I believe that as a professional pet sitter I need to practice what I preach, but I’m going to be honest with you about a mistake I made with my own love muffin cat, Ellie. Ellie LOVES food. When I feed her, she eats all of it immediately. I can’t leave any food out (even if it’s in plastic wrapping) because she will get into it. If I leave for longer than 12 hours, I need to have a plan for feeding Ellie, because I can’t just leave dry food for her to graze on all day.
The other day I went out of town for a night. Since I was going to be gone about 24 hours, I didn’t bother hiring a cat sitter. I left timed food dishes for her; I rationalized that I was only going to be gone one night and she’d be fine. When I came home, Ellie greeted me at the door meowing up a storm. I checked her food dishes and only one of them had opened; the other one was apparently stuck. Of course I quickly fed her and everything was fine. But I felt so guilty for leaving her without an adequate amount of food. Luckily I was only gone one night; otherwise it could have been so much worse. I realized that I will probably not leave again without making sure I have a cat sitter to check on Ellie while I’m gone. I don’t trust the timed food bowls anymore.
This incident reminded me of the important reasons to hire a cat sitter to check on your cat daily:
Reason #1: Cats appreciate affection too. Sometimes it’s easy to rationalize that cats are more aloof than dogs, and so they don’t require as much attention. Actually many cats enjoy attention as much as dogs do. At the very least, it is important for cats to have human interaction and a bit of playtime each day. Cat sitters are more than willing to provide daily companionship for your cats.
Reason #2: Cats can get into ANYTHING. Chewing on wires, getting stuck in blinds, jumping from high places, and crawling behind stoves or other appliances are just a few of the dangerous activities that cats can engage in while you are away. If a cat sitter is checking in on your cat daily, these problems are less likely to occur. If something does happen, your cat sitter can intervene. If your cat is left for days without someone checking on her, some of these issues could be fatal.
Reason #3: Cats need daily brushing. In order to prevent hair balls, cats need to be brushed daily. If you do not have a cat sitter brushing your cat daily, at the very least, you may come home to coughed-up hair balls around your house. In extreme situations, hair balls can build up in a cat’s stomach which may require surgery.
Reason #4: Cats are prone to UTIs. Cats rarely drink water. I feed Ellie a bit of wet food each day and add water to it to make sure she gets enough water. Because cats don’t ingest enough water, they can often get urinary tract infections. If you have a cat sitter coming to your house daily, she can monitor your cat’s litter box for abnormalities. Also, the cat sitter can feed wet food to your cat each day. Wet food should not sit out for very long. If a cat sitter is stopping by daily, he can change the wet food each day. You don’t want to come home from a long weekend to find a sick cat, or to find that your cat has had accidents all around your house.
Reason #5: Your cat may run out of food. If your cat is anything like my Ellie, then his food will not last the entire long weekend. If a cat sitter is stopping by daily, she can make sure your cat is eating the correct amount at the correct times.
Reason #6: We live in Minnesota: the weather is unpredictable. In the summer we worry about tornadoes and humidity. In the winter we have to deal with the cold and snow. You may leave for a long weekend and the weather is a balmy 70 degrees, but the following day it’s 85 degrees and incredibly humid. Your poor cat is sitting at home in a fur coat without air conditioning. If you hire a daily cat sitter, she can adjust the thermostat for your cat. Also, if there is the threat of severe weather, your cat sitter can move your cat and his litter box to the basement until the weather passes and secure your house. If you don’t have a professional cat sitter checking on your house and cat daily, who knows what you may come home to depending on the weather. Our favorite topic of conversation here in Minnesota may be the weather, but the weather poses a threat for your cat if you leave him home without someone to care for him.
What did I miss? What are some other reasons to hire a daily cat sitter?
If you’re interested in hiring a cat sitter today, call 651-236-7312 or email us at pupculturemn@gmail.com. You can also check out more information about our cat sitting services in the Twin Cities here.
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