Cat sitting is a unique service that’s gaining popularity among Americans. As a pet care professional, I’ve seen many family members, friends, and even neighborhood teenagers lend a helping hand to care for cats while their owners are away. However, hiring a professional sitter to provide cat sitting services is a relatively new concept. This business is slowly building a strong reputation as a trustworthy alternative to traditional boarding facilities. For many clients and patrons, cat sitting provides peace of mind while they’re on vacation, knowing their cat and home are in good hands.
So what exactly is cat sitting?
Cat sitting is a service where a trusted person comes to your home to care for your cat while you’re away on vacation or business travel. Unlike a boarding facility, the main benefits of in-home care are keeping your pet in the comfort of their familiar home without a cage or foreign space. No stressful ritual with a pet carrier or car drive! For cats with medical reasons or who need extra convenience, this beats any kennel and helps their mental health and physical health.
Your chosen caregiver can provide drop-in visits or overnights. Most pet sitting companies offer both regular visits and full housesitting. For privacy reasons, some homeowners prefer visits to minimize liability risk to their home property. Visits typically last 30 minutes to 60 minutes per day, though time lengths vary for your specific needs. The most common service includes daily visits, though some sitters offer overnight periods. Their duties and scope depend on how comprehensive a service you need—weighing the advantages and disadvantages of their commitment to watching your appliances, fridge, and bed without being too intrusive or burdensome with your belongings or putting your property at risk.
What Makes a Cat Sitter professional?
Professional cat sitters have real qualifications and credentials that set them apart. They’re truly passionate about cats and bring solid experience and knowledge to caring for different cat breeds and temperaments. They understand feline behavior and health monitoring, watching your client’s cat during each visit for any signs of illness that might require a trip to an emergency veterinary clinic if necessary.
Unlike a family member, friend, or neighbor, pros carry commercial liability insurance and a bonding policy. They’re background checked with proof to share and offer a service agreement contract. Check their website or company page for clear services, pricing, history, and reviews. Good testimonials from past clients on Yelp and Google matter too. Many belong to nationally recognized professional pet sitting organizations like Pet Sitters Associates or Pet Sitters International.
Most have a business license showing accountability and some form of certification in pet CPR. They use professional pet sitting software for scheduling all their sittings and keeping client records. They see this as a real job with serious responsibility and liability for your cat and home—not just a side gig but a true career.
So what exactly do cat sitters do?
Cat sitting provides complete care for your cat in your home through scheduled drop-in visits. A sitter builds trust with the client’s pet through consistency, supporting both their physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing to keep them happy and healthy during your absence.
Basic care duties include preparing food (including supplements or dietary additives) and checking water bowls to refill with tap, filtered, or bottled water. They scoop litter boxes, change litter when needed, and dispose of litter bags in your trash bin. If needed, they give medication like oral liquid, pills, insulin, subcutaneous injections, topical ointments, flea meds, or eye drops. They clean up accidents, vomited food, hairballs, or litter box aversion messes.
Great sitters also socialize with pets through playtime with a favorite toy, brushing, petting, or lap sitting – whatever activity your cat likes to engage with. They monitor home security by checking doors, windows, home alarm, adjusting lights and shades for a lived-in appearance. After each visit, they send daily visit update reports via text, email, or phone describing the visit, your cat’s appetite, mood, energy level, litter box usage, and activities. They report any issues, concerns, or questions. Many also handle minor home-related tasks like plant watering, collecting mail and packages, or taking trash bins to the curb for street pickup.
How will the sitter know to do all of this?
You’ll create a detailed list for your sitter outlining all duties in a precise manner. Every client has an initial consultation or meet and greet meeting at their home with their cat to ensure we’re a good fit. During this visit, you’ll walk me through your visit care routine – explain and demonstrate everything in order. I’ll stay aware and focused on your cat’s needs and your expectations. This is your opportunity to ask questions and share any concerns about the visit to your home. After caring for over 200 cats, I’ve learned that clear instructions upfront prevent problems later – like the time an owner forgot to mention their cat needed pills hidden in cheese, not treats!
