15 Reasons We Won't Do Every Other Day Visits | Purrfect Pet Sitting, LLC/East Greenbush, NY

Every once in a while we get an inquiry from someone who wants us to come to check on their cats every other day or every third day. I explain to them that for their safety and our sanity our policy is all cats must be seen once every 24 hours and dogs must be seen every 12 hours. Some people think we’re just trying to gouge them for more money. They don’t understand our policy and claim that their cats are “self sufficient” and will do fine seeing someone for 20 minutes every 3 days. Once we explain our reasons we’ve had people change their mind and have us come twice a day instead.

I asked pet sitters from around the globe to share some stories on what type of things have happened just in the 24 hour window between visits, although most of these happened to us. These things could have been catastrophic and potentially fatal had more time lapsed between visits:

Indoor cat greeted pet sitter outside. Cleaning crew had been there and accidentally let her out.
Client had accidentally locked cat in closet before they left.
Cat managed to crawl into a vent and was trapped inside a wall.
Cat had gotten tangled up in the computer wires and was unable to get free.
Cat had gotten the cords from the mini blinds around its neck and was hanging.
Cat got stretchy collar stuck on its lower jaw and was unable to break free.
Arrived at a house to find the door wide open and cat was gone. Realtor had done a showing and didn’t close the doors. Thankfully we found the cat!
Arrived at a house to find it had been broken into and one of the indoor cats was missing. I searched for days and eventually found the cat hiding under their shed.
Cat had been peeing blood, took to vet and discovered he had a urinary blockage.
Cat who normally doesn’t miss a meal suddenly wanted nothing to do with food. Took to vet and discovered a fecal impaction. Emergency surgery necessary.
Couldn’t find two indoor cats anywhere. After searching house found a torn out screen in the window where they had escaped. Took a while, but managed to find both cats and coax them back inside.
Cat had been playing with a ‘bird toy’ and gotten the string knotted around its front legs and was unable to move.
Cats had been playing and accidentally closed the bathroom door, trapping them inside with no food, water or litterbox.
Pet sitter could hear cat crying, but could not find cat. After much searching she found the cat trapped inside a sofa sleeper.
Arrived at sit to find the burners on the stove on.

Please take these real life scenarios into consideration when planning for your cat’s care!