Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this question has been asked a million times, but of course I'm going to ask it again.

We got our cat from a shelter in March. She had a LOT of health and comfort issues, and is in fact just recently starting to calm down. In June, we went out of town for three days, and had somebody from a service come and take care of her for a half hour once a day. When we came back, she was a little crazy. It took her a week or so to relax and realize that we hadn't abandoned her.

Now in December, we're leaving for 8 days!! We had planned to have a friend care for her at his home, but now he has to go away too so that won't work. I want her to get more attention than she had last time we were away, if that would help. Thing is, I don't know if she just is anxious around new people, so maybe it wouldnt' even matter if someone was here for longer? And I figured if we board her somewhere it will just remind her of when she had to be boarded at the vet for a week right after we got her

I'm just so worried because she's just starting to relax with us, crawl into our laps, etc. She's had such a hard time and I just want it to be easy for her! I was thinking maybe a good compromise would be to have someone come twice a day and have them just play with her, make it really interaction-heavy. And we could leave a window or two open because she likes to sit in the windowsill. She's only inside, by the way.

Any thoughts/advice/reassuring words?

Hi There,

I think cats always do best in their own homes, so maybe it isn't a bad thing that your friend who was going to take her into his home has backed out. It could have been very confusing to her, and depressing as well.

It would be ideal if someone can come over a couple of times each day, especially if it is someone that she knows. If this isn't possible hiring someone else will work, as long as the person understands cats and will let your baby adjust on her own. She might become very frightened, for example, if a strange person picks her up, or doesn't let her hide if she wants to. Just someone coming in the house is traumatic to some cats.

I'm not sure about leaving windows open while you will be gone for several days. It sounds good, but may not be safe. I would worry about the screen falling out or someone figuring out that no humans are home and breaking in. Either way, your kitty might find herself outside and she would most likely panic.

Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with this precious baby! Thanks for adopting a kitty with problems.

Regards,
PHKitkat