When going on a weekend or longer vacation animal carers always face a dilemma with whom they should leave their pet. With a dog the situation is often simpler as you can just easily take it with you, but cats are more complicated creatures.
There are cats-travelers but in most cases their nature does not allow them to enjoy the change of residence and giving up their daily routine. As cat careers we have several options to choose from:
friends, family or neighbours – usually free option, which is a huge advantage. In addition, it’s great if your pet is used to a given person and likes (or at least accepts) them. Additionally, if a person knows your cat and is able to read its needs then you have the perfect option. If you have someone like that you are lucky and the cat will be in good hands. The catch of this option may be choosing a person that your cat does not accept, who does not like cats or has so little knowledge about them that they will not notice in time that something bad is happening to your pet;
hotel for animals – you can be sure that your pet will receive professional care there but it will have to be moved to a different living place. Cats are sensitive beings so transport to a hotel, a new place, new smells, new sounds and many strangers and other animals around will undoubtedly give your cat a lot of stress that you would like to avoid;
pet-sitter – a compromise between a visiting friend and a hotel for animals. Pet-sitter is usually an animal lover and an experienced person in caring for them. A huge plus is the fact that your cat stays on its known territory, amongst familiar smells and the favourite lairs, while a professional carer comes once or twice a day to fulfill all its physical and mental needs.
How to choose the perfect pet-sitter? There are a lot of ads on the market offering pet-sitter services. How not to get lost and choose the right one?
- Meet the pet-sitter in person. It would be good to meet the person to whom we entrust our house and our fluffy friend before we pass them our keys. Thanks to the initial visit, we can assess their attitude to the animal and – which is also important – what attitude our pet shows to the pet-sitter. We can also ask about skills and experience while discussing the details of care service.
- Sign the contract. In order to establish clear rules for both parties, it is best to create a contract which will list all the important points – the health condition of the animal, the dates of recent vaccinations, as well as the address of the pet clinic. Such a contract means that we will be able to relax in peace during holidays instead of stressing over a pet. It will also protect us from misunderstandings and possible problems arising from them.
- Set home rules and cat preferences. Agree with the pet-sitter what is allowed at home and what is not allowed. Indicate places potentially dangerous for the cat, any holes and hiding places where the animal likes to hide, and which rooms it cannot enter. Explain what pet likes, what it doesn’t like, and even how and where likes to be petted. This will make it easier to establish positive relationships with your cat and allow him to spend your absence without too much stress. You can also ask your pet-sitter to stage a presence at home, e.g. covering or uncovering curtains, opening windows, turning on the light, getting bins in and out. Don’t forget to mention how the house keys should be returned.
- Choose the right person. While digging through the Internet in search of a pet-sitter you may come across many ads. The main thing is to choose a person with experience and knowledge on the topic of cats (if you need care for a cat). Experience is not gained from courses but from working with cats on a daily basis. It is also good if your pet-sitter was trained in the first aid, in case of sudden health problems of your pet and has access to a car, if it’s necessary to quickly bring the pet to the vet.
- You get what you pay for. When choosing a pet-sitter, cheap offers should not obscure common sense. After all we entrust our property and the life and health of our beloved pet to a stranger. Would you like to entrust them to someone random, without experience, who just “wants to earn some extra money”? Love of cats is not enough. A professional animal keeper must be a responsible, disciplined and discreet person with experience and knowledge about cats, their habits and behaviours. Choosing right pet-sitter we have a guarantee that after return we will find the house in the state in which we left it, the cat will be healthy and satisfied, and our privacy intact.
Feel free to comment below or contact us if you have any questions about pet-sitting and related topics or you wanted to share your experiences.
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