# Leaving her alone



## kirstencc (Aug 4, 2008)

Morning everyone 

I have a question, but I think really I am looking for reassurance.

My lovely boyfriend has booked a night away in New Haven visiting some friends - it's such a sweet thing to do as we've hardly ever got out of the city and had a break and stuff.

We'll be going Saturday afternoon and coming back Sunday afternoon, so we'll be away roughly 24 hours. I am a little worried about leaving our kitten Bo.

She is approx. 5 months old, and we've had her for about 3 months. She is ultra independent and perfectly happy being at home in the day while we're at work, and is very happy playing by herself but usually tends to be in the same room as us, wherever we are. She is very good about food, in that we put down the recommended amount and she tends to go back and forth to it all day, grazing rather than gobbling. So I'm not worried about her in respect to going hungry. We plan to put little saucers of food and water out all around the house and hide treats under toys and stuff - she loves to be a hunter with a proper reward for her *kill*!

It hardly seems worth it to ask someone to pop round and check on her because I know in my heart she will be fine - I keep rationalising it that we've gone out on a weekend afternoon and stayed out well into the next morning - a good 16 hours or so, and she was fine - if excited to see us and thoroughly enjoyed the attention lavished on her  This is only a little bit longer but feels so much more.

But I think I have a bad case of anthropomorphising - I keep imagining her wandering around the house, thinking "where are they? are they coming back? what's happening?" and it's making me feel terrible and not want to go. I know she's a cat and doesn't actually think like that, that she'll be perfectly fine and I know she is happy playing by herself and running around causing trouble. But still. I feel bad. But I can't not go because it's the first tiny break we'll both have had in ages.

So, am I being stupid and projecting all my human thoughts onto her? If she were clingy and needy and cried when we left her, it would be completely different. But she doesn't, like I said she is very independent and when we leave in the morning (we're usually out about 10 hours each day - stupid commute!) she just trots off to go and play or whatever. 

Thanks!


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Kirsten,thats exactly how she thinks my love,sorry but 16 hrs on her own is imo bad enough nevermind a whole wkend,seriously think about it would you leave a baby with a massive dish of food and water and feel okay enough to go,of course not,not just the fact of fresh food and water,but social interaction and what if she had an accident? Sorry to be harsh but plz do not go and leave this kitten alone for this amount of time,working hrs has to be worked out coz folk have to work,but their back the same day,get someone to pop in and be with her for a while thruout the day,and think things thru properly before you go out for hrs on end or away,know it's not easy but thats what you bought into so to speak when you offered your home to this little gal


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## missy (Jul 20, 2008)

Hi

I have 2 kittens that are left on their own from 7.30 in a morning to 4.30 at night while me and the bf go to work. They are perfectly fine and happy. 

However leaving your kitten for 24hours is too long to leave him. You would either have to get someone you know to go to your home and feed the kitten that night you are away and then that morning or however often you feed them. (We feed ours morning and night). You could also put the kitten into a cattery for 24 hours and they will give the kitten adequate care and attention.

Hope this helps.

xxx


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## Kat28 (Mar 19, 2008)

Hi I have 4 cats who are very ocasionally left. If we are going away a member of my family always comes down and feeds them etc. We went away for weekend recently left late fri and came back mon. My brother came down and fed them fri night spent the whole day here on the sat and came down twice on the sun to make sure they were ok and called mon to feed them.Think someone needs to call at least a few times to put food etc down and make sure kitten is ok.


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## kirstencc (Aug 4, 2008)

Yeah, I think you're right. I was never concerned about food because I know her habits - she doesn't have a massive appetite, tends to graze - so often food put down in the morning is still around in the evening - and she has dried food, so I wasn't concerned about it drying out or going horrid for her. 

But I was concerned about her being lonely, and now a friend has agrreed to pop round at 8pm or for an hour. We're not leaving until around 2pm Saturday afternoon and will be back at lunchtime on Sunday. So I think having someone pop round Saturday evening will be enough for her to be OK. She really likes our friend, and our friends always cuddles Bo and plays with her - and that's all I wanted really - a bit of attention for her to see her through until we get back the next day.

Thanks everyone!


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## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

Having some one to check and sit with her is great


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## soozeej (Jun 21, 2008)

I think I would be looking for someone to pop in on her on the Sunday morning too, I feel its an awful long time for her to be on her own, i feel a bit sorry for her  she is not much older than my kitten


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2008)

At 5 months old, and her being an only cat... I personally wouldn't leave her for 24 hours. I'd have someone look after her the whole time, or pop in at least twice and stay for a while.

It's good that you've managed to get someone to come in on the Sat night. 
That is the thing with getting animals though isn't it... when you feel like escaping somewhere other than home for a day or longer, you gotta think of the fur babies first!


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