Cat Sitting

Suki does not enjoy being left behind, but that doesn't mean she never is. Leaving your beloved pet with someone else is not only confusing for the animal, but it can also be nerve wracking for you too. What if someone accidentally lets your cat out? What if they forget to feed him/her? What if my cat thinks I have abandoned him/her? I'm always nervous when I leave Suki in the hands of someone else, but with a little preparation and a lot of comunciation with your cat sitter, i've gotten a lot more comfortable with it.

Preparation

Before you go, you need to have enough wet food and/or dry food to last your cat while you are gone, and a few days extra just in case your return is postponed for any reason. If you don't leave enough food, you're relying on someone else to go out and get it for you - which is not only really inconsiderate, but also - they are probably just going to buy cheap food  (that is loaded with unhealthy byproducts) from the closest store possible.

Another important thing to take into consideration is giving your cat flea meds before you leave. The last thing you want is to come home and find tapeworm egg casings. Not only are they disgusting, but you don't want your cat sitter (who may not even notice) to have to deal with that. Especially make sure your cat has had flea meds if your cat sitter has cats at home who have fleas. They can travel in on the cat sitter and get on your cat, who could then eat them while grooming, and get tape worms. Yuck.

Communication

Whenever I leave the Suk and have someone checking in on her, I probably text that person every other day. Just getting a quick confirmation of "She's fine" makes a huge difference if you are worrying. It might be a good idea to ask your cat sitter to shoot you a short quick text every time they go over, just to calm your fears or worries.

Instructions

Everyone is different, but I've got a few basic rules for anyone taking care of Suki. I do this because I want to minimize any possible risk of accident, injury, etc. I've put together a one-page sheet that you can fill out and leave for your cat sitter that covers most of the basics. You can fill in your own directions in certain areas.

Click here to download my one-page Cat Sitting Instructions sheet!



Am I missing anything? Leave a comment below with your advice relating to cat sitting!