This year my husband and I are going to be away from home for Christmas. It’s not that unusual an occurrence in itself, but what is different is that this will be the first time the cats will be looked after by a stranger.
Previously when we’ve gone away our cats have been looked after by husband’s family. (Or, in Sampson’s case whilst he was still in England, by my family.) Since our move earlier this year we don’t have any friends or family close enough by to take care of our cats when we’re not home.
As a result we’ve arranged for a cat sitter to come in and care for the cats. I’ll be honest, we’re both incredibly nervous about it. Giving our flat key to a stranger isn’t something we’d normally do after all. And yes there’s a small part of us that’s worried we’ll come home to our flat being stripped of all our things, and the cats desperately hungry. Or worse…
But let’s not talk about those concerns.
I’m not sure the cats really understand what Christmas is, so I’m sure they won’t be upset about us not being with them for it! No more than they’d be upset about us being away any other time. When we’ve been away for Christmas before husband has joked that Elvis will be at home singing “Blue Christmas” – it seems fitting, right?
Maybe the thing the cats will be most disappointed about is the lack of Christmas tree… We decided not to get one this year in part because we won’t actually be here for Christmas. Last year Lola and Elvis seemed to have a lot of fun playing with the one I had. They liked to jump at the branches and shake the needles off when it was starting to dry out. Made quite the mess!
I guess they’ll just have to wait until next year to have fun with the decorations again.
A very Merry Christmas to you all!
Love,
Lady Joyful
How will your cats be spending Christmas? Do you have experience of hiring a cat sitter?
It’s scary to have to entrust a stranger. Just a suggestion: ask a couple neighbors to watch out for the catsitter to actually show up, and leave your contact number in cast he/she doesn’t…. but probably that’s overkill. 🙂
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Parker
Can there be overkill when it comes to our feline overlords?
Nope! Everything we do they deserve haha
Ha, good point! 🙂
That’s a good suggestion, thanks 🙂 We don’t actually know our neighbours seeing as we haven’t been here that long, and people usually keep to themselves, but if we see anyone before we leave I’ll be sure to ask 🙂 Thanks for commenting, and Happy Holidays to you too!
Enjoy your trip,and have a merry christmas,I am sure all will be good when you get back,xx Rachel and Speedy
Thank you 🙂 And have a lovely Christmas 🙂
Ah, Christmas trees and cats! The tree is still standing, upright, the baubles though, have been bashed by lots of cat paws but, they are still on the tree.
Oh yes, baubles are the best to bash at! When we’ve had trees up I’ve always made sure to put the more delicate baubles higher up, and the less delicate ones at the bottom. I also like to put ones with bells at the bottom, because it keeps the cats more entertained 😉 Thanks for commenting, and have a lovely Christmas 🙂
My Granny is a volunteer catsitter and she says, that you have to do a reference check, when you hire a catsitter and get an introductory meeting to see how you react on that purrson and …more impawtant…how the cats react..when they neglect her, she is okay…. 😉 Pawkisses for a Merry Christmas 🙂 <3
Thanks for the tips 🙂 We did meet up with her and discuss things so I’m sure all will be fine. It’s in my nature to worry though 😉 A very Merry Christmas to you and your Granny too!
My cats will be eating catnip. 🙂
(Note to the “manager” of Katzenworld – I just posted a writing you might like. It’s called “Shadows in my Soul [Memories of Cats I have known] …” I’d be interested in what you think)
We’ve used a pet sitter a few times. Some are better than others in terms of quality time with the pets, but all cared for them sufficiently (fed, watered, litter cleaned). The best were the ones who came by with their cup of coffee and sat with the pets for awhile. But that’s tough to find. I do always interview & look for someone who is certified.
Ours now get boarded at our cat-only vet’s kennel when we’re away for a week or more. I just need them to have more attention although I don’t think they care so much. I think they like staying in their own home … So pet sitters have the leg up there.
Hope all goes well and you & the kitties have a happy Christmas!
Yes we interviewed ours so I’m sure all will be fine. We did want to board ours but they were fully booked by the time we managed to locate a suitable one. (As I said, we’re new to the area!) Thanks for commenting, and have a great Christmas!
We have had cat sitter, three times, one really good, one ok and one bad.
But after cominf home, the cats have been about one week so near us as possible, they have walked like glued to our feet everywhere, even in the toilet they sat with us. But little by little they believed that we are not disappearing again. So the cats made us stay home or travel with our cats. Happy Christmas to you.
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂 Sampson definitely gets clingy if I’m away for a while, Lola and Elvis don’t seem to be so fussed though. Thanks for commenting! Ja hyvää joulua 🙂
I’ve thought about having a “dog sitter” for Baron but can’t quite get my logical mind to agree with the possibilities. 🙂
It can be quite a daunting situation, that’s for sure! Thanks for commenting 🙂
We were going to do that and go away two days AFTER Christmas, but we didn’t want to leave poor little Tess with the cat sitter. After all, it’s only her second Christmas and she LOVES the tree box!
That’s fair enough – even now I’m a little reluctant to leave (you might have been able to tell… 😉 ) Thanks for commenting and have a great Christmas 🙂
Merry Christmas to you too! 😀
Have a wonderful time! We wish you a glorious holiday and don’t worry about the kitties! They will be fine! xoxo catchatwithcarenandcody
Thank you 😀 And I hope you have a wonderful holiday too!
I do a lot of pet sitting and I spoil the pets like mad! Hopefully, you will get a good pet sitter and the cats will be fine. They will still miss you, but it will be easier if they are having some fun! Have a good holiday!
Thank you for your comment and the reassurance 🙂 I’m sure you are right! I hope you have a great holiday time too 🙂
I have used a few pet sitters in my 40 years of having pets and never had any problems. Both in California and now in NY, they happened to be friends who happened to do pet sitting on the side. Only in one place I lived was it a stranger whose advertisement I found. She was very responsible too.
Oops almost forgot – for a period of about two years while in California I had my own pet-sitting business. I was so eager to reassure you, it actually slipped my mind! I never ran into any problems except in the case of one client whose two dogs fought to the point of bloodying each others. I carried out my responsibilities while she was away but when she returned told her I could no longer pet sit for her.
Thanks for the reassurance and sharing your experiences 🙂 And have a wonderful Christmastime!
I Feel for you! We interviewed several sitters and found one who was a vet tech and bonded and insured. Lots of experience. She’s been a godsend and sends us photos of the kits after she’s visited. We knew she was the right one when they all three came out to meet her: normally two of them hide. She also brings in the mail for us ! A keeper. Hope your experience is just as good.
Yours sounds like a fantastic sitter – if only we could hire her 😉 Thanks for commenting and enjoy the holiday season 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I am sure the kitties will be fine as long as you founf a trust worthy person to care for them.
Thank you. And have a lovely Christmas yourself!
Kats will appreciate indipendence! Go and enjoy! Happy Holidays to you all <3
Ciao
Sid
Thanks! And to you too 🙂
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