When you need to leave your pet alone overnight or perhaps for a few nights, you have to make sure your pet is safe and secure. One option is to take your pet to a boarding facility, which is expensive, inconvenient, and very stressful for many pets. Another option is to hire a professional overnight pet sitting service who can care for your pet overnight.
Things To Consider In Your Decision-Making about Overnight Pet Sitting Services
To help you decide whether your pet needs an overnight pet sitter, you will want to weigh a number of factors. Here are some of the most important considerations.
What Kinds of Pets Need Overnight Stays?
Some pets are perfectly comfortable being alone for a single night. Some cats are able to get through the night by themselves without stress. Other pets, such as reptiles, fish, rodents, and birds may not need nighttime companionship. However, those pets may need one or two visits each day to tend to feeding, watering, and special heating and lighting.
Dogs, on the other hand, are by nature more social and are not usually good candidates to be left alone at night. Likewise, many cat owners know that their cat prefers human company during the night, especially cats that customarily sleep next to their human. Some caged pets, such as ferrets or rabbits, can benefit from having a pet-sitter there in the event of an emergency. Also, cats, dogs, or any pet with special needs based on their age, health, or any other condition will be safer and happier with professional overnight care.
A professional pet sitter like the sitters at Paw Pals are trained in emergency first aid and can help your pet in any emergency that happens at night.
How Long Are Overnight Stays?
When you interview a sitter for an overnight stay, you need to understand and agree upon the number of hours an overnight stay includes. Some pet-sitting services offer standard overnight hours: one shift that is 9–10 hours long, and a longer shift that is 12 hours long, usually from 7pm to 7am. Other services will customize it to satisfy your pet’s individual needs.
In every case, you will need at least one daytime visit. Even if you have a dog door that your dog is willing and able to use, one or more daytime visits will provide your pet some companionship, ensure your pet is safe, and enable your pet-sitter to keep up with any pet messes.
Your best approach is to discuss your pet’s needs with your prospective pet-sitter and establish a schedule that works best. The professionals at Paw Pals are accustomed to the unique needs of pets and pet owners and are able to help you work out the perfect schedule for your pet. They also provide other services such as mail retrieval, plant watering, and similar house-sitting services that give you peace of mind while you are away.
What Happens During an Overnight Stay?
During an overnight stay, your pet gets a lot of attention. Your pet-sitter can give your dog or cat another feeding, give your pet some extra play and cuddle time, take your dog for a bedtime walk, and clean up any messes that may have occurred since the last visit.
In the morning, your pet-sitter will be there to take care of your pets as soon as they get up. Their morning routines will be just like they are used to. One of the biggest benefits to having an overnight pet-sitter is that your pet can stick to its regular schedule. Keeping to your pet’s schedule is key to minimizing the stress your pet may experience when you are gone.
Where Does Your Pet-Sitter Sleep?
Your pet-sitter’s sleeping arrangements need to be established before you leave. The sleeping arrangements are entirely up to whatever is comfortable and acceptable to both of you. In a perfect world, the pet-sitter will sleep in the room where your pets will be most comfortable. It may be the pet-owner’s bedroom, a guest room, or in some cases on a comfortable couch. The best option is whatever location causes less stress for your pet.
It goes without saying that the pet owner should make sure the bed and bathroom linens are freshly washed before the pet-sitter arrives. You may find that your pet-sitter will bring their own linens. At Paw Pals, the sitters will work those details out with you during your interview.
Contact Paw Pals For A Professional Overnight Pet-Sitter
You can leave your pet with confidence when you work with an experienced Paw Pals pet-sitter. They are able to provide you with the best pet-sitting services available. They are trained in emergency first aid, licensed, bonded, and insured so you know that your pet-sitter is devoted to caring for your pet. Whether your pet needs only one or two daily visits or needs 24-hour care, the experts at Paw Pals are there for you and your pet. For more information about their services, contact Paw Pals.
