# Owning a cat when gone for 12 hours a day **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985 "2019-10-19T02:06:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/21 "2019-10-19T20:58:06Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My 2 littermates are inseparable most of the time. They have fussies rarely. As bossy as my boy, Bear is, I don’t think an unrelated cat would tolerate it. Meeko is just so laid back and forgives him of all faux pas. > They’ve just turned 3yo. It’s been an amazing, exciting, frustrating time. I wouldn’t change anything about it…erm…most days;) I read elsewhere here that yours are Siamese yes? There was a 15-20 year period when I was younger, where nearly everyone in my family owned Siamese cats…me, my mother, both sisters, my dad and a couple of aunts and uncles. Of the few who only owned one, they were really unpleasant cats but those of us who had two litter mates…most awesome cats in the world! They kept each other amused and it was easy to leave them alone for long stretches of time during the day plus the odd weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/22 "2019-10-19T23:50:11Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Dog person: How shall I fuck off, oh Lord? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/23 "2019-10-20T00:46:57Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My 2 littermates are inseparable most of the time. They have fussies rarely. As bossy as my boy, Bear is, I don’t think an unrelated cat would tolerate it. Meeko is just so laid back and forgives him of all faux pas. > They’ve just turned 3yo. It’s been an amazing, exciting, frustrating time. I wouldn’t change anything about it…erm…most days;) I believe you meant to say faux paws… ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/24 "2019-10-20T04:21:08Z")
I’m a male, age 67 now and married for the second time (31 years) When I was “between wives” and living alone I had a really nice neutered male cat that would be alone even when I was on the road over night. I just had to have food and water out for him and he was just fine and a great buddy when I got home. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/25 "2019-10-20T06:25:45Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Are you sure she’s not a dog? Heh. Yes. She is a pushy little princess who simply believes that as a human, it is my duty to dance attendance on her 24/7. I mean, that’s the entire reason humans evolved, right? ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/26 "2019-10-20T15:51:32Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Heh. Yes. She is a pushy little princess who simply believes that as a human, it is my duty to dance attendance on her 24/7. I mean, that’s the entire reason humans evolved, right? My cat’s the same way. The happiest times of his life have been when I was unemployed and when I was studying for the bar, followed by every time I’ve stayed home sick. Either he really likes having me around, or he just likes seeing me suffer… I’d love to get a second cat to keep him company, but my husband has this crazy idea that it would be impractical to have multiple cats in our tiny apartment. I think he’s just afraid it’s a slippery slope with me, and one I get a second cat I’ll want a third, and a fourth, and a fifth… Which is, um, not my heart’s deepest desire at all. I have no idea what he’s talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/27 "2019-10-21T02:43:02Z")
Thanks for all the great suggestions and stories. I have a couple of short vacations during the holidays and then 3 weeks in February, so I’ll have to wait until after then. I don’t have anyone that can look after new cats during those times. But after then, I’m going to check out the shelter for a couple cool cats. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/28 "2019-10-21T05:05:53Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > A year ago I got two littermate kittens. Two cats is IME an excellent choice, and if you get a bonded pair of adults, so much the better. The local animal shelter is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal right now on cats over a year old. My understnding is this kind of thing happens frequently at shelters. Of course at the shelter you are “adopting” not “buying.” > > TLDR: Two kittens are in fact awesome. Yeah, altho one cat can be fine if the owner is gone 12 hours a day, two cats will entertain each other. Go to the shelter, so who calls to you. Maybe one older lap cat, or a pair of kittens, or two bonded buddies. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/29 "2019-10-21T09:26:54Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I like cats. And I hate dogs. I grew up with 4 cats and enjoy having them around. But for some reason I have it in my head that people think a single guy with a cat is weird. > > Actually, typing this out, I realized that I don’t really care what people think about me having a cat (I changed the title before I posted). So now my question would be, I’m at work and/or commuting for 12 hours a day. Is that still okay to have a nice cat as a pet? > > Any single people here have a cat? No, if I’m gone that much I wouldn’t own a pet. In fact, I am pretty much gone that long every day, and as such I don’t have a pet. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/30 "2019-10-21T14:35:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > A cat won’t mind too much that you’re home 12 hours a day. For them the preferred time period to spend with you is however long it takes to open two cans of cat food. I don’t get where the meme that cats hate people and don’t like spending time around them came from. Everyone that I know who has cats and treats them reasonably well finds that cats love to spend time with them. Cats are always coming into the room with people that they’re familiar with, a lot of them will ram their head into your hand looking for pets, and in general they’re very social. They don’t have the level of neediness that dogs do and tend to be more selective about who they’re with, but the ‘purely antisocial cat that never wants to be around humans’ is something that’s almost exclusively seen with cats that were formerly feral or that have a history of some sort of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/31 "2019-10-21T21:17:29Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I don’t get where the meme that cats hate people and don’t like spending time around them came from. Everyone that I know who has cats and treats them reasonably well finds that cats love to spend time with them. Cats are always coming into the room with people that they’re familiar with, a lot of them will ram their head into your hand looking for pets, and in general they’re very social. They don’t have the level of neediness that dogs do and tend to be more selective about who they’re with, but the ‘purely antisocial cat that never wants to be around humans’ is something that’s almost exclusively seen with cats that were formerly feral or that have a history of some sort of abuse. I agree completely. I think dogs must be behind this campaign. 😃 My own cats have always wanted to be near me even if they’re napping. My little foster kitty is downright velcro. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/32 "2019-10-21T22:05:41Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I don’t get where the meme that cats hate people and don’t like spending time around them came from. Everyone that I know who has cats and treats them reasonably well finds that cats love to spend time with them. Cats are always coming into the room with people that they’re familiar with, a lot of them will ram their head into your hand looking for pets, and in general they’re very social. They don’t have the level of neediness that dogs do and tend to be more selective about who they’re with, but the ‘purely antisocial cat that never wants to be around humans’ is something that’s almost exclusively seen with cats that were formerly feral or that have a history of some sort of abuse. I think it comes from people who don’t have cats and don’t understand cats. They are, as you note, more selective about who they’re with. My cat comes running to the door to greet me when I come home, and wants to cuddle and be petted, but when people he doesn’t know come over he goes and hides under the bed. So a non-cat person visits their cat owning friend and the cat stays away from them and doesn’t want to be petted, they come away assuming that’s how all cats behave all the time around everyone. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/33 "2019-10-21T22:05:53Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I don’t get where the meme that cats hate people and don’t like spending time around them came from. Everyone that I know who has cats and treats them reasonably well finds that cats love to spend time with them. Cats are always coming into the room with people that they’re familiar with, a lot of them will ram their head into your hand looking for pets, and in general they’re very social. They don’t have the level of neediness that dogs do and tend to be more selective about who they’re with, but the ‘purely antisocial cat that never wants to be around humans’ is something that’s almost exclusively seen with cats that were formerly feral or that have a history of some sort of abuse. Yes, I have two cats that follow me around like dogs, wanting to be everywhere i am. The other cats come when they want attention, which is mostly when they arent sleeping. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/34 "2019-10-21T23:37:07Z")
While I think you should get a cat or two, I don’t think you really want a pair of kittens with your schedule. Kittens are totally cute and fun and squeeable, but adults don’t usually trash your home while you are gone. One of the many reasons I volunteer at pet adoptions is to play with kittens and puppies. I can get my fix and leave them for someone else to clean up after. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/35 "2019-10-23T01:28:28Z")
Add my vote to the two cat approach. If they need company it’ll be there, no worries. On guys and cats: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zsl_auoGuy4/hqdefault.jpg "An Engineer's Guide to Cats 2.0 - The Sequel") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsl_auoGuy4) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/36 "2019-10-23T22:30:41Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Cats are always coming into the room with people that they’re familiar with, a lot of them will ram their head into your hand looking for pets, “Eh, isn’t it time you introduced me to your little hamster buddy?” ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/37 "2019-10-24T16:56:07Z")
I’m single and have a cat. Had him since I was in middle school. Now I’m 31 and he’s an old boy, but he still acts like a kitten. I currently work 8 hr days and he’s fine. When I worked 10 hr days he was fine. I’d say your cat is fine for 12 hr days, although if you feed him/her twice, I’d personally make it right before you leave, and promptly after you return. Cat won’t die otherwise, but I think it’s nicer for them. Also, as the stereotypically single-girl-with-a-cat, I think guys owning cats (single or not) are awesome. I’d absolutely take cat or dog ownership as a plus when dating! ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/38 "2019-10-24T17:00:21Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Thanks for all the great suggestions and stories. I have a couple of short vacations during the holidays and then 3 weeks in February, so I’ll have to wait until after then. I don’t have anyone that can look after new cats during those times. But after then, I’m going to check out the shelter for a couple cool cats. If possible, I’d schedule bringing over a cat for when you have a full day or two off and can monitor how it’s adjusting. Getting into a new home can be stressful for any animal, and it’s possible for a stress-related accident to happen (like peeing on the floor, scratching on furniture, spraying, etc). I don’t mean to scare you away - I think you adopting a cat is an awesome idea! And chances are, it will adjust fine, particularly if it’s on the younger side (but not a kitten - it’d probably get bored for 12 hr stretches). Just better to keep an eye out, if possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985/39 "2019-10-24T18:21:50Z")
I have an old tom cat and work 12 hours most days. He seems okay with that, he is lying on his back beside me now and recieve a tummy scratch every few minutes. He has a chip reading cat door and can go out and play with the neighbours cats. There are no roads close by, nor any predators big enough to take him. Go for it, getting two littermates will help a lot. My cat did love it when I was on chemo 10 years ago. Home all the time for scritches and food. He would probably like it if I were more at home, but he accept that I disappear every morning and wait for me when he knows I’m coming home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/owning-a-cat-when-gone-for-12-hours-a-day/841985.md?page=1)