For Christmas I am leaving for 3 days and we are putting our dogs in a kennel and are leaving our 2 cats at home. Is there any tips I should know to do this? How much food should I leave them...should I leave a big bowl worth of food? Should I leave lots of water in the dish? Will their litter box be fine? Anything that I can do so they don't get bored or depressed?
THANKS VERY MUCH
2007-11-10 10:45:34 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Three days is a long time to leave them without someone popping in to check on them.
They may eat all the food and the water may get spilled. Two kitties using the litter box for three days will get real messy.
Plus they are used to lots of activity in the home with the family and three canine companions! They may get a little confused at the sudden change.
Do you have a friend, neighbor, coworker or family member that can just stop in at least once a day to give them fresh water, food and scoop the box? I am lucky to have my kitty loving sis-in-law next to me and we take care of each others kitties. Bring them a small gift back as a thank-you payment.
Or maybe someone from the vets office offers or can recommend someone that provides in home care that could check on them for a small fee.
Merry Christmas and have a safe and wonderful trip!
2007-11-10 11:06:04 · answer #1 · answered by Patty O 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Xmas is never a good time to ask for help with pets but it would certainly be best if someone could call in to check that all is ok, top up food and water and change the litter. Auto-feeders are good but 3 days worth of food in 3 dishes in different places would prevent the likelyhood of overeating on the 1st day. An extra litter tray would be a good idea also. Leave lots of toys but 3days is not the end of the world and your cats will give you a big welcome home.
2007-11-10 11:08:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, its not good if you leave your cats at home by themselves for more than 2 days. The litter box will definitely smell terrible, so it would be better if you gave the keys to a close friend or relative to come by and check on the cats and play with them. Leave a little bit more than the amount of food you would feed both cats in 3 days, and leave a lot more water, because they can spill it, and bacteria issues. They might get mad at you once you come back, though, but they'll probably return to normal after a day or two. Also, make sure the cats are secured in a room where they cant get hurt. (Unplug all electric items, cover up outlets, etc)
2007-11-10 10:59:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ideally it would be great to have someone (a close friend or family member) come to check on them, clean out the litter box, and give them fresh food and water...if this is not possible then I would go to walmart and invest in a feeder for the food, it would hold about 3 days worth of dry food and also they have waterers which would also hold about 3 days worth of water...i would also consider more than 1 litter box in the case that one gets too bad (messy) for them to use they would have an alternate place to go instead of using your house as a potty....leave the blinds open so that they can look outside while you arent home i wouldnt leave the windows themselves open though...they will be fine
2007-11-10 11:03:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
We left for a long weekend and just left our kitty a big bowl full of food with a big bowl of water. I would put the food and water seperate so food doesn't accidentally fall in the water.
Clean the litter just before you leave and you can clean it when you get home. Dont worry about anything else, cats are really good at entertaining themselves, especially if there is two of them.
2007-11-10 10:58:17 · answer #5 · answered by Erika 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your cats will be perfectly fine. Don't worry about them. Get them a gravity-fed food and water dish. I do it for my kittys all the time. Cats will not over-eat like dogs. They will eat until full and come back later. If you want leave a radio on but they should be able to entertain themselves without a radio or TV. Cats are very self-sufficient. Clean the litter box just before you leave and again when you get back. If you think you will be gone longer, get another litter box. Good luck.
2007-11-10 10:54:02 · answer #6 · answered by cat lady 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
1. Leave 2-3 litterboxes.
2. There are some automatic feeders or feeders that release the food as the cats eat, like an upside down bottle.
3. Leave lots of bowls with water, one may be overturned or broken.
4. make sure they are safely shut inside, so that they don't run away.
5. Make sure they can't fall in the toilet (close the lid), shut the kitchen door so that they can't turn on the oven or otherwise set fire, or any other hazard in your house.
2007-11-10 11:14:50 · answer #7 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do you have a neighbor/friend that could stop by on the 2nd day, just to do a spot-clean of the litter box and make sure they have enough food? They don't have to come over every day, but I'd have someone stop by on the 2nd day just to make sure everything is going OK.
2007-11-10 10:48:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, as far as the water part, its always good cats have plenty and fresh water. When I went away for three days, we left our only cat at home. I had my sister check in on her on day two to make sure she was ok. Cats have a keen ability to entertain themselves. Leave some of their favorite toys out. Plus, theres two of them, they will entertain each other. Fill their food bowls normally before you leave and have someone you trust check in on them on day 2. Leaving a big bowl of food may make them over eat and you could come home to a bunch of cat emesis on the floor (vomit). All the best.
2007-11-10 10:57:13 · answer #9 · answered by hbuckmeister 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Have a friend or neighbor come, at least once a day to check food, water, scoop box. They can also bring in your mail, turn lights on, etc. No friends or neighbors? Hire a petsitter, peace of mind will help you enjoy your vacation!
2007-11-10 11:06:18 · answer #10 · answered by tina in fla 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋