“I may have made some terrible decisions.”
I regret nothing.
Cats are nothing.
I have to be home at least twice a day to take care of my dog, to walk him and play with him and train him.
Give your cat a big enough supply of food, litter and water and you can fuck off for days with little to no consequence.
If you’re on a farm, you can do even less than that, just fuck off! :D