#1
|
|||
|
|||
Pet sitter/home pet care recommendations? (Mississauga/GTA)
Can anyone here recommend pet sitting services in the Mississauga/GTA west area? Preferrably, one that offers weekly rates.
Speaking of pet care while away on vacation, which is considered better for cats: in-home care, or pet boarding? I'm worried that a single 30-60 minute visit per day may not offer enough stimulation for my cats. Whenever I'm out late, they're already restless when I get home in the middle of the night. I wonder how they'll behave with only a single short visit daily. |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
How comfortable are your cats in new situations and with new people? Are they very sociable or do they tend to be shy/fearful? Most (but not all) cats are better off staying in their home environment with all their familiar stuff, even if it means less human interaction. A common problem with boarding cats is that they often get so scared, they stop eating. Again, depends on how confident and outgoing kitty is. You know your cats best.
Here is a site with a professional pet sitter locator: http://www.petsit.com/
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
maybe you could fine a sitter who would actually stay at your house. Some offer that service.
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Do your cats have microchips encase they get out if you do use a pet sitter?
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
If it was me, I would go for the in home care. Your cats might be bored, but I would rather have that than the possiblility of having them stressed from the strange noises and strange animals at a boarding place, plus, the possibility of fighting. Maybe you could buy a lot of new toys, and have the home care person give them new ones daily.
|
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Been there done that and man mine hated it! they hid under the bed for 3 days! best thing I ever learned was to leave them at home and have someone either stay or come by!
this way its their home, their smells etc....going somewhere else its all new! just my opinion though!!
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for all the feedback
To be honest, I'm not sure how my cats will behave in a new environment - they're quite friendly, and behave comfortably with guests around, but it's not like I have people over everyday. I'm more inclined to choose pet sitting at this point. Newt has a very relaxed demeanor and I think she'll be fine, but I can imagine Newton getting restless without sufficient stimulation. The kitten is chipped, but not his mom (I'll get that done eventually). I wonder if I'll get charged extra if the cats dash out the door, and the sitter has to spend 20 minutes chasing them around and get them back inside? Last edited by tezster; March 7th, 2013 at 10:58 AM. Reason: typo |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I rather my furkids stay at home, I know they are safe there and comfortable. I thought about puppy daycare as well, but we are currently looking for a dog who ran away from his pet sitter/day care house, so it scares me. Of course we are not trying to scare you tezster There is many good pet sitters out there too.
__________________
Dogs don't need to talk, their life is their message ~ unknown. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I've considered either having a friend/neighbour check in on them, or leaving them with my parents. My concern is neither my parents nor friends that are close by can be considered "pet people". They certainly wouldn't be comfortable handling the cats. And I'm thinking the chance of my cats dashing out are about the same regardless of who is opening the door; it's what happens immediately afterwards that's important - at least a pet sitter should be experienced enough to be able to handle the resulting situation better? I can just picture my parents running around trying to catch two elusive cats, lol... I find that scenario both funny and scary.
There are so many little things I would need to educate a potential sitter on, I would need at least a 30 minute initial consultation to get them educated. I was thinking of maybe doing a test run over a weekend i.e. use a sitter for one night, and see how it goes. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Maybe that would be a good idea I always look after my friend's cat, normally go and visit her a couple times in the day and play with her, as unfortunately I cannot bring her to my place because she doesn't like any other kind of animal. See, with my mom I puppy proved her house since we spend a lot of time with her. But, you are right it can happen with anyone, even the owner, right now we are working with both our dogs to teach them that when someone opens the door, they stay back and far enough.
__________________
Dogs don't need to talk, their life is their message ~ unknown. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
How does this look for a cat-boarding service?
http://crazzzycatladypetsitting.blog...-for-cats.html Prices are very reasonable, considering food is included - this seems well suited for a longer term stay. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#14
|
||||
|
||||
Only 1 page? That's pretty good, I've been given 4 pages of instructions from more than one person I've dog sat for
__________________
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying |
#15
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
You can always contact her for a meet n' greet see what kinda vibe you get from her before you are going away
__________________
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
A test run is a great idea. I did this with my last dog. I brought Finlay to a kennel to see him to would do there as I was going to Mexico for a week . I left my dog at the kennel for 4 hours and when I got back the owner said my dog spend the whole time jumping up and down at gate looking for me. I was told my dog would give himself a heart attack or end at vet while I was gone, I never made it to Mexico . |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Well is was typed on a 10/arial font lol, besides it was only for a quick 15 minutes to just come and take them out. I wouldn't trust him to babysit for a full day, he is not a dog person and not very reliable either, that day he was my only option
__________________
Dogs don't need to talk, their life is their message ~ unknown. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Never thought about the sprinklers, good tip!
__________________
Dogs don't need to talk, their life is their message ~ unknown. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mahatma Gandhi |
|
|