Cats are famous for being independent animals that are attached to their home and routines. In addition, since they do not need to go outside, many caregivers choose to leave them alone at home when they must be absent for some reason. But it is not always a good idea for our cat to be left alone, nor can we expect it to stay at home without us for a long time. If you wonder how much and how to leave your cat home alone, in the next article on our site we give you the keys.
Can you leave a cat home alone?
As much as cats do not seem to need us as much as, for example, dogs, the truth is that they are domestic animals that depend on us and need not only our care, but also our company. That is why we should not leave our cat alone more than the hours that our work schedule and other activities outside the home mark us.
But it is also true that cats are creatures of habit, very attached to their home, their properties and their routines. They are very sensitive to changes, so it is easy for them to get stressed when we take them to the vet, do some work, introduce a new member to the family or simply move a piece of furniture. In view of this situation, when we are going to away from home for a few days, it is preferable that we leave the cat at home rather than take it with us or move it to a residence feline, as long as we are dealing with a feline that meets the aforementioned characteristics; If our cat tolerates changes perfectly and the transfer is not a problem for him, we can take him with us.
Now, how many days can you leave a cat home alone? At most , three days we could leave our cat alone And we are talking about he althy adult cats. The little ones, the elderly or those who have an illness will not be able to be without us for so long and we will have to consider other options for their care. What to do then if I have a kitten or I have to go away for a longer time? We explain it in the following sections.
How to leave a baby kitten home alone?
Baby kittens, those that are about two months old or even younger, should not be left home alone. Yes, they can spend the time corresponding to our working day, but it is not a good idea for them to stay alone for days They are very small, they need our company and care, they must eat several times a day, play and you have to watch that they do not get into any trouble, due to their eagerness to explore, or suffer from any he alth problem, more common in small kittens whose immune system has not yet matured. If we had to be away for a few days, we should look for other options, such as taking him with us, leaving him in the care of another person or looking for a good feline residence.
What we can do with the baby kittens is help them accept being alone It's not so much about getting them used to being alone in the sense that we would do it with a dog, but to establish routines in which, for example, we focus on playing with it, paying attention to it and feeding it during the hours that we know we will be at home. This way he will be fed and tired for the period in which we are absent and he will better cope with our absence. As he grows older, he may spend more time alone and is likely to spend our absence resting, sleeping, and grooming himself, waking up as soon as we get home (and at night!).
Environmental enrichment, that is, preparing the home so that the kitten has space to jump, climb, hide, scratch, etc., it is a way to meet their needs and get a balanced cat that does not have problems being left alone in the future. You can also use pheromones, such as FELIWAY, which are invaluable substances for us, but detectable for cats, to whom they transmit a pleasant sensation of tranquility, which It can be ideal for when they are alone at home or must get used to being alone. They are very easy to use, since you only have to plug the diffuser in the part of the house where the cat spends the most time, better a couple of days before your absence.
How to leave a cat alone for a weekend?
If we have to be away for only a couple of days, it is a good option to leave our cat alone at home, provided that, as we have said, it is a he althy adult. In this case, prepare your departure paying attention to the following aspects:
- Food: You must calculate how much food your cat eats per day to leave as much food as there are days left. The best option is the feed for its ease of conservation. We cannot leave wet food, as it would spoil. You can put several containers with feed or resort to automatic feeders that offer it as we program them. In this case, test it before you leave to make sure the cat accepts it. In addition, it is recommended that he get used to eating everything from a young age to avoid acceptance problems if he has never eaten feed.
- Water: if food is important, we can least forget about water. Access to clean and fresh water must be guaranteed at all times. To do this, you can distribute drinking bowls generously. Better than on, since you have to count on accidents that can lead to a container spilling. You can also opt for fountains or even leave the faucet in the sink or bidet open to a minimum, if the cat is used to drinking like this. In the latter case, we recommend that someone come to your home to check that everything is correct and avoid any accident.
- Sand: Before leaving, clean the sandbox(es) and leave them full of clean sand. If the cat usually only uses one, it is a good time to put at least one more. In this way, he will always find clean sand. Otherwise, he might decide to relieve himself anywhere in the house or take out the dirty litter himself.
- Ambiente: Depending on the weather, make sure that the temperature in the home is adequate so that the cat does not get too hot not too cold. To do this, program the heating, lower the blinds, etc. You can also leave the calming pheromones on to make the cat more relaxed. FELIWAY Help!, ideal for occasional use, will not only help you get your kitten used to being left alone, it will also provide the adult cat with a relaxed environment in case you need to be away for a whole weekend.
- Security: Make sure that there is nothing potentially dangerous within the cat's reach, such as medicines, garbage, threads, plants, etc. Close the windows well or make sure they are well protected and, as for the doors, either completely close those where you do not want the cat to enter or leave them open, with something that prevents their closing, to prevent the animal from locked up somewhere without food or water.
Despite all the advice on how to leave a cat home alone, it's always a good idea if you have a trusted neighborask him to be alert in case he hears any meowing or sound that makes you think that something may be happening to the cat. Likewise, you can ask a family member or friend to visit your feline during the weekend to keep him company and check that everything is fine. In this case, it is important that it is a person that the cat trusts.
How to leave a cat alone for a week?
A cat cannot be left alone for a week. If you have to be away from home all that time, it's still not a good idea to take it with you, but it's a good idea to talk to someone who can stop by every day to give him eat, clean the litter box and spend time with him. It is recommended that it be a person he knows so that it does not increase his stress. You also have the option of looking for a Cat Daycare, but don't take him to the first one you find. Ask for opinions, visit the facilities and expose all your doubts.
The same applies if you need to leave a cat home alone for 15 days or even 1 month. There are too many days for your feline to be completely alone, so it needs human surveillance and support.
