less than you think

In Spain there are almost six million cats living in homes (mine included) and it is quite common for us tutors to ask ourselves this question when we have to go away for a few days. Cats have a reputation for being independent, but does that mean we can go away without worrying about anything? How long is too long? We have spoken with a feline educator to answer these and other questions.

What the law says. First of all, it is advisable to know what the Animal Welfare Law. The law establishes a series of prohibitions regarding pets, among which is the maximum time that we can leave them unsupervised. In the case of cats, this period is three consecutive days. If you also have a dog, the maximum you can leave it alone by law is 24 hours.

24 hours at most. We have spoken with Noelia Hernández, feline educator at Feline Codeand has explained to us that what the law says is not enough. For her, the maximum time to leave a cat unsupervised should never exceed 24 hours. There are compelling reasons and that is that “if you cannot monitor whether your cat eats or goes to the litter box, a veterinary emergency can occur within 24 hours,” Noelia warns.

If your cat stops eating while you are away, after 24 hours can lead to the dreaded hepatic lipidosis. This disease is fatal and is quite common, especially in overweight adult cats. Another critical point is that there is correct elimination, that is, that your cat goes to the litter box regularly. If your cat does not urinate or goes to the litter box, but only a few droplets come out, we would be facing a urinary obstruction. It is more common in male cats and if not treated immediately it can also have fatal consequences.

Supervision. This doesn’t mean you can’t go on vacation, but you do make sure someone comes to your house at least once a day. Whether it is a family member, a friend or if you hire a catsitter service, it is very important that someone checks “that everything is fine; that there is no diarrhea, that they have gone to pee and that they make sure that they eat,” says Noelia.

Ideally, whoever goes home takes care of giving them wet food ( very important for the cat’s kidney health), fill feeders and waterers, clean the sandboxes and also spend some time playing hunting or olfactory games. In other words, spend a long time with the cats, not a five-minute visit and that’s it.

They are not so independent. On the other hand there is the emotional component. As we said, this reputation for independence makes many people minimize what their absence can do to their cats, but according to Noelia “for the cat we are company, family and routine. No matter how much they seem more independent, they have a very bad time being left alone. If the guardians disappear, they very easily go into depression, stop eating, eliminate properly and a cat that does not eat for a single day can very easily become seriously ill.”

What if I have more than one cat? If you are a multi-cat household, it will depend on the relationship your cats have with each other. “There are cats that live together but do not interact much socially in that they do not play, they do not groom themselves, they do not sleep together. Each case would have to be analyzed, but by leaving two cats together, do not think that the cat will be better,” Noelia tells us. If your cats have a close relationship with each other, the emotional part is more covered, but supervision is still necessary.

Recommendations before you go. If you have a getaway planned and want to make sure your cats don’t miss anything, we leave you a list of tips to keep in mind:

• Multiply food and water points. The goal is to make sure they can’t run out of resources. If you have an automatic feeder or water fountains, leave at least one more of each that is not automatic because the power may go out.
• Deeply clean the sandboxes before you leave and add an extra one, especially if you have several cats since this way you avoid competition for resources.
• Have surveillance cameras It’s always a good idea. If you can also keep an eye on the feeders and sandboxes to see that everything is in order, all the better. Just don’t talk to them on camera or you could scare them and leave them confused.
• Check carefully that all the house is safe for them: Do not leave windows open (even tilt-and-turn ones), make sure there are no doors that can be closed, collect bags, threads, cables or anything that could be dangerous for them.
• Leave a copy of the keys someone who lives nearby and, in case of emergency, can go quickly to check that everything is okay.
• Create a safe space where they can hide and rest. You can leave some of your clothing that has your smell.

Images | Amparo Babiloni, Xataka

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