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Cat Help

MaggieD

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Ok, so Tom and I found we couldn't board our cats because one fine kennel was full, another we found unacceptable after visiting, and the third said they wouldn't take them until two weeks after their cat flu vaccination. We'll be gone four days.

We plan to leave them in our attached garage. One of our cats has a litter box aversion for peeing, so we put down puppy pads...so can't leave them in the house. We plan on leaving them with six litter boxes, plenty of food and multiple large containers of water in case they spill. We'll put down a dozen or so puppy pads for Shorty and cross our fingers. Bringing their cat tree out there and trying to safe-proof the garage. Leaving some block window vents open for fresh air. The garage doesn't get that hot in summer.

With Shorty's problem, we can't leave him in the house. Vet has us using pheromones for him thinking its stress. He's feral. Never tamed as a kitten and wild as a March Hare. By the time we catch him to put him in the garage with his buddy Bob-Bob, he'll be a complete mess.

I feel really bad. The garage is our only option. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for us? Any way we haven't thought of to catch his wary ass to make it less traumatic for him? We close all the room doors and try to throw a blanket over him. He's usually trying to throw himself out the window. Sooooo sad.

Help!
 
Cats are fairly independent creatures, despite some owners concerns otherwise.

You will be gone 4 days. As long as you leave enough food and water, and are fairly sure there are no exit routes in the garage, your carts should both be good to go.

If as you say your cat is neurotically independent...leaving him alone for a while might be good for his psyche.

That's how I see it anyway.
 
Cats are fairly independent creatures, despite some owners concerns otherwise.

You will be gone 4 days. As long as you leave enough food and water, and are fairly sure there are no exit routes in the garage, your carts should both be good to go.

If as you say your cat is neurotically independent...leaving him alone for a while might be good for his psyche.

That's how I see it anyway.

Thank you. That's reassuring. Love your signature line, btw
 
Have you ever tried keeping this 'feral' cat locked inside with another, in a single room, for a period of time? You say "our cats" - how many? Do they fight usually? How many cats will be in this garage?



When we're away for a long time, we make sure to have people visit once every 3 days. Otherwise, the cat is left with extra-large bowls full of water, an automatic feeder, etc. She has a whole house to roam in. Other than being obviously lonely by the time we get back, she's fine. But she's a very house-broken animal and indoor-only.
 
Seems to me that the simple solution would be to head to the pet store and get a half dozen or so mice that they use for feeding snakes. Put the mice in the garage and your cats will likely have a blast while you're gone.
 
Cats are fairly independent creatures, despite some owners concerns otherwise.

You will be gone 4 days. As long as you leave enough food and water, and are fairly sure there are no exit routes in the garage, your carts should both be good to go.

If as you say your cat is neurotically independent...leaving him alone for a while might be good for his psyche.

That's how I see it anyway.

I don't have cats myself but the two most interesting cats ive known were very independent that way. both would come and go as they pleased. sometimes gone for a whole day.
my friends cat Opie would come and paw at the door if he wanted to come in. if he wanted out he would go wait by the door, if you didn't go let him out he would look at you and then at the door a few times.
If you didnt respond he would come over to you and nudge you nd then go back to the door.
My aunts cat Rocky they had a dog/cat door on the garage and he would just come and go as he pleased. that was in a smaller town though and you could do that without worry.

A lot of people forget that animals have wildly varying personalities just like people. I'm not suggest anyone here doesn't know that just that a lot of pet owners think animals are basically all the same.
Some are happy to just hang out with you and others really want to do their own thing.
 
I think they'll be fine. I hope you have an entrance door other than the garage door to use when you get back. Go in that way before you open the garage door when you get back.
 
You're very thoughtful and caring, Maggie. I think your cats will be purrrrfectly fine.
 
Two cats have each other for company so they need you for food and water and you've got that covered. Just don't feel bad when you return if they say, "Oh, have you been gone?"
 
I've left my cats, I think 4 at the time, alone for a week a couple of times without any trouble. Just plenty of food and water. Actually, I left them for 10 days a couple of years ago. I just check around the house and close off rooms I don't want them in and check for other things that could get them in trouble. I usually block doors with a book or something so they don't get closed into a room with no food, water, or litter box.
 
Get a small wireless web cam, then you can watch them from your Smart phone, I do that when we leave the dogs for a few days, I can always check the camera to make sure they are OK ( and outside of course)
 
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