Can you get someone to catsit? Do you have non-electric heat? There's going to be wind and then it will get cold enough that your cats will not be okay with just blankets. You could also have burst pipes. If you have propane or oil heating, and you have winterized your place, and especially if you have someone who can gear up and check on them? Or better yet, can you leave them with someone else? If your heat goes out over those days, your cats will not be warm enough. I don't know what you have set up in terms of litter boxes or if youve done this before with them.

Agree you’re doing the right thing with leaving now. I also left today to avoid being possibly stuck on Saturday. In terms of the cats, I agree with the person above. Could you also possibly take them with you?

I didn’t even think of this but now I feel sick ugh. I have neighbors in the house but I don’t really know them, thinking about slipping a note under their doors with my number?? Just so they can keep me posted should the power go out? Should I leave them a key too? I’m so stressed about this whole situation.

i assume taking them with is not an option? i dont have pets so i dont know the pet networks here and if nextdoor or fiverr or something is a good place to check. itd be useful to know if your power goes out regardless and have a plan. sorry i cant help more.

This is definitely a possibility I’d just feel so bad distressing them. My parents have a cat too so they’d have to stay in my room, I’d much rather just have someone check on them but I don’t even know if my neighbors would be willing.

I'm not sure there's a non distressing or potentially distressing option here, unfortunately. You could try to see if there's a place they could stay that has openings - i grew up with dogs, though so I don't know if there's a kennel equivalent. but that'd be distressing too. I'd suggest looking for a reputable pet sitter who is willing to talk to you about contingencies, but if you want to leave now, its a little late for that.

Yes, its distressing to spend the time in your room, but if they have you, toys they trust, and a little box, you can at least know they'd be safe. That'd be my choice, if my parents were willing to let me do that. I suspect parents will understand that you made this choice because you wanted to be sure you were there for the holidays and will do what they can to accommodate.

But again, I don't have cats, so I'm not sure how these things work that well. Best of luck. Hopefully you won't lose power either way while you are out of the house. I suggest preparing your place best you can just in case, cats or know, which means dripping the faucets and making sure everything is as sealed as it can be. Also, maybe empty the fridge/move it to the freezer. Annoyingly, even if your house dips quite cold, your fridge can still spoil. But none of those things matter as much as your safety.

Your cats will be fine for 2.5 days if you leave them enough food & water. Do you have a timed feeder? We use one for when we leave the cats for a couple of days. I don't know why the other commenter was saying that the wind will make your place too cold for just blankets, it's not like you're shutting off the heat completely.

However, if I were you, I'd just take the cats with me. They may be slightly uncomfortable for the short time they're in your room, but at least you can check on them whenever you want and you wouldn't have to worry about them, helping you have a more enjoyable Christmas.

I said so because of the potential of power loss, which is why i specified electric reliant heat. Gusts over 60mph plus ice means a lot of the city is at least at risk for power outage, and when the power goes, so does electric and some oil heat. If the power stays on, I'm sure cats can do a few days, and the pipes are unlikely to burst anywhere that would cause dangerous flooding for the cats. But if electric heat is all you have, and there's a risk of power outage, that's something to consider. That's why I said that.

Piggybacking off of this post to see if people have any idea if the highways will be clear by tomorrow afternoon?

Maybe try the rover app for the cats

We decided not to create any more chaos for them and sealed all the windows with blankets and insulated curtains. Left them plenty of food and water and gave them their favorite wet food before we left. My partner is going to check on them Sunday morning. I think we made the right call being with our families the next couple days and the cats are going to fine – our place runs pretty warm and I don’t think one day in 55-60° will be bad. All is good. Thanks for your tips though, I appreciate it!

The cats do not do well in their carriers and we usually medicate them beforehand for vet visits. We sealed the windows and they’re good with food and water. I’m not terribly concerned and think they’ll be fine at 2.5 days for sure. I do feel bad going home for a couple hours just to leave them again for my extended family’s christmas plans next week for another couple days but they’ll be okay with each other and by then the weather won’t be so shit. Thanks for your input!

hopefully your power will stay on. there may be ways to check that without being there - your router might be one. Nextdoor might be another, as much as I'm loathe to send ppl that way. if the power is out for a while you can reconsider what to do. I hope things work out for you and the kitties!

Yeah I’m hopeful the power isn’t an issue at all, it’s definitely possible that all will be fine. I have cameras at the apartment so if the power goes out I figured I’ll lose that connection and know then. If it’s out for more than a few hours we have some backup plans in place. Thanks again for your help, have a safe and happy holiday weekend!!

you as well!

Snow is supposed to stop around 11am so it should be fine by then.

Wishing you the best!