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What Is Cat Sitting?

September 21, 2020 by Mary Telesz

cat being rubbed by her cat sitterCat lovers know that cats can become deeply attached to their human parents. When a cat’s human is gone for long periods of time, the cat can experience separation anxiety much like some dogs experience it. Signs of separation anxiety in a cat include excessive vocalization, destructive scratching or chewing, and inappropriate elimination. A cat that is boarded while the owner is gone is subjected to the added stress of being in a strange environment. Some cat breeds and individual cats are more prone to suffering from separation anxiety and the stress of a change in its routine.

One of the best ways to minimize the stress on your cat while you are away is to hire a professional cat sitter.

What Does Cat Sitting Entail?

A reputable cat sitter will come to your home and take care of your cat. Cats take comfort in their daily routine and having a reliable cat sitter will minimize the stress on your cat (and you). You can arrange to have a cat sitter come at certain times of the day and provide the following services:

Fresh Food and Water

Your cat is likely on a feeding schedule, whether once, twice or three times each day. Some cats have special dietary needs also. Whatever feeding schedule or diet your cat is accustomed to, a cat sitter can ensure that your cat stays on schedule while you are gone. The cat’s feeding routine will not be disrupted when you are gone. Also, the cat sitter can clean feeding dishes, provide fresh water and note any problems with the cat’s appetite.

Administer Medications and Emergency First Aid

cat learning What Is Cat SittingIf your cat needs medications of any sort, a professional cat sitter will be able to administer them. Some cats need allergy pills, antibiotics, insulin shots, thyroid medications, or other medications each day at specific times.

Professional cat sitters such as the cat sitters at Paw Pals are trained on how to give cats their medications, the signs of illness and how to administer first aid.

Clean Litter Box Daily

As noted earlier, one sign of separation anxiety in a cat is not using the litter box properly. One way to encourage your cat to keep using the litter box is to make sure it gets cleaned daily. Many cats dislike using a foul-smelling litter box, and keeping it fresh and clean will help make it comfortable for your cat to keep using during your absence. The added bonus is your house will not reek of a stinky litter box when you return home.

Grooming

Grooming is important to your cat’s health. Cats groom themselves to keep their skin and coat healthy. They also do it to comfort themselves when they feel afraid, to relieve tension, or when uncertain how to react to a situation.
In addition, cats groom each other. When a cat’s human grooms the cat, it expresses comfort and companionship in the mind of the cat. For instance, when a cat grooms its owner by licking the owner’s hair or arms, the cat is expressing its trust and affection. If your cat sitter takes a little time to brush your cat, the cat sees it as mutual grooming and feels comforted by it.

Attention and Love While You’re Away

Along the same lines as grooming, your cat may want to sit on your cat sitter’s lap or cuddle while the cat sitter scratches the cat’s head or neck. Not all cats are friendly towards strangers, but many are. Some cats just need a little time to get comfortable before they will accept being handled by a stranger. Cats who miss their absent humans are much more likely to accept attention from strangers in the safety and security of their own environment.
The professional cat sitters at Paw Pals understand cat behaviors, and they know how to entice a lonely cat into accepting a stranger’s kindness. On the other hand, if your cat is one that will not accept a stranger’s attention, the cat sitter will respect the cat’s need to keep its distance.

happy cat that is being watched by cat sitting

Play Time

Cats like to spend most of their days sleeping. When they are awake, however, they need to spend some time playing. In the wild, they hunt. Domestic cats for the most part do not need to hunt to survive. Playtime is the way they get the mental stimulation and exercise they need for good health. Play will also distract your cat from missing you and help it rest with less anxiety.

Work with the Licensed Cat Sitting Professionals at Paw Pals

As a cat parent, give your cat the best care you can. Work with the trained cat sitting professionals at Paw Pals to arrange for cat care while you are away. Whether you must leave your cat alone while you travel or while you are away at work, you know you can entrust your cat’s care to Paw Pals. Contact them for more information about their cat sitting services.

Filed Under: Pet Sitting

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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