Cat question re: leaving them alone (and our new Christmas plans) [View All]

Mrs. V. called home on Sunday as she usually does, and only her dad was home. They spoke for a little while and she asked him to have her mom call.

She talked to her mom yesterday, and her mom said that her dad told her one of her cousins from Georgia had called. :(

Her mom is getting more and more upset as her dad loses more and more of his short-term memory. Although she doesn't talk about it, I know Mrs. V. is beside herself with worry.

So on the 23rd, we're going to drive to Tennessee, and we'll drive back on the 26th. Mrs. V. is feeling the pressure on the eldest to care for her aging parents. We live 500 miles away. I don't know what I can do to help (besides drive, in this case).

Here's the immediate dilemma: money is very, very tight right now. I haven't been able to pay the Thanksgiving petsitter bill yet, and if I order their services I'll have to pay the bill first. I'm wondering if it's okay to leave the cats by themselves for 3-4 days (they'll see us Friday morning, then not again until Monday night).

What do you think?