I normally stay overnight with family overnight on xmas so I can have a drink but this would mean leaving the boys. Mum hates cats so no chance of taking them with me. I would imagine that my chances of getting a taxi home would be 0.

I guess I could feed them go at lunch time and set the timed feeder for evening but it seems really mean on xmas so I guess I'm driving this year (and therefore not drinking obvs).

What do you guys do?

As everyone comes to me it's not a problem
My son, who lives in Wales, puts his cat into a cattery over Christmas where I think he is spoiled as much as if he was at home
Step-son, in London, gets a neighbour to feed his but they got a puppy this year too so I don't think they'll be coming for Christmas this year.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

I use Oscar as my reason for NOT having to stay at my Dad's and his OH's over Xmas. "Can't possibly stay as I need to get back for the cat"

If I do stay over anywhere I have a lovely friend who pops in and sees to him

i bring the cats with me.....

by parents have a utility room which can be used as 'airlock' entrance
i have lovely neighbours who do feed them when i've been away- but this way my parents see me for longer. my parents havent had a cat for 5 years, and my mum has missed it a bit...

it was her idea tbh!

What we normally used to do for our old cats was put enough dry food down to last overnight. If it was more than a night away we got my OH friend "Uncle Andy" to come across and feed them and make sure they are ok.

This year is a bit more tricky as we have to get Leo and Susie "done" and someone needs to be here to let Fluffy out of the cat flap as its set so she can come in but can't get out unaided (cos we don't want the kittens escaping) so this year we are only going up to MIL's on Christmas Day only. Don't think she truly understands as she of the opinion "they are just cats".

On a side note: going up only on Christmas Day will save my waisteline. Last year went from the sublime to the ridiculous as we had a roast on Christmas Eve (lamb), Christmas Day (turkey), Boxing Day (beef), the day after Boxing Day (Pork) and Bank Holiday Monday (Lamb) again

I live in London and will be spending Xmas in Scotland with my family. My other half will be taking the cats with him for a few days to his parent's house which isn't far from us.

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Mine have regularly stayed home alone overnight.
I have a water fountain and leave enough food. It is not as if they could come to any harm...
They are alone during the day, when I am at work, too.
If I stay away for more than one night, my cleaning lady, their furry godmother, will come and spoil them rotten......

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Jiskefet & the mognificent Dutch bunch

My little angels at the rainbow bridge

We give the their Christmas presents the day that we go to my mums which is usually lots of treats. We rip all the paper off and throw it and leave it on the floor cos they love to dive into it!! Then we fill one bowl up of treats each, two of dry each and two of wet each. We also get in some nice meat for them like turkey or ham and they have a bowl of that each! They get a bowl of milk each and their usual bowl of water plus two massive mixing bowls full of water. We clean out their litter and put all their beds and blankets throughout the house and though they usually just sleep on our bed. We put the heating on for them and then they're usually left for two nights. My parents only live 15 minutes away. They're completely fine for two nights.

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Bonnie 29.01.97 - 21.09.11
Millie 01.02.01
Seamus 09.07.00
Tyler 08.11.00
Kiki 15.10.10
Chico 01.07.11
Riley & Louie 16.02.11
Holly & Ivy - 11.11.11

nowt usually, xmas is no different from any other day except for the fact that i'm less likely to be going anywhere cos theres no public transport and the shops are shut.
Although this year i've been invited for xmas dinner (and subsequent piss up and tokes) at my mates and i was caught off guard by it so i said yes instead of making some excuse... They are cat lovers too having 3 of their own, and suggested that i might wanna bring rumble with me when they come pick me up, but i really dont reckon it would be fair to let my vicious, aggressive demon cat anywhere near their precious princesses, so he'll have to stay home alone for awhile.

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Though mine have no problem if we're gone overnight, we will be going nowhere, this Christmas. My parents have both died, and my mother-in-law will probably be spending Christmas with my brother-in-law and his family.

It is New Year's Eve I definitely do not want to leave them alone. I don't know what it is like in Engeland, but over here, they start wit hthe fireworks weeks before, and on New Year's Eve, everyone seems to come out and there will be a deafening fireworks on every single street for at least an hour.

So I make sure we are home, the roll-down shutters are all the way down, and we have the radio or telly on. As long as we ignore the noise, they will not be TOO panicky......

We have the great advantage that we used to have a very dominant queen, Precious, who was truly ancient and stone deaf, and because she, as the leading lady of the group, did not react at all, all my older cats, who have known her, have followed her lead in dismissing it as unimportant. They are still not impressed, even though Precious is long gone, an we even see the younger ones picking up on it.

It is very funny, as my cats used to be frantic before Precious came to live with us.

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Jiskefet & the mognificent Dutch bunch

My little angels at the rainbow bridge