Call vet offices in your area and ask for a recommendation for a
catsitter. Vet offices have a reputation to uphold, and therefore a
stake in who they refer, and have to make sure the services they
recommend honest and reliable. Get several references from any potential
catsitters you interview and check them all. It would be extremely
irresponsible to leave your cats alone for several days with nobody
checking on them (and having to use a dirty litterbox.) Many things can
happen and even a day could mean the difference between a live cat and a
dead one.

I am a professional catsitter and just yesterday a cat I'm caring for
got sick and I ended up taking her to an internal medicine specialist
where she is at this very moment hospitalized with a feeding tube and an
IV. What would have happened to her if she had been that sick for days
with nobody to help her? I've had a couple of instances where a cat I
was caring for developed a urinary blockage. Fortunately in each
instance I was very aware of what was going on in the litterbox and the
cats behavior and was able to get him to a vet immediately. If any of
those cats had been left alone for several days they'd be dead now. Any
number of other things can happen-fires or break-ins for example.

At the very minimum you should have someone come in at least once a day.
I refuse to accept jobs where someone wants me to come every other day.
My cats require a lot of specialized care and the few times I have had
to go out of town I have paid someone not only to care for my cats twice
a day, but to live at my house as well.

It is in the best interests of your cats and worth the peace of mind to
know that they are being looked after every day while you're gone.
Hiring a catsitter is the best and safest option.

Megan.

                                   

Part of the duties of a sitter is to ensure your pets have adequate food
and water.

Ideally, this would be someone you know. If not, checking references
isn't much good... because no one in their right mind provides
references that don't have good things to say.

Word of mouth works well, talk to other pet owners in your area.

On the other hand, your cats might be just fine for 2 - 3 days with an
adequate supply of water & food. It very much depends on the nature of
your cats and whether they have any medical conditions.

I have successfully left mine alone for 3 days. She was much better left
alone at home than being boarded. Adequate supply of water was supplied
by a drinking fountain and bowls of food left in the house.

It is a rare event this happens... she was left alone once in 5 years.

We JUST got an automatic feeder. It is called "PetMate" and it has
compartments for 5 feedings, a timer, and a space underneat the feeder
for ice packs. We use it because Dudley will wake up around 5am
SCREAMING for food. This way, he gets the food and we dont have to wake
up! :)

very happy with her feeder,
pam

I have never used automatic feeders because I think it is important to
monitor the amount of intake.  I use canned cat food, but it is important
even with dry food to be able to observe any change in eating habits.  I did
attempt an automatic waterer, but Holly quickly turned it into a toy, and I
had a small lake surrounding the waterer where she scooped the water out and
threw it in all directions.

Please do not even consider leaving your cats alone for more than one day.
It's true that many cats have been left alone for several days, with no ill
effects.  However, it's also true that an emergency can arise and there
would be no one to take action.  I recently saw for myself how quickly that
can happen even to a very healthy and active cat (fortunately, I was home).
I noticed Holly limping one morning.  There had been no previous signs, and
I couldn't see anything wrong -- she is a solid black cat, including the
pads, so it it very difficult to see.  The vet finally found what looked
like a slight cut and prescribed antibiotics and pain med.  The next day,
Holly was obviously in intense pain.  The pad was now badly swollen.  This
time, the vet used gas to anesthetize her so he could probe the wound.  Pus
flew from the pad as soon as he began probing, and he discovered an absess.
This means that Holly had had a wound for some time but had shown no signs
(cats are notorious for hiding pain).  However, the injury progressed so
much overnight that she would have been in great distress if I had not seen
the change and immediately returned to the vet.  It is very important to
have someone come in to feed and water your cats but also to spend some time
with them and observe their actions.

I use a pet sitter every summer when I go on vacation.  I contacted several
references (and fortunately knew several of them) and had the pet sitter
come to my house in advance so she and my cats could become familiar with
each othr.  She becomes "another me" when I am gone -- she comes in twice a
day, changes food and water, cleans the litter boxes, plays with the cats,
brings in mail and papers, and even spends some time at the kitchen table
having a cup of coffee and watching the birds outside the kitchen window.
Incidentally, I later learned that she also checked *me* out at the same
time I was checking her references.  She is just as careful about the homes
she visits and the type of care people give their cats as I am about who I
wanted to invite into my home to care for Holly and Duffy.

MaryL

Forget the automatic feeders- they're only programmable for 1, 24-hour
period and they could malfunction. If you have a friend, which I doubt, ask
them to feed and check in on your cats a few times a day.  Otherwise, hire a
NAPPS certified, bonded and insured pet sitter:
http://www.petsitters.org/Find/findsitter.cfm

Company: Lock and Leave Ltd.
Phone: (480) 219-0939
Fax:
City: Scottsdale
State: AZ
E-mail: marstonscott@cox.net
Web Site: LockandLeave.com
Animals Cared For: Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Small Animals
Other Services: Daily Dog Walks, Overnight Care, Pet Taxi Service,
Plant/Home Care

Company: Pick Of the Litter Pet Sitting
Phone: (480) 248-6680
Fax:
City: Scottsdale
State: AZ
E-mail: ProfessionalAnimalLover@yahoo.com
Web Site:
Animals Cared For: Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Small Animals
Other Services: Daily Dog Walks, Overnight Care, Plant/Home Care, Live-In
Care

I use them every day.  Keep them both filled, etc.  I have five cats and have
gone out of town for two weeks and everyone was fine when I got home.  I have
the large ones.  Of course the litter boxes were overflowing...