Description of work:
This is the first time my husband and I needed a pet sitter. Our 10 year old cat Titus was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and requires medication twice a day. We had over an hour interview with the pet sitter and the daughter of the owner of the company, who by the way was 45 minutes late! Not a good sign for a first impression. We sat with the pet sitter, told her it is not easy to give his pill to him, and even offered a gel medication that is much easier to apply. We showed her how to crush the pill and mix it in baby food with canned chicken and place it in his bowl. Sometimes he eats it almost immediately and other times it takes several attempts and patience. Above all, this was the only thing we needed the pet sitter to do, and we reiterated this several times. We have another cat, who does not require daily medication. We have an automatic feeder set up for the mornings and arranged for my aunt to administer Titus' medication and provide wet food in the evening. The pet sitter didn't even have to feed the cats.
My husband and I were already nervous about leaving, and it seemed when the going got tough for the pet sitter she got going...literally! Two days into the contract I got a call on vacation while sitting on the beach that Titus is very stressed and it was taking almost an hour to feed him the pill. She couldn't catch him. The owner's daughter offered an alternative of locking him in a room for the rest of the vacation, 5 more days. We have another cat, that would also be stressed out if they were separated. How will this be less stressful for the cat? I think it was to alleviate stress on the pet sitter. She basically told me that it wasn't working out. This was their alternative. She said they could still come for "playtime" and to clean the litter. Wow, no thanks for $23.00 per visit. You would think they would have experienced pet sitters that can administer medication, even in difficult situations, or at least offer up another pet sitter that could come in. This put a huge damper on our vacation and was highly upsetting to us, as these cats are everything to us. I truly believe that since my aunt was doing the evening shifts, they saw it as an easy way out. She explained that they do not like to use aggression towards the animals, which I also agree with, but she could not even catch a 10 pound cat to give him his medication. Scruffing a cat is not aggressive. My vet showed me how to do that for medication, and this medication was not even that difficult. Talk about being stranded! My husband and I were hundreds of miles away and basically had to try to work out something the best we could with the resources we had. The owner said that it would be best to call my vet to see if it was ok for him to skip his pill once a day. The vet said that it could leave his thyroid unbalanced, but if I had no other choice, it might be ok for a few days. My $46.00 for the two days of service was not charged. Although it was appreciated, we would have rather had the service we were promised! On the phone she mentioned that medicine is not guaranteed, which is not in the contract and was never verbally expressed to us during the interview. I would have never hired them just for that reason. This was one of the worst experiences my husband and I have had to deal with concerning our pets and a care(less)giver, and their alternatives gave us no comfort. I would not recommend this company if your pet has any medical issues. The pet sitter seemed to have little experience with cats and I believe the company should match more experienced pet sitters with the care level that is required and previously agreed to. read more