Will the cats come back after a vacation?

Since the Porch Kitties have come around, I feel different about traveling. When you own a pet you have to make arrangements for it to get cared for while you’re gone. This could be taking it to a relative (like we do) or hiring someone to come pay attention to it at your place. But for feral cats, you aren’t under any obligation to do anything.

Leaving the Porch Kitties

That makes me feel bad. I worry about the Porch Kitties. I worry that they won’t get enough food while we’re gone. I also worry that they will just leave and look for food elsewhere. And then they might never come back. This is actually what happened with the original Porch Kitty. We went on vacation to California for 3 weeks and when we returned, she was gone. I actually saw her one time afterwards but she must have found a more reliable place because except for that one time, I haven’t seen her again in over 2 years.

Consequently, going on vacations makes me feel uneasy.

Vacation preparation

One thing that I have done is to tell my neighbors when I’m going on vacation. They also feed the Porch Kitties so they know to feed them some extra food. I also give extra food to my neighbors just so they have more to feed.

We went on a lovely vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We were gone for 10 days. Before we left I fed all the Porch Kitties that were in the yard. This included Puffers (of course), Benitoo, PK Clone and Blue. In the front, I fed Tiny Tux as she avoids the backyard now. And when we were catching an Uber, I saw the Heat Miser looking for food in front. I wanted to get him some more, but we had to leave.

On vacation

While on vacation, I checked the kitty cam and saw that in the first few days the cats were returning in the morning looking for food. They would hang out for 10 or 15 min but then give up. All but Puffers who would stay curled up in front of the door for hours.

I left a big helping of dry food so it wasn’t like there was nothing for them to eat. And they are also capable of catching rats, mice and birds if they really get hungry.

Checking the camera made me feel bad however, so after a couple days I just couldn’t look any longer. I had to just believe that they would be fine and they would be back when we returned. That helped me better enjoy my vacation.

Return from vacation

When we returned, I was excited to see if the Porch Kitties were still there. And indeed, there were a couple in the yard when we got back from the airport. PK Clone and Blue were just hanging out in the yard. I was happy to refill the food bowls and give them some plates of wet food. They seemed happy enough to have the food.

Later in the day I saw Benitoo and Tiny Tux. The Heat Miser showed up later in the night. Stu also stopped by and came in the house to eat some food. I pet Stu but she hissed at me which seemed strange. She usually has no problems with me petting her. I think maybe she didn’t recognize me. I fed her a plate of wet food and she gobbled it right up. Then she rubbed against my legs and let me pet her.

I didn’t see Tuxedo, who has been coming around much less often. In fact, I haven’t seen her in about a month. I believe she’s found a new home on the other side of the street.

The one I was most surprised to not see was Puffers. I figured he had just given up and found a new home or someone got so annoyed with him that they caught him and took him to the pound. My fears were allayed when the next morning Puffers saw me from the neighbor’s picnic table and came running. It was like no time had passed. He’s been haunting our yard every day since we’ve been back.

So, it looks like all of the Porch Kitties except Tuxdeo have returned. I guess they can make it without all the attention I give them. But they do seem happier when they get the attention. And I know it makes me happier to see them.

Tips for Feral Cats on Vacation

These are just a few things I think help if you have feral cats you take care of and are going on vacation.

1. Put out some extra food – Obliviously. It might rain so put it under some cover as best you can. They’ll probably eat it too fast, or a raccoon might find it, but you can only do so much. Leaving extra food is a good start.
2. Ask your neighbors to feed them – I’m lucky the neighbors also feed the cats. But if you don’t have neighbors who do that, provide them some food and ask if they’ll put out some when you’re gone.
3. Spread around the food – I put food in a variety of places around my house and when I’m leaving, I put out even more separate bowls. That way a raccoon or rat won’t eat the entire food source in one sitting. The cats are smart, they’ll find the food in different places.
4. Don’t worry, they’ll get by – I can only report that the feral cats will do ok even if you don’t feed them for a week or two. They are survivors. They find a way.