How long can you leave your cat alone at home: expert opinion
Living with pets has many advantages. But probably every cat or cat owner has had to solve a problem and leave the animal alone. Someone has to do it because of work, someone visits the country or goes on a business trip for a few days, or a long vacation. This was reported by SSPDaily.
With a dog, the answer is simple: the animal can't survive that long alone. But with cats, the question is more complicated, since everything they need can be located in the apartment.
People often consider cats to be independent, non-dependent creatures that don't need much attention, especially compared to dogs. But this is not entirely true, experts say. Research shows that cats often need human company and attention more than we used to think. According to scientist Mikel Delgado, "You can't leave cats alone for a long time. They have emotional and social needs that cannot be met if they are left alone for a long time."
How long should a cat be left alone at home
According to experts, a cat should be left alone at home for no more than 24 hours. During this time, in most cases, the cat will not even notice its loneliness.
But what if for longer? Many people think that if there is enough food and water available, the animal can be left longer, but this is not the case.
The long-term absence of the owner can cause stress in the animal, and "cats can overeat, break objects, or even injure themselves, so you shouldn't leave them a lot of food and water and hope that everything will be fine," Delgado emphasizes.
Also, when cats are stressed due to the long-term absence of their owner, they may show symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and urinating past the litter box.
How to leave a cat alone
According to behaviorist Catherine Pankratz, "Cats should be visited at least once a day, even better – twice." It can be relatives, friends, acquaintances, neighbors.
To make the life of cats more comfortable in your absence, the expert advises using feeding toys, or ordinary toys. She also advises not to wash bedding or clean sofas, beds, and armchairs so that the owner's scent stays with the animal as long as possible.
It is good if you can install a webcam, Delgado and Pankratz say, to keep an eye on your cat when you are away from home. "You can also leave your pet 'warm places to rest' such as blankets and bedspreads so they can come and warm up at any time when it gets cold.
