Daily Visits for Cats

I've been enjoying the beautiful weather, planning for Jake and Fiona's Dog Wedding & Fundraiser, and I've been getting lots of calls from new customers (Hooray!)
One question that has come up three times in the past week is about cat care, and why I don't do every-other-day (or EOD) visits for cats.
There are several reasons, but the main reason is simple - I am a professional and my job is to make sure your pets are safe, comfortable, and happy. Since cats can be fine one day and deathly ill the next, and there is no predicting when a pet can get hurt or sick, time becomes THE deciding factor in cases like these.

Fortunately I never had to learn this first-hand. Through the great organizations NAPPS and PUPS, I can network with other professional pet sitters and learn from THEIR experiences. So when enough professional pet sitters come forward and say "EOD visits for cats are a BAD idea, and here's why," I listen.

My job is to help minimize risks to your home and pets, and making daily visits for cats is a standard and accepted way to make sure your cats get the care and attention (not to mention food, water, and clean litter boxes!) they need. Day to day, I can check the food and water levels as well as litter box output (yes, I do check these things since they can provide clues to a pet's health! Not the most glamorous of tasks but a very important one). Having this daily information is important, especially if a cat gets sick. A vet might ask "When did the cat last eat?" and there's a big difference between "within the last 24 hours" and "within the last 48 hours".

Working with cats all these years has taught me so much. There's this perception that cats are less than social, and I have found the opposite to be true. Cats are very social, and even the seemingly aloof ones crave attention sometimes. I like to address the social needs of cats and make that a part of my visits, just like I make sure they get food, fresh water, and a clean litter box, too. I like to learn what their favorite toys and games are, and get to know their personalities as well.

Generally people who call a professional pet sitter are not the type to skimp on pet care - they cherish their pets as part of the family and want the best for them. But they may not realize that daily visits for cats is not only the norm, it's what is best for the safety and well-being of the cat.