How to Choose a Cat Sitter
Ask people you know for recommendations., Ask for suggestions at your veterinary office, groomer, or local pet store., Do an online search., Review the websites of professional cat sitters in your area., Make preliminary contact with potential...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ask people you know for recommendations.
In many cases, you can get the name and number of a great cat sitter just by asking around.
Ask your friends, family, and neighbors, or even your coworkers.
If you ask enough people that you trust, you are bound to get a few suggestions.
You may even get someone who is willing to do it themselves.In some cases, your friends and family may suggest a teenager or neighbor that is not experienced with cats but is responsible and willing to cat sit.
You will need to judge whether you trust that person and if you want to take a chance on someone with no cat experience. -
Step 2: Ask for suggestions at your veterinary office
Ask the pet professionals that you interact with if they have anyone they can suggest.
They may has the name of someone that has been recommended by other clients or someone that they use themselves.These pet professionals are very likely to know which cat sitters in your area are highly regarded and which are not. , If no one you know has suggestions for a reliable cat sitter in your area, do an online search.
Go to a search engine and search for "cat sitter" or "pet sitter" and the name of your town.
This should give you a variety of search results.
You can also look at the websites of pet sitter organizations.
These will have lists of professional pet sitters.
Once you get some names of local pet sitters, then you can do more internet research to look for reviews of their services.
Look for reviews that give specifics about the strengths of the sitter and give details about their services, costs, and general demeanor. , Some cat sitters will have websites where you can review a variety of information about them.
They may include prices, reviews, and calendars of their availability in the near future, along with contact information.
Not all cat sitters will have websites, so you probably don't want to make that a prerequisite for hiring one. , Once you get the contact information for a cat sitter, you should call them or email them.
Tell them what you are looking for as far as services and timeline for cat sitting.
Ask about their experience and their general interest in caring for animals.A potential cat sitter should have some questions for you as well.
They may ask about where you live and how often you think you will need a sitter, as well as asking about your cat and its personality and behavior. , A good cat sitter will have references from happy customers that can attest to the cat sitter's skills and reliability.
Don't be afraid to ask for references, as it's important to get as much information as you possibly can about someone before you let them in your home.If a potential cat sitter doesn't have any references, it is best to choose someone else.
There are likely to be other cat sitters in your area that do have references that can be checked.
You should call references during business hours and leave a call back number if no one answers. , It is important to discuss pricing before you agree to have a pet sitter work for you and even before you have a preliminary meeting with them.
Potential pet sitters typically have a set price for specific services, so this discussion will typically include discussion of your needs and the amount of time you need a cat sitter for.
Asking about price before you meet with a potential cat sitter will save time for both of you if the sitter's price is too high.
This is also a good time to ask about specific services, such as administering medication or taking care of plants while you are away. , Once you talk to a potential sitter and their references check out, arrange to meet with them.
This initial consultation allows you to meet the person that will be in your home while you are gone.
It also allows you to watch this person interact with your cat.Whether or not you need to pay a potential pet sitter for this initial visit will vary.
Discuss the issue of cost before the sitter comes for their visit and be clear about what you will be paying them for a consultation visit. , If you have several cat sitters to choose from, pick the one you like the most and that has the best references and experience.
This can be a hard decision sometimes, so in the end you may just need to go with your gut and your research., In some cases, you will have several qualified cat sitters to choose from.
If this is the case, you should keep the contact information for all of the ones that you would hire so that you have backups.
This will allow you to have several people to call if you need to leave town, which will make it more likely to find someone that is available when you need them.
Having the names and numbers of backup sitters on hand can be especially helpful if you have a cat sitter cancel at the last minute.
Instead of calling the numbers of random cat sitters, you will have the numbers of some that you have already vetted. , It's important to give your cat sitter some notice when you want to have them stay with your cat.
This will increase the likelihood that they are available when you need them.
Let the cat sitter know when you will need them and if you have any flexibility about dates.It is especially important to make a reservation with your cat sitter in advance if you need them to cat sit during the holidays or other busy times of year. , Before you leave your cat home with someone new, be sure that it has up-to-date ID tags on its collar.
This is especially important for indoor cats, in case they get scared by the stranger and gets out of your house on accident.
Your cat's identification tags should have your name and phone number on them, as well as the cat's name.
You should also consider getting a microchip with your information implanted in the cat.
This can be done at any veterinary office.
This guarantees that your information will be on the cat if the cat gets lost., When you are leaving town you want to make sure that the sitter has enough food and other supplies to last your cat the whole trip.
In fact, you want to supply more than enough, so that if you are held up or late coming back, the sitter won't run out of food and supplies to give your cat.Depending on how long you are gone, try to give your sitter at least a week more of supplies than it will likely need.
It's better to be safe than sorry. , It is important to let the cat sitter know what you need them to do and what your expectations of them are instead of assuming that everything will get done.
Being clear about the cat's needs will help the cat sitter to know when they need to be with the cat and for how long each day.For example, if you want the cat sitter to spend some quality time with your cat, in addition to feeding it and cleaning its litter box, tell them that.
If you don't tell them, then they likely won't spend quality time with the cat. , Even if you have given the cat sitter instructions verbally, it's always a good idea to write them down and leave them for the sitter.
This takes the pressure off the sitter to remember every detail.
The instructions you leave should include:
The cat's feeding schedule Any particularities the cat may have Emergency veterinary information Where and how you can be reached Where all supplies are located Instructions for the house, such as alarm codes or what lights to turn on and off -
Step 3: groomer
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Step 4: or local pet store.
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Step 5: Do an online search.
-
Step 6: Review the websites of professional cat sitters in your area.
-
Step 7: Make preliminary contact with potential sitters.
-
Step 8: Ask for references.
-
Step 9: Discuss pricing.
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Step 10: Have a potential sitter meet with you and your cat.
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Step 11: Pick the cat sitter that you are most comfortable with.
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Step 12: Keep a backup cat sitter.
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Step 13: Make a reservation early.
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Step 14: Make sure your cat has identification tags.
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Step 15: Provide more than enough supplies.
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Step 16: Tell the pet sitter what you need and expect from them.
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Step 17: Leave clear written instructions.
Detailed Guide
In many cases, you can get the name and number of a great cat sitter just by asking around.
Ask your friends, family, and neighbors, or even your coworkers.
If you ask enough people that you trust, you are bound to get a few suggestions.
You may even get someone who is willing to do it themselves.In some cases, your friends and family may suggest a teenager or neighbor that is not experienced with cats but is responsible and willing to cat sit.
You will need to judge whether you trust that person and if you want to take a chance on someone with no cat experience.
Ask the pet professionals that you interact with if they have anyone they can suggest.
They may has the name of someone that has been recommended by other clients or someone that they use themselves.These pet professionals are very likely to know which cat sitters in your area are highly regarded and which are not. , If no one you know has suggestions for a reliable cat sitter in your area, do an online search.
Go to a search engine and search for "cat sitter" or "pet sitter" and the name of your town.
This should give you a variety of search results.
You can also look at the websites of pet sitter organizations.
These will have lists of professional pet sitters.
Once you get some names of local pet sitters, then you can do more internet research to look for reviews of their services.
Look for reviews that give specifics about the strengths of the sitter and give details about their services, costs, and general demeanor. , Some cat sitters will have websites where you can review a variety of information about them.
They may include prices, reviews, and calendars of their availability in the near future, along with contact information.
Not all cat sitters will have websites, so you probably don't want to make that a prerequisite for hiring one. , Once you get the contact information for a cat sitter, you should call them or email them.
Tell them what you are looking for as far as services and timeline for cat sitting.
Ask about their experience and their general interest in caring for animals.A potential cat sitter should have some questions for you as well.
They may ask about where you live and how often you think you will need a sitter, as well as asking about your cat and its personality and behavior. , A good cat sitter will have references from happy customers that can attest to the cat sitter's skills and reliability.
Don't be afraid to ask for references, as it's important to get as much information as you possibly can about someone before you let them in your home.If a potential cat sitter doesn't have any references, it is best to choose someone else.
There are likely to be other cat sitters in your area that do have references that can be checked.
You should call references during business hours and leave a call back number if no one answers. , It is important to discuss pricing before you agree to have a pet sitter work for you and even before you have a preliminary meeting with them.
Potential pet sitters typically have a set price for specific services, so this discussion will typically include discussion of your needs and the amount of time you need a cat sitter for.
Asking about price before you meet with a potential cat sitter will save time for both of you if the sitter's price is too high.
This is also a good time to ask about specific services, such as administering medication or taking care of plants while you are away. , Once you talk to a potential sitter and their references check out, arrange to meet with them.
This initial consultation allows you to meet the person that will be in your home while you are gone.
It also allows you to watch this person interact with your cat.Whether or not you need to pay a potential pet sitter for this initial visit will vary.
Discuss the issue of cost before the sitter comes for their visit and be clear about what you will be paying them for a consultation visit. , If you have several cat sitters to choose from, pick the one you like the most and that has the best references and experience.
This can be a hard decision sometimes, so in the end you may just need to go with your gut and your research., In some cases, you will have several qualified cat sitters to choose from.
If this is the case, you should keep the contact information for all of the ones that you would hire so that you have backups.
This will allow you to have several people to call if you need to leave town, which will make it more likely to find someone that is available when you need them.
Having the names and numbers of backup sitters on hand can be especially helpful if you have a cat sitter cancel at the last minute.
Instead of calling the numbers of random cat sitters, you will have the numbers of some that you have already vetted. , It's important to give your cat sitter some notice when you want to have them stay with your cat.
This will increase the likelihood that they are available when you need them.
Let the cat sitter know when you will need them and if you have any flexibility about dates.It is especially important to make a reservation with your cat sitter in advance if you need them to cat sit during the holidays or other busy times of year. , Before you leave your cat home with someone new, be sure that it has up-to-date ID tags on its collar.
This is especially important for indoor cats, in case they get scared by the stranger and gets out of your house on accident.
Your cat's identification tags should have your name and phone number on them, as well as the cat's name.
You should also consider getting a microchip with your information implanted in the cat.
This can be done at any veterinary office.
This guarantees that your information will be on the cat if the cat gets lost., When you are leaving town you want to make sure that the sitter has enough food and other supplies to last your cat the whole trip.
In fact, you want to supply more than enough, so that if you are held up or late coming back, the sitter won't run out of food and supplies to give your cat.Depending on how long you are gone, try to give your sitter at least a week more of supplies than it will likely need.
It's better to be safe than sorry. , It is important to let the cat sitter know what you need them to do and what your expectations of them are instead of assuming that everything will get done.
Being clear about the cat's needs will help the cat sitter to know when they need to be with the cat and for how long each day.For example, if you want the cat sitter to spend some quality time with your cat, in addition to feeding it and cleaning its litter box, tell them that.
If you don't tell them, then they likely won't spend quality time with the cat. , Even if you have given the cat sitter instructions verbally, it's always a good idea to write them down and leave them for the sitter.
This takes the pressure off the sitter to remember every detail.
The instructions you leave should include:
The cat's feeding schedule Any particularities the cat may have Emergency veterinary information Where and how you can be reached Where all supplies are located Instructions for the house, such as alarm codes or what lights to turn on and off
About the Author
Richard Barnes
Writer and educator with a focus on practical lifestyle knowledge.
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