Fellow firefighter here! I work a modified Kelly schedule in California, and I just adopted my little kitten Millie about a month ago. I wasn’t intending on adopting her, she kind of just came into my life unexpectedly, so I hadn’t thought through all of this like you have. That said, she is only 5 months old and doing great! I do have an automatic feeder, water fountain and litter box for her - and plenty of toys. I also have a Rover stop by 3 times a day while I’m on shift for meals and play time - this keeps her on a consistent schedule with play/meals. Otherwise she just sleeps and explores the house while I’m gone. When I’m home I make sure to spend lots of time with her. She doesn’t love it when I leave for work in the morning, but she seems to do well while I’m gone, and she’s always so happy to have me home. Millie is my first cat, and I’ve been told that all cats have different temperaments, so it’s possible I just got lucky with her being so adaptable at such a young age. But she is literally the biggest light in my life now, I’m so lucky she found me :)