Last Updated on April 14, 2023 by ellen
Can you leave your cats alone home for a few days? As a pet sitter, I have clients who want me to visit their home to care for their cat every other day. I also have clients who want me to visit twice a day. A lot really is personal preference and what you think your cat will adjust to best.
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How to Leave Your Cats Alone Home
Leaving your cats alone home is possible provided your cat has no special medical needs and they are in a safe, secure area. Cats are largely self-sufficient animals which is what attracts people to them in many cases. I wouldn’t personally leave my cat alone home for more than a few days. Here are a few things to consider.
Food
If your cat eats dry cat food, it’s possible to leave them a few days worth of food in their food bowl for them to eat as they’re hungry. I would not do this with wet cat food because it’s possible that it will go bad once the can has been opened. You can use a timed pet food dispenser to dispense a small amount of food at a time if you prefer.
Water
Like food, cats need constant access to fresh drinking water. While you can leave a large bowl of water, you run the risk of it being tipped over and unavailable when your cat needs it. A pet water fountain will provide constant fresh drinking water for your cat in a safe way. This one holds 168 ounces which is more than enough for your cat.
Litter Box
Your cat will need to be used to going into the litter box when it needs to. If you have a cat that spends much of its time outside, this may be an issue. You won’t want to allow your cat to go in and out of the house while you’re gone. You may find that a self-cleaning litter box helps keep it clean longer.
Company
Cats tend to be loners so they don’t require the same amount of one on one attention that a dog does. However, leaving them alone for an extended period of time isn’t a great idea. You can have a neighbor stop by every other day just to check on them. Or hire a pet sitter if you don’t have a neighbor. You can check on them in the off time by using a Samsung SmartCam HD Plus WiFi home monitoring camera which I wrote about in my home monitoring camera review.
Check out the Samsung SmartCam HD Plus WiFi home monitoring camera
Related reading
- How to eliminate cat box odor
- How to choose the best cat tree
- Save money on pet costs
- How to clean a cat tree
- Cat litter storage containers
Ellen runs a small pet sitting business in southern Vermont. She has experience with a variety of small animals, dogs and cats. She has also cared for ducks, chickens and rabbits. Combined, she has over 20 years of experience in pet care and pet sitting.
I’ve left the Farm cats for two days but that’s about as long as I’ll go without someone coming in. Since there are five of them it’s really not good to go any longer. These are great tips. Thanks
I feel the same way, Patty!
We only have had our cat about a year. Didn’t know you could get a self-cleaning litter box.Pretty good idea,especially if we’re gone!
It really does help!
I just left my cats at home for a week while I was at the beach. Although I hired a cat sitter, I was still worried sick! Thanks for the tips
Glad to help!
We do leave our cat for maybe up to 3 days on its own. We have multiple litter boxes and plenty of food and water for him. Thanks for your tips:)
Any time!
These are helpful hints for cat owners.
Thank you!
All great tips. I sure hope if anyone leaves their cat alone for more than a day does all of these suggestions. I know I would.
I hope so too, Darcy!
I’ve never felt comfortable going away & leaving my fur babies home alone for any longer than a day. I always have family that lives close by drop in a couple times a day to feed them (they eat wet food in addition to dry) and make sure they have fresh water. Plus give them a little loving!
That’s a great way to do it!
Thanks for sharing..
You’re welcome!
These are great tips. We just got back from vacation and even though we had a neighbor come by daily my cat is driving me CRAZY with neverending meowing.
Oh the poor sweetie!
Thanks for all of the helpful tips! Will have to keep this in mind in the future
Glad to help!
Great article, we just got a cat this summer and were wondering about this!
Glad to help!
My sister is a flight attendant and has to leave her cat for days a t a time. My cousin will check in on him to change the box, pour more food. But other than that I think he enjoys the alone time. Hahha
I can understand that!
I had a friend that traveled a lot for work and had an automatic feeder and water machine and an automatic litter box. They seemed to work well but I’m sure they got a little lonely. I would have visited them more if I lived a little closer but with work and school myself, just didn’t have the time. Sometimes I feel bad for pets like that but they probable are OK with it!
They certainly can be if it is more than a day or two.