Welcome to the Cat Mom Calgary blog! On #TipTuesdays, I’ll share my thoughts on a variety of cat-related topics.
Cats are naturally territorial and prefer to stay in what they see as their own space. If you’re going away for the holidays, having a pet sitter come to your home once or twice daily to care for and check up on your kitties is a good idea. Your cats will still miss you, of course, but they’ll thrive better being in their territory with their resources.
You’re going away and have decided to book a cat sitter, but how do you pick the right one? The first step is determining your cat’s needs. Does your cat have special needs such as medication? Does your cat need a human to cuddle with? How frequently do they need to be fed? The second is to know what your budget is.
When you find someone you think would be great, contact them with your cat sitting needs and schedule. I encourage clients to ask questions about my cat sitting services when booking me. The questions people tend to ask me the most are the following:
1) Length of visits? It depends on the cat’s needs. I stay for a minimum of half an hour. For kitties who need more human social interaction, I will increase that time. I care about what’s best for your cat and do not have rigid rules around my time. This is also why I book a maximum of four cat sitting jobs per day.
2) Time of day? I do my best to accommodate cat parent preferences if they have any. When I have multiple cat clients I’m looking after, I first organize by cats who need medication and then slot other clients in around those appointments by location. I try to keep the timing of visits each day consistent. For example, if I arrange to visit your cat midmorning on the first day, I will make sure that all subsequent visits are midmorning unless you request otherwise.
3) How long have you had cats? 23 years in total!
4) How long have you been with Pawshake? Since August 2018.
5) Are you comfortable administering medication? Absolutely! I have a lot of experience administering medication to cats. I wash my hands before and after touching any medication. I do ask my clients for a demonstration, if needed, for what works best for giving their cats medication so I can see what clients prefer and what the cat is used to.
6) Do you have pet first aid training? Yes, I do! I completed a course in January with Walks ‘N’ Wags. My pet first aid certificate is below.
