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Picking the Perfect Cat-Sitter
Posted by Ingrid Newkirk at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
It's almost holiday vacation time, but unfortunately, you cannot take your feline friend with you. Your neighbor will not be able to watch your cat companion either. You concede that you will have to work with an outside sitter. But how do you know that the sitter will provide the proper service? Here are some tips excerpted from my book 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You.
1. A big smile is not a reliable reference. Check references carefully (try to determine if the folks providing the glowing endorsements are actually the sitter's relatives and friends).
2. Call the Better Business Bureau, your local Chamber of Commerce, and any and all animal protection organizations within thirty miles to ask if they have ever had a complaint about the sitter.
3. Meet the sitter in advance and ask her questions about cats and their care (wrong answers, wrong sitter).
4. Sign a contract, but not one that exempts the sitter from liability in the case of kitty illness, accident, or death.
5. Make sure the sitter agrees to check in with you every day, no matter where you are.
6. Leave your telephone numbers, those of your best cat-aware friend or relative, and that of your vet taped to the telephone.
7. Leave water in bowls in many rooms at the house (if the sitter is struck by lightning, kitty is in far greater danger of dehydration than of starving to death).
8. Have someone you know and who knows cats check on the cat at least every two days.
9. Worry! This can help you think of other precautions.
Posted to Travel | Posted to Tags: Cats, companion animals, Ingrid Newkirk, Pet Sitters, Travel
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Ann says...
November 17th, 2011, 7:55 pm
Really like this article. Thank you!
My kitty sitter is wonderful – she has a form where she takes names and numbers of emergency contacts in case there are any problems, as well as veterinary and health information regarding the cats. She is fine with my texting and emailing her throughout the trip.
Another thought is to have something on file at the vet's office where the sitter has permission to take the cats in and obtain treatment in the event of an emergency.
Lili says...
November 18th, 2011, 11:21 pm
I'm a cat/dog/other animals/sitter myself. I always fill a form with all infos and I ask the "parent" to sign. Also, before the departure, I get to meet my "protégé" a few times, so he or she doesn't feel estranged. I provide hugs and kisses as well as food and water. The animals remain my friends even after the return of their loved ones.
Lorraine Holmes says...
November 19th, 2011, 12:51 pm
I would have put the advice to WORRY about your compannion first. I live alone, and the first time I had to leave my cat overnight – it was just one night, and I was emergently hospitalized, so I had no time to prepare – I thought of all kinds of things that could happen.
I did not have to worry about hydration because I find that Baby's water bowl stays cleaner if kept in the bathroom sink, not on the floor. It had to be a heavy ceramic one so she wouldn't reach in and pull it out in play. I keep the faucet on because providing a tiny drip all the time the water never runs out and it is fresher than if it had no circulation at all. The hardest part is training humans not to move it to wash their hands and forget to put it back (I'm moving to where I will have two bathrooms so I will just keep one off limits to visitors).
I am sure that everyone who provides a home for an animal already has stickers in the windows to let First Responders (fire and police departments, usually) know that an animal needs to be rescued. Write on those stickers the places in the house that your animal likes to hang out or, particularly, to hide when startled, because that is the most likely place she would go and the sitter is not generally aware of this fact. Note: if you go away and take your animal with you or leave her with a sitter or boarding facility, make sure the neighbors know so that First Responders do not risk their lives looking for an animal that is not home; while they are not supposed to do this, my brother is a firefighter who loves animals enough to bend the rules slightly to fine someone's beloved "pet".
Napoleon says...
November 19th, 2011, 6:22 pm
Thank you for your article. I have a pet feeder who comes in daily to feed my 2 cats if I am away and this is a great service! I fed a neighbours cat for 5 years and was at her beck and call and it got very out of hand. Feeling guilty, I kept feeding her cat but now she does not speak to me! I even cancelled a xmas break as she had tied me down in May to look after her cat in December! My advice is get a professional pet feeder, they are reliable and you don't have to worry about getting a neighbour to do this.
Patty Bowers says...
November 19th, 2011, 10:48 pm
#4 is a bit much, as cats can get sick on their own and also die due to reasons that don't pertain to the sitter. It's important that the people hiring a sitter realize this! You can't blame EVERYTHING on the sitter. And worrying does no one any good. Also, it can ruin your trip away from home. Worry is paying interest on a debt you may never owe!
Patty Bowers
Heather M says...
November 19th, 2011, 11:49 pm
Sometimes a good neighbour will take up the responsibility especially if they are an animal lover. That way puss doesn't even have to leave familiar surroundings. Provide the food, make sure the sitter keeps clean water available, and make sure the cat is well protected especially at night and bring a gift for the neighbour because this will be appreciated and she/he might even do it again for you. Also it is important for the neighbour to understand that this is necessary at least once a day, if in doubt don't leave your precious animal in their care instead find a good cattery.