I'm leaving town for about a week (I'm off to NYC and DC over Easter, I can't wait) and I am thinking of hiring one of those 'pet services' to come by and make sure my cat doesn't go entirely berserk while I'm gone. I'm generally okay with leaving my cat for a couple of days, but I think a week is a bit cruel, and the person I usually ask to help out is unavailable. Has anyone used those types of services before, what has been your experience?

I always use a pet sitter and my cat is just fine. My cat doesn't like anyone when her mommy isn't home, even the pet sitter. But at least I know she's being taken care of. And not just that, pet sitters take care of your home too while you're away. They'll water plants, put out the garbage, turn on/off lights, etc.

I got my referral from my vet. It worked out very well. I thought that my cat didn't like anyone else, but it turned out that it did like whoever was feeding it.

I also have a cat. We generally just put out extra food when we're gone for a weekend, but if we'll be gone longer than 2 days, we use a pet sitter. I've used two pet sitters, both with excellent results. One was one of the vet techs from our vet's office, and the other I found from a friend's referral. I really like how they will also water my plants, bring in the mail, etc. I'm in Dallas, and they usualy charge $20 a day.

We've used the same service for over ten years, and they're terrific. The first time they sat for our recently adopted ten year old, I told the sitter, "you probably won't see him, he's timid." We returned and I was told, "you're crazy, he was all over me." I highly recommend a service; the cats seem to appreciate the daily visits very much.

I hire one of the nurses at my local vet's office and it's worked out great. She stops by to not only feed the cats but to see that they are looking lively. She loves cats and I know if they need emergency care, she'll recognize it and take them to the doc. And she likes having the extra dough.

We have a cat, too, and have used the same pet sitter for years--she came highly recommended to us by a co-worker. Someone recently posted the following site to locate a pet sitter, www.petsit.com, or, as someone else suggested contacting the vet's office can be a great place to find a sitter.
In addition to caring for our cat she picks up the mail, waters plants, etc. and we feel better knowing someone is keeping an eye on the house--you never know when or if a leak could occur, etc. which has happened to a client or two of hers.

Make sure she/he is bonded

We left our little cat with Kitty City
They came to our home 3 times a day, brushed the cat, fed & gave him fresh water and kept him company. They brought in the mail and made sure things were secure.
When we were not around, our cat slept and looked out the window at the birds, so I sometimes wondered if he noticed we were not there-but he did curl up close at night , once we got back
After he died (old age) they sent us sympathy cards ..just get lots of names for referrals, and check them all!
Good luck~

That is so sweet, Scarlett! Three times a day? Killer is jealous! ;-)

We always use a neighbor as apet sitter when we're both out of town - even overnight. The trick is finding someone reliable.

If you have a friend with a great sitter fine. Otherwise I would get recos through your vet. The last thing you want is a volunteer who doesn;t really know what they're doing - or is unreliable. (It's not like a babysitter - where the kids can complain if sommething goes wrong.)

AnnMarie, he had diabetes and they gave him his shots too !
We thought 3 times a day was good to be sure he did ok with the shots and all.

I've always left my cat at a pet boarding place. Should be cheaper than having someone come to your place.

actually upon some research, I've not found any cat boarding places, but plenty of bonded services willing to come to my place. I'll check with my vet though later this week for a recommendation.

Vets board cats.

That was wise, Scarlett. It was a relief having the pet sitter stop by twice a day last week but I believe that will be the last time we leave her together--the guilt! It's not easy being an adult raised by a woman who drove around for years with a bumper sticker that read, "I even brake for butterflies" --and she did, lol!

Well, I for one am glad you couldn't find a cat boarding place. Most cats hate to be boarded. Good luck on finding a pet sitter! Your cat will love you for it, even if he/she won't actually admit it!

My cats would be miserable boarded outside my home. My 12 year old tuxedo turns into the "antichrist" when we have to take him to the vet. My 2 year old tuxedo would tolerate it but wouldn't like being removed from his safe home environment for even 1 night.

If your cats are anything like mine, I know a pet sitter who comes in would be much more pleasant for the cats.

I'm lucky enough to have family and good neighbors who are willing to pet sit for us. We typically ask them to come in once a day to feed them and give the cats some attention. If I didn't have someone to ask to pet sit, I'd definitely hire someone to come in.

"Vets board cats."

Not mine. Actually, I think my cat would prefer someone to just come in. She's never left this apartment except for a vet trip, it might be a bit traumatic.

check out this website -
www.pet-sitters.biz