# Do cats miss their owners when they go on vacation?



## Krista2882 (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm leaving for a week and I'm going to miss my cat, but I'm afraid that he will think I abandoned him. I went away once before but it was only for 4 days. this time it will be 6 days and my friend is house-sitting. So will he see her and think I'm not coming back? Or do cats not even think that way? This is making me sad.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I had a house sitter for 3 nights and it seemed to go well. When I returned my cats seemed the same. They are a little jittery anyway but all back to normal within a 24 hour period. I think it must help to have someone stay at the house. Have your friend send you photos while you are away and it helps our missing them.


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## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Yes and No... I just posted on the cat-boarding vs. pet-sitting thread.

Very long story short: My cat Newt was perfectly fine. Newton, however, hid for a day and a half. An exasperating experience for both myself and the pet-sitter when she couldn't find him.

Both cats were extra snuggly and purry when I came home.


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

I went away for a week at the beginning of the summer, and the longest I had left my cats before that was just overnight. I had someone come by to feed the cats twice a day, and they were home alone otherwise. They seemed happy to see me when I came home and did not seem distressed or anything- just glad to see me. I spent the week missing them and worrying, but I don't know if they experienced any difference in me being away for the week vs. being at work for the day. Try not to worry too much and enjoy your vacation  And definitely have your friend send you picture updates- that helps a lot!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Krista, if your cat knows your friend, there shouldn't be any problems! 
His tail might be in a knot a little, when you first return! He'll forgive you!
Just make sure your friend follows the same schedule as you do, when you're at home, the sameness of the routine is reassuring, eating, playing, etc.
And enjoy your vacation!


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

I was gone for 2 weeks. They seemed like they were happy to see me (sort of), but they were not exactly ecstatic...which I took as a sign that the cat sitters did a very good job.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Honestly, I find that it really depends on the cat. Some cats, like Dante, are extra affectionate and cuddly when you arrive home after an extended stay away. Others, like Cosette--who's a melodramatic little princess--will snub you for a day or two when you arrive home, just to let you know that they're displeased with you. You shouldn't be afraid to leave for a week though, so long as you've made the appropriate arrangements for your cat. Having your petsitter stick as close to your regular daily routine as possible in terms of feeding times, playtime, etc. will help to minimize any anxiety your kitty does feel about your extended absence.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

Cats WILL miss you, but they will get over it. We had a neighbor friend sit with them, feed them. The basic thing that changed was DH and I being gone.
The DAY my girl cat heard my voice, she cried looking for me.
I sat on the edge of the bed and she literally jumped so hard on my chest, she pushed me back and moved in to give me a huge love-bite on my neck. Oddest thing.
The boys missed us, but did not react the same way.

Since animals really have no sense of time/duration, they cannot conceptualize how long we are gone, just that we are not there. 
I wish I knew if cats can feel abandonment, but they do realize we are gone when we go.
That cat-guy, Jackson Galaxy helped an owner deal with his cat's anxiety when he left for work everyday.


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## Krista2882 (Jan 26, 2012)

thanks, everyone! 


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

My cats miss me a lot when I'm not home. Which is why I only go out to work or important errands. Which is why since I've had cats I don't have a life anymore.

They show they've missed me by meowing pitifully when I come back in what sounds to me a reproachful "blah blah blah and you left me here to die!" Heck, cats miss you even if you so much as spend some time in the bathroom on your own.

And no, they don't know if you're coming back. I think more than happy, they're relieved to see me back. When I used to go on business trips, that's the impression I got.

Before adopting them, I used to go out on tours (just a few hours, mostly Jerusalem and the Galilee) 1-2 times a week, it was my hobby. I miss that. If my cats didn't miss me, I wouldn't be confined to the apt., I'd still be able to travel.

My strays, even when not hungry, won't leave my side.

I wish cats didn't miss us.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

wallycat said:


> I wish I knew if cats can feel abandonment.


Ask Prince. When I take Nikita up in the elevator (they refuse to ride together, share the elevator space), he stays on the ground floor crying like a madcat, despondently letting everyone in the building know he's been abandoned. Every single evening after our stroll in the garden. 

And so many former strays suffer from separation anxiety (Prince does too, and he's an abandoned cat indeed).

Also, watch "Sad Cat Diary" on YouTube, the one before last, it's very realistic, about how cats feel abandoned if you go to your bedroom for the night and close the door. :lol:

If cats weren't so sensitive about abandonment, I could have a life!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I was away over this past Christmas and when I walked in after my vacation they didn't even bother to get up and say hi...... 

That NIGHT they were pretty c lingy so I think they missed me (or my night time body heat) but they weren't desperate or anything.

I'm pretty positive I missed them more than they missed me.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I don't know if cats do cry like human do and then get puffy eyes. We sent ET for 5 day boarding and he came home more clingy and with puffy eyes and lost 6lbs. I'm sure he missed me. But if I am just away from home for a couple hours, _I have many med appointments these couple months_, he is ok, he didn't seem to care, so long as I leave food for him before I go, lol.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

Snowy - lost 6lbs in 5 days! That seems pretty bad.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Sorry, wrong conversion, its 0.6lbs, 0.3kg.


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## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

wallycat said:


> Since animals really have no sense of time/duration, they cannot conceptualize how long we are gone, just that we are not there.
> .


I don't agree...my dogs knew when I was coming home...at least a 1/2 hour before. When I was younger my dog knew when my mom was coming home 
Not sure about cats though


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

I know animals can figure out a routine, but if the animal planet shows are right, then TIME...in terms of weeks or months, is not something they can grasp.
How do dogs perceive time?: Animal Planet (especially page 2)


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## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

When my boy was just under 2 years old, I unexpectedly had to spend about 2 months in a hospital. I thought he wouldn't even remember me. When I finally got home, he was hanging out in my room and EXTREMELY friendly with me. I would sit slouched in my office chair and he would come lay down on my chest and sleep there until I had to get up. Would also nonstop sleep in my bed, which he never did before and doesn't do now. 

I'd like to think it's cause he missed me.


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