Cat sitter experiences?

[superdiz]

Hi all,

We just adopted two adorable little kittens. We were going to adopt next year but a family member's cat had a litter and we decided it was a good opportunity to add to our family!

Problem being, they will be 15 weeks when we leave for Disney. We're going for 12 days. We are hiring a cat sitter to come in, play with them, feed them, and skim their litter box daily, with one full cleaning midway through the trip.

Do you think this is enough? What are your experiences with cat sitting?

I'm nervous!

TIA!

 

[PaulaSB12]

I have been using the same pet sitting company since my mother died in 2012. The first time with an elderly poorly dog. They come in and cuddle play and feed them, send pictures so they can show how they are doing (they sit for three cats and 12 chickens). When I get home there is always a bunch of flowers a picture of the cats saying welcome home and a day to day written report on what they did and how the animals where. Ask your vets to recommend a pet sitting service for safety.

 

[disney world dreamer]

i would never have someone cat sit for me that did not have cats themselves. and i always hire someone i know.
that way i know that they are familiar with cats needs in general. and that they will actually care about my cat's well being.

then i just make an outline with what i want them to do and when.
i am specific but i don't go overboard with you MUST do it this way etc...

its unfortunate that they will be so young cuz its better to give lots of time and attention at that young age but whoever you have cat sit is not gonna want to spend 24/7 at your house so don't expect that.
i don't expect my cat sitter to come more than twice a day and i don't expect my cat sitter to stay for more than 30 minutes each time they come.

 

[superdiz]

Our cat sitter has cats and pet sits/walks dogs etc. as her job. She's only coming in for 15-30 minutes to refresh their food and play with them daily. I asked my neighbor to come in at night to give them another can of wet food, she has 4 kids so I'm hoping they can do this and come play, but we'll see what her schedule can handle. I wish they were 6 months before we had to leave but the timing here wasn't the best, though they are the best cats so I'm glad we got them!

 

[elphaba91]

We are having someone house sit for us while we're away to make sure our cats are looked after. My little girl is related to a vacuum cleaner and/or golden retriever, while my boy is a very slow, picky eater. So we have to feed them a few small meals a day, rather than just letting them graze like a lot of cats do, and the boy has to be locked in his room (the laundry) while he's eating or else he'll happily let his sister shove him out of the way! The cat sitter will be at work during the day mostly and we've also said that she's welcome to go home for a night (as we have left them overnight before).

 

[belledreamer]

It all depends. For my one cat (who's currently laying on my chest as I type this) she's perfectly fine with a daily 15-20 minute visit to take care of all her things. But I also occasionally cat-sit for a friend of mine with 9 cats and because of the amount of care they need and not doing well being alone for too long, I usually just stay over and house sit.

Personally, if I had two kittens that young, I'd probably want someone who stay there for a good while during the day and even just have them stay for the duration of the trip. But that's just me.

 

[low-key]

they will be fine

 

[BlovesC]

We found our pet sitter just by searching online, and we hit the jackpot! We had a 20-week old cat and 13 year old dog when we first used her services, and everything went really well. We've used her services 4 to 5 times a year (we like our getaways!) for the last five years. When our dog passed, I think she was almost as devastated as we were, and surprised us with a lovely needlepoint tribute to him. We then adopted two more cats, and now when she cares for our gang we jokingly refer to her as the cats' "Aunt".

Anyway, yes, I think your kitties will be fine, especially since they have each other. I love my cats, but I do regard them as pets, not "fur babies", and I don't think they're ever emotionally traumatized by our absence (but probably our presence, sometimes) so I've never given a second thought to leaving them in the sitter's care. The visits you describe sound more than adequate. Have fun and try not to worry!!

 

[skater]

Do you have someone that can keep them at their house while you're gone? They are young and still in the "being socialized" time. They will of course, be fine with a good pet sitter, but if possible, it would be better to have someone giving them lots of attention at that age.

 

[dawnhaze]

I cat-sit regularly for a friend who travels for work a lot. My daily duties for her four adult cats are:
1) Give them 2 cans of wet food
2) Top off their free-feeding bowls of dry food
3) Top off both of their water fountains
4) Scoop waste and clumps out of all the litter boxes
5) Top the boxes off with fresh litter and Arm & Hammer deodorant powder
6) Take all the litter waste out to the dumpster (you do not want this in your kitchen trash for days)

After all that, I hang out and play with them for at least an hour or until I have to be someplace else. Before I leave I also turn her TV on - she has a timer so it will automatically shut off in a couple hours, but the cats like to watch it.

If she's gone for more than a week, she usually has me dump, clean, and refill the litter boxes once as well.

I used to also give pills and shots to another of her cats, but he was elderly and passed away last year.

 

[disney1990]

I cat-sit regularly for a friend who travels for work a lot. My daily duties for her four adult cats are:
1) Give them 2 cans of wet food
2) Top off their free-feeding bowls of dry food
3) Top off both of their water fountains
4) Scoop waste and clumps out of all the litter boxes
5) Top the boxes off with fresh litter and Arm & Hammer deodorant powder
6) Take all the litter waste out to the dumpster (you do not want this in your kitchen trash for days)

After all that, I hang out and play with them for at least an hour or until I have to be someplace else. Before I leave I also turn her TV on - she has a timer so it will automatically shut off in a couple hours, but the cats like to watch it.

If she's gone for more than a week, she usually has me dump, clean, and refill the litter boxes once as well.

I used to also give pills and shots to another of her cats, but he was elderly and passed away last year.

As far as taking out the litter daily, we have a bucket with a lid. We line it with a plastic bag. We scoop the litter daily into the bucket and lock the top down. We only take it out when the bag is full - no smell.

 

[O RLY]

When I leave for more than 2 days I hire a cat sitter. For $30 they stay for 30 Minutes and do a litter cleanup, refresh food and water. I prefer they come every two days. Worth every penny

 

[superdiz]

Thanks everyone!

My neighbor - who has cats and loves cats and has the 4 kids - just offered to do what the petsitter was going to do. I think I will take her up on this. She will be able to come over twice/day and the kids love cats so she said they will love to come over and play with them. I think this is probably the best option.

I have read on multiple sites that it is not ideal to take the cats out of their home as they are territorial and would be less stressed in their own environment. So for me, leaving them in a strange place sounds more traumatizing? All new to this!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Yes, absolutely the kittens need to stay in your home.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Definitely keep the cats in their own home! Much better

I have cat sitters, along with watching a friends cats when she goes out of town. I visit 2x a day, and I stay about an hour each time. Sometimes the cats want to play, other times they just want to sit next to me on the couch.
So when I go over there I figure we will be there for an hour just so they have some company.

I also send daily pictures to her so she can see how the cats are doing