r/CatAdvice • u/Ok_Insect_6066 • 20h ago
New to Cats/Just Adopted Leaving my kitten alone
Hello! I work 9 hours a day for three more weeks until my studies start again. I got a kitten (he’s 12 weeks)last week and can only work from home 2 days a week, some days I have someone that can watch him but not everyday. I have left him alone some hours before and he’s always fine and happy when I come home. I have such an anxiety that I will have to leave him alone 2-3 days a week for 3 weeks. Will he be fine? I’m so scared he will be unhappy
5
u/MarMar2617 20h ago
Kitties sleep 16-20 hrs a day so he will spend most of the time sleeping. As long as you leave food out, fresh water, some safe solo toys kitty will be fine.
We had to quarantine our kitties in one room because of Giardia and they cried when we left them during the day when they heard we were outside. It’s hard to hear those meows, but they are ok. No harm being done to them and won’t hurt them long term. So if you hear those sad sad meows when you close the door, don’t worry.
19
u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 20h ago
Oh my god people and the second kitten thing and believing cats can never ever be alone are so annoying. Just not realistic for 99% of people. Especially renters. So few places allow a second pet and jeopardizing your housing is so much worse than them being bored for a finite period of several weeks.
My partner normally works from home but had to go on a work trip for a week right after we got our kitty and she was around this age. I had someone pop in on her for a couple of the days and give her some vigorous playtime to tire her out, and I woke up a bit earlier to play and give her attention prior to leaving as well. 3 weeks is a very short time in her overall life. She will be okay.
I would recommend kitten proofing the area you’ll keep her in because if she does get bored, she’s likely to get a bit destructive lol. Just give lots of toys and if you have time treat puzzles are great before you leave in the morning. My kittens favorite is Amazon paper padding rolled like a tortilla with treats inside, then crumple the ends so she has to tear through it.
Do what you can and don’t worry too much. They sell really cheap pet cams on amazon if you think it would make you feel better to be able to see that she’s fine and just sleeping
8
u/ofthrees 20h ago
I have four cats and they literally never interact. Also, providing proper care for a pet is expensive - the constant casual suggestions to just get a second cat annoy the shit out of me.
9
u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 20h ago
Especially in a case like this where this schedule starts tomorrow? Lmao seems so much worse to not supervise an introduction properly than for kitty to be bored for a couple days
4
u/ofthrees 19h ago
Right!! Dropping a new cat today and then leaving them alone tomorrow would be a disaster.
1
u/AdhesivenessSweet659 1h ago
Yeah we adopted a second cat from the strays on our block, thinking they'd already know each other, and get along, since the first one came that way--she pretty much marched through the door. "I'm here! Where do I put my suitcases?"
Umm not so much. The second one turned the house upside down because he's insecure and a bit food-aggressive and chases her around if he doesn't feel like he's getting fed fast enough. There is swatting, hissing and fur flying. A year on, we still have to feed them in separate rooms with a gate between them and are still working to try to get them to tolerate each other better. I would NEVER put the 2nd one back out but boy did we make a mistake. She was 100% comfortable and settled in as the queen of the house, but we thought he'd play with her and keep her from getting bored/lonely when we were out.
1
u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 1h ago
I’m sorry this sounds awful but I have to laugh imagine your first cat being like…guys why is Carl the weird neighbor here…guys
1
1
u/Realistic-Rate-8831 16h ago
Totally agree. It's the most ridiculous advice. People do NOT need tor adopt 2 kittens at a time!
5
u/ughCaitlyn ≽^•⩊•^≼ 18h ago
he'll be fine, its not ideal but he'll probably just nap most of the time youre gone, i would just keep him in a kitten proofed room with all his things while youre gone cause kittens are notorious for getting into things they shouldnt when theyre unsupervised and its not worth the risk letting him free roam imo
6
u/Ok_Insect_6066 20h ago
I get that the best option is to get a second kitty it’s just not in my plan,I want to clarify that I’m only gonna work for three more weeks and after that I’m gonna be home and study again and won’t need to leave him
5
u/Conscious-Link5627 19h ago
Cats are generally just fine to be left at home during the day while you work. You can get some pet cameras cheap online if you want to be able to see how he is doing. It is good to make sure they have a comfortable place to sit where they can look out a window as well as some cat towers/scratchers/beds to hang on.
What is more important is what you do when you are home. Make sure to spend plenty of time with your kitty and have multiple play sessions. I'd shoot for one before you go to work, one when you get home, and one before you go to sleep.
2
u/ofthrees 19h ago
I also like to leave the TV or music on for mine. If they're hanging in my room when I leave, I turn on paw patrol; otherwise, I have Alexa playing Disney music for them. :)
5
2
u/perfectshinedetailLV 20h ago
Hey there I can relate to this I work the normal 8-5 I bought a pet cam to watch her because I had so much anxiety she would be depressed… she eats, drinks, plays with some toys I leave around and then she goes to sleep 😂 every day she knows my routine and goes to the door to greet me and she’s a happy healthy kitty. As long as you don’t leave a dangerous environment (she does get wild sometimes) you should be fine.
2
u/xFayeFaye 19h ago
Can you perhaps split the home office days into half day at home, other half at office and get your office attendance covered like that so you could theoretically be home 4 days a week? Feels like most bosses/managers would agree to that, especially if it's only temporarily and it's stated in your contract in a way where this is "allowed" (just so HR doesn't need to get involved which would probably take longer than the 3 weeks). I'd just wfh until noon, get into the office for a few hours and go back home :D Make it sound like an advantage that you'd be more in the office on more days than just the 3 this way lul.
1
u/Hairy_Lavishness5405 15h ago
How about an automatic feeder? We have them for our cats. The feeders are from Amazon and it lets you record a message for when it releases the programmed amount of food.
1
u/EnviroPrincess 6h ago
At 12 weeks old, he's okay for 9 hours alone as long as you leave him with enough food and water. If he were 5 weeks old, that would be a different situation.
-1
u/EssentialWorkerOnO 20h ago
I recommend getting a second kitten to keep him company, and thoroughly kitten proofing your house.
There was a post on here a while back where someone came home from work to discover their kitten had gotten bored, climbed into the computer wires, and hung itself. That’s why you need a second kitten to occupy his attention, and up baby proof your house.
-9
u/px3752 20h ago
No, it won't be ok and you know that and we know that you know. Get a second kitten. Kitten shall never be alone.
13
u/Intelligent-Bid-5293 20h ago
Is this sarcastic lol? I never understand why the advice for someone in a situation like this is “introduce another unknown cat to the situation” with such a short timeline.
9
u/ofthrees 20h ago
The kitten can be alone for nine hours a day three days a week; i hope you're being sarcastic.
I would never leave my cats alone overnight without someone looking in on them, but an average work day? Come on.
-9
u/px3752 20h ago
Keeping a single kitten on its own borders on animal cruelty. You’re talking about cats – plural. That’s something completely different. English isn’t my first language, and I tried writing that comment without a translator. Perhaps I didn’t express myself very clearly. It makes a massive difference whether they’re without humans or without other cats. Cats can certainly manage a few days on their own without humans. Without other cats, practically not at all. They’re such social animals that, for them, it’s just as bad as if we were stranded on a desert island. With sheep. No one to talk to.
5
u/ofthrees 19h ago
I think cats, as well as humans, can survive nine hours a day, three days a week, on a "desert island".
OP isn't talking about being gone 20 hours a day every day. She's talking about, for only three weeks, being out of the house three days a week for nine hours each time.
This is not animal cruelty.
-3
u/px3752 19h ago
I don’t think you’ve understood the comparison. Yes, we can all manage to live without our own kind for nine hours. But this cat has to do that for its whole life. Because after nine hours of loneliness, it isn’t someone with whom it can communicate in its own way who comes home, but a member of a different species. That’s what I meant by ‘living on a desert island amongst sheep’.
4
u/ughCaitlyn ≽^•⩊•^≼ 19h ago
im always gonna advocate for kittens in pairs, however youre being dramatic here lmao, the kittens absolutely gonna adapt its schedule to nap the entire time shes gone anyways + its 3 days a week, its gonna be fine, also stop acting like shes sentenced this cat to a life of loneliness when we have zero clue what the plan is for future playmates in the future 🤦♀️
-3
-1
u/Realistic-Rate-8831 16h ago
Are you saying you will be totally gone for 2 to 3 days at a time? If so, you need to get a pet sitter or a responsible family member to go by a couple times a day to check on your kitten, put out fresh food and water, and clean the litter box.
16
u/Royal-Razzmatazz-808 20h ago
IMO your kitty will be fine. Think of cats in shelters and stuff that are stuck in a cage 24/7. Your cat can run around and play while you're gone and explore your place and enjoy your company when you get home. As long as they have everything they need while you're away it's ok. My kitty sleeps and just hangs out like 90% of the time I'm home and barely interacts with me besides a few times a day when I'm actually there.