I don’t actually got asked this question anymore. In fact, I don’t remember when was the last time someone asked me that question. I would like to think the Maow Care website has been effective enough that people don’t feel they need to ask.

But in case you are someone who is not familiar with the concept or you are a pet sitter in an area with a population that is not familiar with pet sitting, here I will try to spell it out to you why we need professional pet sitters.

The benefit of using a pet sitter: 

• Less stress for the pet, especially for cats – they don’t like new environment, they much prefer to stay at home
• No transportation required, less stress for the pet, less stress for you. Especially if you live in Dublin and have no access to a car (which is the majority of my customers) going to a kennel or a cattery will be a logistic nightmare
• One on one personalised service – follow your usual routine at home. It’s just like having you at home but it’s us instead of you…
• Minimise risk of cross infection as your pets are not exposed to other animals.

The benefit of using a PROFESSIONAL pet sitter:

• No more imposing on your friends or family who might not be a pet lover
• Asking your friends and family is not actually free. You still need to get them something from Duty Free in the airport…
• Knowing someone is a genuine pet lover and will notice anything unusual with your pet
• Knowing that the person is trained to handle pet emergency
• Knowing they will show up when they say they do! (We won’t call you to say we can’t make it because we got held back at work, child is ill or car problem, etc, we make damn sure we get there or send back up one way or the other!)
• Knowing they will give daily updates (good luck asking your friend to send you cute cat photos every day…)
• Contactable on the phone during the time your pet is under their care
• Knowing there is a back up plan in case of emergency!
• This one is very underrated – we are also trained to handle security issue of your home! We are trained to notice any usual activity in your home. The blind has been touched, we notice them, trust me.

Here are two videos to illustrate my points above in a more comical way. It’s funny now because you haven’t used these pet sitters. It’s not funny when they ARE your pet sitters…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEcyze4yoj8]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzAijc0L6yA]

To find a REAL pet sitter, you can check out your local pet sitting directory.

Make sure to check the followings:

• Are they a registered business?
• Are they insured? (Even though you might never imagine claiming anything but knowing they have spent money to set up their business properly means they take their job very seriously)
• Do they give you a contract? (Again, you might think it doesn’t matter to you, but knowing your pet sitter is taking their job seriously also means they will take your pet seriously)
• Are they trained and experienced in handling pets?
• Do they have reference from other customers?
• Do they have a back up plan in case they got into an emergency?
• You can also download this checklist to help you with your research for a real pet sitter.

Do you use a pet sitter? How did you find your pet sitter? I would love to hear your story! Share on the comment below!