Everybody knows how independent cats can be! Some cats don’t want anything more than food, water, and a warm place to live. Others are extremely affectionate, and can’t get enough love and attention from anybody who wants to dish it out. And, even very friendly cats can be aloof at times.

Because of that independent streak in our feline friends, some people don’t see a need for their pet sitter to visit their cat every day. Once in a while we get a request from someone who want us to visit their cat every other day, or even every three days. Many pet sitting companies require at least one visit per day for cats.

(Please keep in mind that in this blog post, we’re talking about people who ask us to visit their cats in their own home. Our cat sitters who board pets in their homes are with the cats every day, and in many cases, all day.)

Having your pet sitter visit your cat every day while you’re away means he or she will discover issues sooner rather than later. It also means those things can be dealt with hopefully before they become larger issues. Waiting 48 hours, or more, between cat sitting visits may be inviting trouble. It may be as simple as picking up an item your cat knocked off of the counter or as drastic as discovering your cat is suffering from an urgent health problem.

You know how much mischief your cat can get into when you’re home. When you’re away they can get even more creative! Oftentimes that mischief is quite harmless, but it can also result in something that needs to be handled as quickly as possible. Here are a few examples of what pet sitters at Katie’s Kitty, and other pet sitting companies, have encountered.

• Urgent health issues that need to be tended to immediately.
• Running out of food or dumping a water bowl.
• An autofeeder malfunction, which results in food or water not dispensing.
• Cats locking themselves in a room (with food and water in another room).
• AC or furnace malfunction, leaving cats in extreme cold or heat.
• Cats refusing to use a dirty litter box and soiling the house.
• Bored cats inventing games, such as clawing furniture, climbing curtains, etc.
• Cats jumping on the counters and accidentally bumping a knob on a gas stove to the ‘on’ position.

Any one of the above examples can result in emergency health issues for your cat, or costly repairs for your home. And because cats have such delicate systems, a very manageable health condition can quickly turn into a life threatening situation. Having someone visit your cat every day will help cut down on the potential for that happening.

Even though cats can be quite independent, they do need us to keep them safe and healthy. Part of our job as guardians is to make sure our pets are cared for even when we’re unavailable. So while scheduling every other day visits for your cat will be more economical for you, it’s not the best option for your cat. If your cat likes attention, she’s going to fare much better while you’re away if you provide her a substitute human. And even cats that are not very social need to have someone make sure they’re OK. The last thing you want for your cat is for him or her to be in some type of distress whether it’s because of a health issue or some silly hijinks.