For many of us, our pets are like children -- members of the family. That's Oscar, one of our cats. So when we go away, we want to be sure they are taken care of properly.
Since we moved to New York 4 years ago (Brooklyn 2 years ago), we have had a hard time finding a reliable cat sitter. You can't bring them to the kennel cause it makes them crazy (who wants to sit in a cage!!!). So we end up paying anywhere from $25-30 for a cat sitter to come, feed the cats at our apartment, scoop the litter box and hopefully pet the cats. Yes, that's $25-30 for EACH visit.
I have often thought about doing cat sitting myself. The idea of getting that much cash for something so simple is just golden. I mean are the cats really going to tell me whether someone played with them or just threw the toys around the apartment?
But what I find appalling, especially since this is technically a very simple job, is the fact that so many of these cat sitters -- many of which come highly recommended -- are completely irresponsible. I've had experiences where they have come several hours late or not come at all. You may be thinking that cats probably don't need the attention that dogs do because they go in a litter box inside the house, but some cats, including mine, get very anxious when their routine is messed up. As a result, they can get sick
To their credit (and I won't name names), I have received gracious apologies for these types of mistakes, even refunds. But does that mean I should use them again? Sometimes, I just don't have a choice unfortunately.
So, my question to you is whether or not you have had similar situations? Do you have a pet sitter you love? If so, tell me!
4 comments:
My super's wife does cat care and I've been very lucky with her. Especially since the $10 a day she asks for now seems extraordinarily cheap after reading your post! Please let us know if you find a good service.
I have had very similar problems. I have two dogs and I once had a dog walker who basically didn't come except to pick up the money on Fridays. I discovered this when I stayed home sick one day!
Um, try making some friends. They'll do it for free.
The problem with friends is that our one cat takes medicine daily and another is prone to UTI problems, which can kill a cat if not dealt with immediately. As much as I love my friends, I feel more comfortable with someone who is going to be looking for symptoms and would go to the ER with my cat if needed.
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