Cat Sitters - thoughts?

iabw12

I'm trying to get away for a holiday. I have 2 cats and 2 cockatiels (yes I know, mental). Looking around on the internet, it strikes me that it would probably be cheaper and a lot easier if I employed the services of a sitter to come in once a day to my flat as he/she would change the cat litter, feed the cats and the birds in one fell swoop!
I'm not sure about handing over the keys to my flat over to a complete stranger. Has anyone tried this type of service, and did it work? Any advice on what to look out for etc.? I'd be really keen to hear from anyone with any experience of this sort.
many thanks
Irene

Abbafan1972

Can't say I've ever employed a cat sitter, as my Dad does it for me when we go away.

Do you not have a trusted friend or relative that can do it for you?

Can I ask where you live?

his_missus

I imagine if you're contemplating a pet sitter you don't have someone close by who can pop in but I always get father in law or best friend to pop in and feed/check up on my cats when we're away. Our neighbour has their phone numbers in case of any feline emergency, like when one of them lost her collar with magnet and couldn't get through the magnetic catflap!

Maybe ask at your local pet shop or vet if they can recommend a reputable sitter.

Lara44

We have a cat sitter who comes around, cleans and feeds our cat and plays with her for a short while. We rehomed our cat from a shelter where she was very unhappy because she *hates* other cats. So we thought she would prefer to be a little lonely at home than freaking out in a cattery. Anyway the lady is great, she is fully insured and showed us her documents. We saw her ad on a local notice board.

lostinrates

We used a cat sitter when we were in another country. Most of the time it was great. There was the one time she locked her self out leaving her keys and bag in the house though ....the it could happen to any one and we all make mistakes.

The cat we share our lives with loved her.

Ours was not a cat sitter but rather a young girl living overseas needing some pin money. Our place offered her somewhere to get away from her shared apartment ( I think the chances are she and her borfriend got amorous in our sitting room more than once) and that also suited us as it meant the cats got some company and voyeauristic entertainment.

I'd always rather have my animals taken care of at home, none more so than the cats.

chocdonuty

I think they are a great idea, also they can look after the house too, open curtains ect, I was going to do it this year but have recently gained a kitten and so think its prob best he goes to a cattery while im away with the other two, who knows what trouble a 5mth old kitten could get up to unsupervised for most of a weekend :rotfl:

podperson

See if you can get recommendations either from friends or if not your local vet or pet store. Ideally you'd want them to be able to provide references and be CRB checked.

I used to do cat sitting on occasional but I was working part time as well and already had a CRB from my main job. I would say things to ask are whether they would be happy to stay for a little while, give the cats a bit of a fuss etc or if it would be straight in, feed, change litter, straight out etc. Do they have any backup in place for if they have an emergency/take ill/get held up etc - these things do happen but a responsible cat sitter will have something in place so your kitties aren't going hungry. Also I know I was always happy to do other little bits as well such as water the plants, open/close the curtains etc so don't be afraid to ask.

scaredy_cat

if you google professional pet sitter, a few agencies come up.

(or professional cat sitter...)

stationaryace

Having recently converted from cattery to cat sitter, I wouldn't go back. My boy hated the cattery, and would barely eat the whole time he was there, so when going on our 2 week honeymoon last year we swapped to a cat sitter. He was much happier, and as we met with her at her own house we felt more comfortable about giving our keys to a stranger.

Made the mistake of leaving OH to organise the sitter for this weekend, who forgot until Monday, so having to ask a friend to do it for us. Will find a back up sitter for next time as there seem to be more people doing this now.

iabw12

Thank you all for your responses. Unfortunately my brother (who would be perfect) lives over an hour away. I'm in a high rise in London and whilst I know some of my neighbours, like most Londoners, I don't think I'd like the idea of them coming into my flat every day whilst I'm away. I've been doing some research, and many sitters can offer CRB checks which gives some peace of mind. If it works, it would be ideal as I absolutely hate the idea of moving the cats and the birds out to unfamiliar territory - and even then there's no guarantee that they'll be well looked after.
so thank you all for your input.

aileth

We have a cat sitter and she was brilliant. She came in twice a day, morning and evening, fed and watered the kitties, did their litter tray and also gave them 30 minutes of cuddles (If they wanted it of course!)