We have recently 'adopted' a stray mother and her litter of kittens and are now going on vacation for a week. What are our options in terms of providing the cats with food? We can't really think of any neighbors to ask. Thank you so much for your help.
2006-06-13 05:18:25 · 13 answers · asked by zidag123 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Leave dry food out and plenty of water. You might want to let a sink faucet dribble so they have fresh water. Cats will not over eat like a dog will. Leave the litter box where they can get to it with plenty of sand or litter. Cats are amazingly self-sufficient.
2006-06-13 05:38:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are plenty of timed food dispensers on the market for pets but the intention behind these devices is that you will only use them over a weekend or less. It is cruel to leave your cat unattended for an entire week. Cats need fresh food and water and a clean litterbox as well. I strongly urge you to either hire a pet-sitter or kennel the family in a cat friendly place like Best Friends (a chain pet kennel) or with an all cat vet practice (dogs will stress out a mother cat terribly). If I were your neighbor I'd be thrilled to help you out for free because I adore cat families, but I'm sure there are many others like me. You might even call up your vet and see if any of the vet techs offer pet-sitting. Many of them do and it's very hard to resist a litter of kittens and their sweet mama. Good luck.
2006-06-13 12:34:12 · answer #2 · answered by Alleycat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are different avenues you could take such as ask your vet if he or she could recommend one for you and your additions to the family. Or you could look in pet stores and see if they have something useful. Or you could try Drs Foster & Smith, it's a catalog but I think you could find them on the web. They have some interesting gadgets there.
But to be honest, your mother cat and kittens should be somewhere that they be fed fresh food and fresh water everyday. Have you called around in your area to any pet shelters that could keep your mother cat and her kittens for a week? And then you can pick them up when you return from your vacation? I would much rather see you do this first and if you strike out you can look for other opportunities.
Good luck to you and your new additions to the family! Pets are trully the best gifts for humans and can provide us with much joy and love and companionship for years to come!
2006-06-13 12:31:34 · answer #3 · answered by Lyndee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats are very independent creatures and leaving for a week is not a big deal. There are plenty of differnet kinds of food despensers that you can buy that will despense dry food. Are the kittens eating solid food yet? If not, that's no big deal. The mommy will take care of her kittens. There are also water despensers that hold up to a couple gallons of water. That is the important thing. You need to make sure they have a fresh supply of clean wate. Places like Petsmart and Petsco and I think maybe even Walmart or Target carry food and wtaer despensers like the one you would need.
2006-06-13 12:40:54 · answer #4 · answered by Emily M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I simply leave lots, and lots of food out for my two when we leave. I know how much they eat in a day, and simpy give them double so that I know for sure they will have enough. But, I have seen an automatic feeded that will have a door that slides open at scheduled times for feeding. I wouldn't want to use anything along those lines, just because with my luck the thing would malfunction and I'd have some really angry cats when I got home.
2006-06-13 12:46:59 · answer #5 · answered by buggsnme2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call some of your local animal shelters and rescue groups. Some of them may be able to take the mother and her kittens into a shelter or put them in a foster home until they are able to be adopted.
2006-06-13 14:36:46 · answer #6 · answered by Lisa M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have cat feeders and water dispensers just for this purpose. Most cats are ok if you leave them with ample food and water for a few days. They're very self sufficient animals.
2006-06-13 12:26:19 · answer #7 · answered by Chanteuse_ar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be honest with you, you might think of boarding those cats. Not only for hunger reasons, but for sanitary reasons. Even if you leave a bag of food open for them, who will scoop their litter? Sometimes you can take them to your animal hospital and they can board them there. Your only other option is to take them with. Cats NEED love.
2006-06-13 12:41:32 · answer #8 · answered by nikki puddin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can put out a couple of food dishes for them and water, and put out some toys so the mother cat doesn't get board ,ask a neighbor or a relitive to chek on them every day.
2006-06-13 12:28:26 · answer #9 · answered by marina 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will die without daily attention. Take them to an animal shelter before you go away if you can't find anyone to care for them.
2006-06-13 12:20:28 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋