7 days with one visit in the middle. Cats get very stressed when their routines are upset, and that is when bad things happen. Additionally, since you are obviously going to be feeding him a dry diet all this time, he is at very high risk for urinary tract blockage. A blockage is fatal in 24 hours, and the cat dies in absolute agony when the bladder bursts.

He may run out of water. He may get stuck on something, something wrapped around his neck, fall and hurt himself, he may get sick. He could be left to suffer for days

If you don't want to get a pet sitter, board him. It's the only responsible thing to do.

And of course no one should ever get a new pet right before they go away.
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Old 10-18-2019, 05:01 PM
 
6,224 posts, read 6,528,944 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21 View Post
Please don't leave your cat alone for 7 days with one visit in the middle. Cats get very stressed when their routines are upset, and that is when bad things happen. Additionally, since you are obviously going to be feeding him a dry diet all this time, he is at very high risk for urinary tract blockage. A blockage is fatal in 24 hours, and the cat dies in absolute agony when the bladder bursts.

He may run out of water. He may get stuck on something, something wrapped around his neck, fall and hurt himself, he may get sick. He could be left to suffer for days

If you don't want to get a pet sitter, board him. It's the only responsible thing to do.

And of course no one should ever get a new pet right before they go away.

need i say more...
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