As you know, my human and I go out of town a lot! I’m a very busy kitty, and I have places to go and things to do. There’s only one problem….
What to do about the cats at home? Binga and Boodie never go anywhere except the vet, so they are always here. If my human’s boyfriend is home, he takes care of them, of course. But if he’s also out of town, then somebody needs to make sure they are fed, the litter boxes are changed, and they get some attention. For quite a long time, my human had a pet sitter who was awesome. But then she moved to another state, and my human had to find someone else. That’s always stressful. She did find a company she was really happy with, so that was a big relief. And since March 4–10 is Professional Pet Sitters Week, I thought this might be a good time to tell you why it’s important to use a pro.
Why You Need a Professional Pet Sitter
- They are reliable, while friends and family aren’t always. Do your friends and family really know your cats, or are they just doing you a favor and hoping to somehow get out doing the nasty stuff like scooping the litter box? A professional pet sitter is hired to do all the things required to keep your cats happy and healthy.
- A pro has experience in things like administering meds, handling cats (or not handling a cat that does not want to be handled), and a really good one will have a second sense about things like toys and petting.
- A real pet sitting business will be bonded and insured. This person will be entering your house while you’re not there. You want to feel good about that, and you want to know there is insurance in place if anything happens.
- A pro will come on time, stay the length of time you asked them to, never bring someone else with them (unless they are training someone — and then will make sure you are okay with that), and make sure your home is secure when they leave.
- A pro pet sitter will take the best care of your cats, and if any issues come up, they will not hesitate to contact you immediately.
You can find professional pet sitters through Pet Sitters International and The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. But finding a pet sitter is in one of their directories is just the first step. It’s important to interview them, discuss your cats (and other pets) with them, and make sure you have a good match. Not all pet sitters are right for your cats. One person my human interviewed years ago forced herself on Boodie and picked her up. Boodie was clearly stressed out by being picked up by a complete stranger. So that pet sitter did not get the job.
When you do find the right pet sitter, make sure you have everything they need. You should compile a list long before you ever need it. Also review it in the weeks before your trip to make sure it is up to date. Here’s what you should have to pass along to your pet sitter:
- The address and phone number of your regular veterinarian, and also the closest emergency vet clinic.
- Where the sitter will find the cat food and meds, if there are any meds. Also the location of your cats’ treats and toys.
- Your system of scooping litter and disposal, and the location of anything he or she will need. (Disposal bags, Litter Genie, etc.)
- The location of your cleaning supplies, in case of an accident.
- The location of your mailbox. Part of a pet sitter’s job is picking up your mail so that it’s not obvious that your home is unoccupied.
- If you have a security system, how it is run, and which lights should be turned on and off, if you don’t have a digital set up for that. We have curtains that needed to be open at breakfast and shut at night, so that went in our notes too.
- The likely hiding places for your cats, because they may hide from your pet sitter while he or she is getting to know them, or if they get sick.
- Any of your cats’ idiosyncrasies. For example, my human warned our pet sitter that while Binga is affectionate, she bites when overstimulated. Boodie sits up for a treat, and it’s a routine she enjoys, so my human told the pet sitter about that. Boodie wound up loving the pet sitter!
A professional pet sitter is more expensive than hiring your friend’s teenage daughter. But you know a pro will show up on time and not use your home as party central! You get peace of mind, and your cats may get a new pal.
I’m ready for my next trip! And so is Binga.
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Great information and great advice ! Purrs
Great post. I’m lucky that most of the the time when I have to travel, I can take my pets, leave them with their Dad or my sister. I’ve wondered about pet sitters and was unsure of the things to take into consideration. This post shall be bookmarked!
Purrs
Marv and Barb
What a great post, Summer, with so much good information. We sometimes get asked about what people should do with their cats when they go on vacation. Now we can share your post!
I used to exchange pet sitting duties with a friend, and it worked out beautifully as we lived near each other, and we knew each other’s cats very well. When she moved away I hired a professional as our vet tech (who became our veterinarian) worked for them. Unfortunately she moved, and I never knew who was going to come to our house…perhaps someone I’d never met. That was the end for us. Chris now takes care of the kitties when we are gone. She too lives but a few blocks away. She knows them, is reliable, will clean up any mess she finds (professional group would never do that). Kitties are comfortable as they know her well, and she loves them like her own. I think the case can be made for each situation depending on who the person is who comes to your home. That is the most important thing.
The pro I had for both Admiral and Katie retired. That was awful for me to deal with. The person she recommended is a pro but did not “gee and haw with me and/or Katie it seems, though she is a professional. She refused any other jobs with me with a lame excuse. That was a shock. So now I use my vet tech but it always worries me anyway. I would prefer a pro.
Those are some things will would never think of when leaving stuff for a pet sitter. Pop said one of his co-workers would take care of me but now I don’t think so. We’d hire a pro.
I used to pet sit professionally. It was fun – though it also had its drawbacks when the dogs or cats got sick and I couldn’t fix it!
These are pawsome tips! Would you believe I’ve never used a pet sitter of any kind? I guess that shows I never go anywhere! LOL
We have a professional pet sitter but Mom is a home body so we rarely use her.
One thing we leave that isn’t on your list is a signed & dated letter giving the pet sitter permission to take me to a vet and authorize treatment if the vet can’t get a hold of Mom & Dad. You can find sample letters on the interweb.
Such great information! We used to have a pet sitter and she was awesome! She also moved away and since our Dad isn’t too keen on wanting to leave the house, he’s our “sitter” now. But we think everyone should have a list and instructions and access to a national listing because you never know when something might take our humans out of town or prevent them from returning home! This is a super great post!
We had a professional pet sitter once but some floofy white kitty never made an appearance. Combine unseen kitty with a worry wart mommy and that put an end to anyone other than our Grandpa from Kansas staying with us. Well that and an asthmatic cat that needs a nightly inhaler treatment. We’re high maintenance but if we weren’t we’d definitely have a pro take care of us.
We have the BEST cat sitters ever! And of course we’re behind and our horrible secretary did NOT help us get a post together for this! Maybe we’ll do one anyway.
Amen to a professional sitter Summer.
Next trip my peeps take they will be using a Vet Tech at my Vet Clinic.
We have used the same sitting service for years but she has never administered SUBqs and then there are my pills.
Hugs Madi and mom
We now have a great professional pet sitter who sends us texts and everything when she’s at our house. However, we had a couple of “professionals” who were not so good, including one who didn’t give Benny his medication (and we found out that much later). So please, trust your gut and ask for references first! And it is ok to “fire” them if something goes wrong.
I started using a professional pet sitter a few years ago. I haven’t taken any time away from home ever since Thompson started having health problems a few years ago. It takes him forever to eat and I didn’t want to make anyone stick around for that long a time…
Oh yeah we do agree with getting a pet sitter when our humans go on a vacation. Right now, the nephew is doing all the tasks and he’s good at it, but someday the humans want to hire someone professional.
If we ever have to use a sitter, we’d have to have a professional. Good post!
I can tell you, our friends and family are not reliable for cat sitting. These are all really great tips. I always do a list for the sitter with contact info, backup contact info, vet, feeding instructions, and more. Including emergency vet info is a good idea. I had the best pet sitters when I lived in CA! The two I had (one also moved out of state) were cat sitters only. That’s unheard of in PA.
I didn’t know that about Boodie!
These are some nice pictures of Binga! I love her “tongue-licking” photo!
I’ll offer to calm down Binga any day! I’ll just do the “Rock a bye baby” singing, like the polar bear on the Chilly Willy Cartoons, and everything will be just fine!
Excellent post. We never go anywhere overnight, but Grammie stays with my cats when we are going to be gone for a few hours. If we did go overnight, I would need a sitter because 5 cats need thyroid pills twice a day and I don’t think Grammie could deal with that.
Wow Summer! This is a super great informative post. It is right up mom’s alley as she just started her own feline only pet sitting business. As an LVT, her expertise lies in feline care. What a great way to outline the important aspects to look for and go over with a potential sitter. Everything you mentioned is right on point. We will make sure to share your post on Facebook. We operate under our fursis’s acct Lilly Catmousekey. Mom is Purrjamm Feline Care. Thank you Summer for such a pawsome post! Purrs
we had good luck with our first pet sitter but she sold her business and that lady was….a bust. we are lucky that the company we use now is great and they are even wonderful about the times we have foster kittens (actually – now that we think about it, they may be MORE excited when we have kittens)
That’s a lot of good advice, Summer. Sadly were we live, there is no availability of truly professional sitters. But we are lucky, we have Mr. G!
Purrs,
The Chans
We don’t travel anymore but when we did our next door neighbor did a fabulous job with our cats but we were lucky in that way. Now, I would definitely hire a pro.
That was terrific information sweet Summer and it all makes purrfect sense!
Binga tongue!! Yes, we agree wholeheartedly about using pro sitters. Mom rarely, rarely ever goes away but always hires one.
First time she used one though, didn’t go as expected. 25 years ago, she and her BF went away for 2 weeks. The sitter was also a police officer. They came home a day early to find that the woman had taken the dog home with her, and left one cat outside to fend for herself. Not sure for how long. Being an officer should have meant she held herself to a higher standard! But all other times the pro sitters were excellent.
Great points, Summer. We bet Binga and Boodie try to get extra treats from the sitter.
This is a very informative posts and covers things most people may not think of.
We kitties need competent people looking after us 🙂
Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ