Going on vacation, what do I do with my cat?

Question

I will be going on vacation with my family for 2 weeks. We can't take our cat with us and my parents refuse to pay a cat sitter. No one in my family will be able to care for him, will he be ok alone outside for 2 weeks? What kind of precautions should I take? Any suggestions would be great!

Answer 1

Leaving it outside for two weeks is probably not a good idea. Maybe you could find a neighbor or friend your family trusts to come by each day and check on the cat? If you leave plenty of food and water or have an automatic feeder, you could probably have someone check up every other day...but two weeks is a long time with no human contact. He might run away or be stolen if he's outside with you guys gone for a long period of time, and you never know what else may happen to him in those two weeks. Maybe you could promise to come up with money to pay your parents back for a pet sitter if you can't find someone to keep the cat for two weeks, or to come by and check up on him.

Answer 2

Who is taking care of the other things around the house for two weeks while you are on vacation? Isn't someone coming over to bring in the mail and the paper? Who waters the plants and makes sure the pipes don't burst or the house isn't broken into? Can't that person feed the cat, give him water and scoop his litter box?

Maybe you could ask a friend or neighbor who likes cats to stop by and then you could do the same for them.

It seems to me that since your family took on the responsibility of a cat, your family needs to make arrangements for his care. If your parents can afford to be on vacation and away from home for two weeks, why can't they pay a petsitter the ten dollars a day to care for the cat?

How old are you? Can you pay a petsitter out of your won money and set the example for your parents?

Absolutely do NOT let this poor animal on the streets for two weeks alone! She/he is a domestic animal who depend on you for food, shelter, water and protection. There are laws against abandoning your pets. Your parents could be arrested.

Answer 3

Your cat has a very HIGH chance of dying outside while you are gone. Get a friend to care for the cat in their home OR use your allowance and pay for the cat to be kenneled.

If you were to put enough food and water outside for the cat and the cat survied, it would draw ants and other animals to eat and drink, with nothing left for your cat.

Ask your parents to pay for a cat sitter and you pay them back from your allowance.

Sorry but I think both your parents and you are not responsible pet owners to leave an animal outside.

Answer 4

No! Don't put him outside! It is safer to set up the inside. That is a long time, and it is unfortunate that you don't ahve someone to come over at least once. But if you leave him outside he may disappear and beleive he has been abandoned. As a child when my family left for a week and had no one to watch, we would leave a TON of dry food, and tons of water bowls all over the place. Just in case, leave the toilet seats up -- it's not good to drink out of those, but it is better than running out of water during this time. The food may get stale, so if you can, get one of those things that releases food or something, I am not sure how that works since I have friends who can stop in when I am away. Can you at least afford one $15-20 visit to make sure there is more food and water poured out at the one week mark? That is how much many pet sitters will charge just for a 20 minute stop in to check out everything is OK and refill food and stuff. Good luck!

Answer 5

Your cat will not be all right if you leave her out for two weeks. The things that can happen to him are just awful. I have done some rescue work, and the thought of you just walking away from your cat for 2 weeks just leaves me breathless. Please don't do it.

If you lived in or near NYC, I would take care of him for you. But if you lived in NYC you would not be faced with this problem, because there are so many options.

What about a neighbor? Can't you ask a neighbor to come and feed him, and in return, you can do something for the neighbor. Don't you have a friend that you can make an arrangement with? One of your friends who can come and feed him or take him home and keep him in the basement for a few days? You just supply food and kitty liter and a pan? Then you do something for your friend in return?

Another option is a veterinarian. Call your vet. Better yet, go and see him, and just tell him you don't have money, but you don't want to abandon your cat. Ask him if he would keep the cat in his office for a couple of weeks. Here in NYC, almost every veterinarian's office has rescued cats in it, in the process of being fattened up and prepared for adoption. If he insists he would have to be paid, couldn't you offer to clean cages for him for a week and just help out around the office if he would keep your cat? That would be a neat thing to do anyway. Ask him, too, if he would know of anyone who would foster your cat while you are on vacation, that you will supply the food. There are people who do things like this. I am one of them.

Sweetie, you need to take some initiative here and speak up for your kitty. How would you feel if your family, your people, the tether you have to security, your source of everything in the world, just hopped into a car and vanished? Cats DO have feelings. Cats who lose their owners go into depressions, and vets prescribe Prozac for them. I am not kidding one bit.

Please dig around and find a resource. You don't have to abandon your pet. That is abusive and it is cruel, and I just know you don't want to abuse your good little friend.

Please try. Please.

Answer 6

Do you have a friend that you trust to give your house key? You could leave the kitty indoors with plenty of food and water. Ask the friend to come by every other day or so to make sure the cat still has food and water, and to scoop the litter box. It should only take a few minutes each time.

You can work it out in trade with your friend. Do them a favor at some point later or something.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Do you have a next door neighbor you can repay with lawn mowing or gutter cleaning, dishwashing, car washing, weed pulling....get the picture? Just to stop in, water the plants, bring in the mail, clean the litter box, freshen the water, and pet the kitty. GO MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS. Do not leave your cat outside for two weeks, he will feel lost and abandoned.

If that is still not an option - put him in the house and leave LARGE bowls, not just one - but 3 or 4- of dry food and LARGE bowls - again 3 or 4, and I'm not talking cereal bowls - but large mixing bowls, of water - and go buy some more litter boxes - cats hate to use a dirty litter box, so multiple boxes will help.

Answer 8

DOnt let your cat outside!

If you really have no one to care for her then leave her like four or five clean litterboxes, leave enough food for two weeks in different rooms of the house and water along with them. leave a faucet dribbling somewhere if you can like in a bathroom or the basement in case the water runs out BUT you really should try to find someone to look in on her at least. Maybe a neighbor? Don't leave him outside!!!

Please don't let him be left outside like that. Two weeks is a LONG time and he'll be gone... he'll think you abandoned him and he'll get hurt or killed.

If you have to lie, pay for someone to care for him yourself and tell your parents your friend is watching him for you or something...

Answer 9

I would leave him inside that way he won't get hurt of sick
leave a big pile of food and use about 3 or 4 kittys boxes
my sister left her cats outside for a week and they became ferral

Answer 10

Outside with no food or fresh water? Outside with other animals that can attack and kill him? Outside with cars that can run him over?

Please surrender the poor cat to a cat rescue. Your family is clearly neglecting this animal.