In March and July of this year, we went on vacation and had to leave Simone for a week each time. The cost of boarding her plus the concern of placing a sick cat in a strange, and possibly unhealthy, environment caused us to look for a local pet sitter. The best source of information about pet sitters is your local vet. Dr. C.'s office recommended a professional pet sitter who turned out to be just the ticket. Ms. Susan was very professional in explaining her services, prices, and policies. We arranged to have her come out every day to take care of the 3 kitties. We were particularly fortunate in finding someone who was willing to administer sub-Q fluids and Simone's medicines and supplements. She came every day that we were gone. Ms. Susan took care of the litter boxes, food and water containers, spent time with the cats (if they weren't hiding!), and even brought in the mail. Even better yet, Ms. Susan gave me her personal cell phone number, so I could check on Simone's condition while we were gone. That helped to relieve quite a bit of anxiety. When we returned from vacation, we found that the cats were just fine ... but lonely as hell and very glad to see us. And Simone was doing very well. We didn't hesitate to use the services of Ms. Susan for our second vacation.
Now if can't get a good reference for a pet sitter from your vet, you can try the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS). Ms. Susan is a member of that organization. They actually train and certify people who aspire to be professional pet sitters. Their website is:
On their home page, you can search for certified pet sitters in your area by entering a zip code in the search field. For example, the zip code 63106 for St. Louis yielded 3 possible candidates. Contact information is provided.
That's it for this week. The next post is very special, so stay tuned. Purr on cat lovers!!!!!
"I care not for a man's religion whose dog or cat are not better for it. I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of the whole human being."
(Abraham Lincoln)
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