Guidelines for Safely Leaving Your Cat Home Alone

Do you know how to leave a cat home alone? Most people think they do, but they could do a much better job. If you are like most, you believe that cats are solitary animals, and that you can leave a cat alone and it’ll be fine. For the most part, that may be true. However, I think I can give you some ideas on what to do and what not to do on the subject of how to leave your cat home alone with minimal damage (emotionally/mentally) to them, to your furniture and most important, to your relationship.

But first you may be wondering. . . do indoor cats get lonely? Sure they do!

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Do indoor cats get lonely?

Yes, indoor cats do get lonely if they are left by themselves. I’m pretty sure that all mammals who live in solitude get lonely to some extent. As far as indoor cats go, they probably get more lonely that outdoor cats do. And for good reason. Outdoor cats at least have the ability to interact with other outdoor cats which indoor cats don’t.

This doesn’t mean you should let your indoor cat outside. Doing so can be dangerous for your cat and irresponsible.

If you are thinking about getting another cat to keep yours company, that’s not a good idea either. Cats are territorial and the older they get the less willing they are to share their territory with other cats. So, even though the idea of having two cats has merit, it’s better to raise two kitten together. There is a strong chance they’ll be life-long friends as opposed to life-long rivals who fight all the time.

If you have a cat who is lonely, you can cure your cat’s loneliness by being there more often. And if you scroll down a little, you’ll see “how to train your cat to stay home alone!” which should give you better ideas on how to leave your cat in such a way as to ease the feeling of loneliness when you’re gone.

How long can I leave a cat home alone?

Leaving a cat home alone can be stressful for both cat parent and cat. However, cats are for the most part pretty good by themselves. They can go hours and hours alone. But what you need to be careful about is accumulative time spent alone. Cats can spend the whole day by themselves. They can even go twelve to eighteen hours alone. However, not every day of the week – week after week. Your cat will suffer from loneliness and its behavior may become aggressive and withdrawn.

You can do the nine to five job five days a week with most cats, but not all. Any more than that, and you may make your cat lonely. Read more here and here.