You’re planning on going away for a while, perhaps a vacation of some sort but you can’t take your beloved fluffy friend with you. Leaving him home alone might not be ideal but also doesn’t seem like a difficult situation for your cat since he is so independent most of the time and can figure out what to do all by himself, he even knows where you’re storing away the cat food.
But really for how long is it safe to leave your cat home alone? Will he get lonely? is it dangerous for your cat? Will my cat get bored?
Does your cat have separation anxiety? Here is a natural solution to help >>
First of all, if you’re planning on leaving home for more than 24 hours it is recommended to get a pet sitter to pass by once a day just to check in on your cat. Checking it on your local vet is a great option if you don’t know anybody else in the area, usually, vets know potential pet-sitters and you might be surprised to find it cheaper than you would think. Sometimes having a pet sitter is not an option and you have no other choice than to leave your cat alone without any occasional supervision.
In this case, there are a few things to account for
Supplies and preparation.
Here are a few things you need to have prepared before going.
Water
Your cat drinks a lot of water, not only that he can also get clumsy and tip over the water bowl. Make sure to have a few water bowls filled up with water and just in case fill up a few pots with water and place them in your sinks or bathtub, that way your cat wouldn’t have to be without any water for a few days, which could be fatal. Any longer than 2 or 3 days without water could kill your cat.
Food
Yes, you guessed it, leave out food, a lot of food for your cat for as long as you’re gone plus an extra few days just in case you got delayed. Food doesn’t evaporate unlike water so you don’t need to worry about your cat tipping over the bowl, he will just eat from the floor in that case.
Litter-box
Going away for a few days means that nobody will be there to clean up your cat’s litter, it can quickly become gross and your cat will start thinking of other creative places to do his business. You don’t wanna come home to that.
Setting up 2 litter-boxes minimum is recommended, it will be easier to clean up upon returning as opposed to one funky smelling box and a few accidents here and there.
Boredom
There’s only a few things you really can do to prevent your cat from becoming too bored, Hiding a few threads all-around your house is a great thing to do, like this he will not eat them all at once and he will start looking for them all over the house ultimately getting a bit of exercise as well.
Catnip could be a perfect distraction as well, spray it on a few of your cat’s belongings before leaving.
Of cause before leaving you should ensure that windows and doors are all locked and blinds closed, however, your cat likes to sit in the window and watch the outside world sometimes, depriving him of that can make him depressed so you should have a spot where he can sit and watch outside.
Do not leave any fans running, they can tip over and cause disaster, air conditioning is fine but the best is a nice air stream of fresh outside air. Leaving the TV on in order to distract your cat is a good idea in the short term but it might overheat if you leave it on for a long time.
Additionally – In case of emergency give a spare key to an emergency contact, prepare a few extra bags of litter and food in case.
Does your cat have separation anxiety? Here is a natural solution to help >>
Upon returning, be happy to see your cat do not punish him for any wrongdoing he potentially could have done. Hug him and tell him you missed him.
