How long can we leave our cat alone ??

Hi,

We are first time pet owners. Just adopted the most beautiful kitten in the world around a couple of weeks ago !! She seems to have adjusted to us and the house pretty well. The problem is , we go to visit family in India and are gone for around a month . We have really nice neighbours with their own cats. They will help us by changing the litter and spending some time playing with her every day. While a weekend is a different story, I think a month is too long for us, and I am sure, for the kitty too. Given how much $$ it costs to make our trip , we doubt we can cut it down to a week or so. While the next trip is not planned yet, we want to make sure that we have a solution. Here are the options we are considering. I am hoping a professional can give us advice on each option.......

1) Adopt another kitten to give her company. Hopefully that will help her cope with extended absences from us.

2) Take her with us to India . We do not know if this will be possible because the flight times can be 18 - 24 hrs and we may have quarantine problems coming back.

3) Board her at a good place. We do not know if this is a good option, what are the good places ??....

4) Let my neighbour take her in her house while we are gone. Again this may not work, because they have 3 cats and they are supposed to be very territorial.

Any ideas will be most appreciated .... Thx in advance... Worried parents .

A month is way too long to leave a cat alone. My suggestion is to adopt another kitty to keep her company, and make sure you have someone reliable to go in and spend time with them each day.

This person should agree to not only feed them and change the litterbox, but also to spend a little time interacting and playing with them, so they don't become frightened of people - which could happen if they are left alone.

I don't suggest taking her to India, or putting her in your neighbour's house - both things are very stressful, and all cats prefer to remain in their own homes.

To get a buddy for her, I highly suggest you get a male who is younger. This combination is usually the easiest, although you will still have to do introductions. How old is your kitten? And what city are you in - I may be able to suggest a kitten for you.

Cats do like company, and most are much happier with a friend to play, groom, and cuddle with!

And thank you for adopting!:)

I agree, you for sure don't want to take her to India. She would hate it. (Hey, take me instead! :) ) You could board her someplace...she'd be safe if it was a reputable, caring facility but cats get very attached to their places & she'd probably hate that too.

I've gone on 2-3 week vacations & either been able to get a friend to stay at my house, or hire a petsitter.

When the petsitter takes care of the dogs & cat, she comes 4 times a day. We're going on vacation next week, and the dogs are being boarded or staying with friends, so someone will just come by every day to make sure everything's OK. But our cat is older; I'd want more interaction & care if he was a kitten like yours.

So another kitty (if you have time to make sure it's all settled in before you leave) + someone to stop by daily to feed & love on them would be ideal unless you can find someone to stay at your house.

Enjoy your trip!!

Thank you for the quick ,informative replies Carina and Lucky Rescue . I live in Dallas, TX. I want to adopt a new kitten through a shelter. Can you please let me know who I can contact to see what my options are ???

Thanks much and happy new year to all....

There is no shortage of homeless kittens in Dallas! Petfinder has a ton of them.

Go here to see them!
Kittens (http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TX221.html)

My husband and I travel sometimes 3 times a year,but we are lucky to have a son who gladly comes back home to stay with the cats.We don't even leave them alone for a week-end away,it's gotten to the point we have to be careful packing because Rocky(my tabby with "displaced agression)gets really stressed out,somehow knowing we are going away.
I would not leave the kitten alone,another kitten or two would be a great idea.Ask around among friends maybe someone would not mind staying at your house for a month.Kittens can get into a lot of trouble on their own,curious and playful,they need someone to make sure they don't get hurt.
Friends of mine used to board their 5 cats when travelling,but they were so stressed it took months before they were back to normal,now they use a reputable catsitter,who stays in the house.
Cats are such incredible creatures of habit and if their routine is disturbed,start showing some weird behaviour,I usually leave a loooong time-table for my son to follow when we are gone.:D