Going on vacation. Cat will hide from pet sitter

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Melissa R

Melissa R

Member Since 2017
Hi Everyone!

So I have a bit of a dilemma. I will be going away on vacation/work meeting end of July for 5 days. I will have a pet sitter coming in 2 x day to feed our 2 cats, but the problem is our Diabetic girl Roxy always hides when we have sitters come in. In the past it didn't matter, but now that she is diabetic and we are giving her insulin shots morning and night I am a little worried. Our Vet said it wasn't the end of the world if she missed a couple days. What is your input?
 
Is boarding an option? I always board Leo at the vets to make sure he's able to get all his meds. Leo runs from people who come in to the house if he doesn't know them so it would be too difficult for the pet sitter. It also stresses him out to have someone he doesn't know well trying to catch him. It's stressful at the vets too but he is used to all the people who work there and I know for sure he gets his meds.
 
You could try and have the sitter lure the cat out with shaking a bag of high carb treats and actually giving a few each time. My cats used to willingly arrive anywhere they thought a treat bag was about to be opened. Boo had a tendency to go nap somewhere that I physically couldn;t get to him. I use to lure him with about 10 pieces of his kibble leftover from pre-diet switch. Now he just shows up willingly after hearing the test kit being unzippered. But those high carb kibble and treats are good to lure most cats I would think.
 
Thanks for the responses. I am not 100% sure on her BG numbers, she was just diagnosed last week after Vet did blood test to confirm. We have her on 1 unit which 0.01ml 2 times a day. She goes for a follow up blood test next Friday so I will be sure to ask what her BG level in actually at. I know the Vet offers boarding, but I think she would go into a state of depression being there for 5 days, and without her big brother Bailey Cat. No history of DKA/Ketones
 
I would have to board Noah at our vet. He's too nervous to look out the window, no joke. Just trying to give some moral support.
 
I was in this very same boat 2 weeks ago...Jimmy hides behind chair when anyone comes over (including the sitter who has been over a few times in the past). He is a big ole 2o lb scaredy cat.

We had only been doing this dance for a few weeks before going away for 4 days. I talked with vet about an amount that we felt safe giving him without testing. There was no way the pet sitter would be able to test him - and I even had to face the possibility that he may get none. Yes, dicey, about injecting with no PS but based on his tests I felt comfortable with the decided upon amount of insulin. I looked in to boarding and was ready to bring him in 3 hours prior to my flight - but ultimately decided he would be more comfortable at home. It turned out to be right decision.

Jimmy is very food motivated by chicken - so I had boiled up a bunch of chicken breast and cut it up for the sitter to use. When she came over she let Jimmy stay behind the chair and brought the wet food and the chicken to him. She didn't try and drag him out or touch him until he showed interest in the food. Once he started eating she was able to lean in and give him the injection in the scruff. He didn't even flinch. (Again, he's food motivated. I suggest finding something that really entices him. Tuna, chicken, etc.) This was a shock to me - because he didn't like when I tried to shoot him there. I give it to him on his sides. But - it worked for her. For 4 days, twice a day, this is what she did. He did not come out from behind the chair at all when she came over. When we got home in the PM - I immediately tested him and his numbers while in the 300s were in line with what he was showing prior to being away. I immediately went back up to the dose prior to leaving.

My advice, test your brains out until the day before you leave and make a decision then based on Roxy's progress up to that point.

One other thing I did was purchase blink from Amazon so I could keep an eye on how much he was eating/using litter, etc. in between sitter visits. This really gave me peace of mind - knowing he wasn't hiding 24/7 behind the chair. But following his usual routine until he heard the door open. I'm not sure how helpful this is - but you know your cast best and will right the right decision for both of you.
 
This would be a leap of faith/trust for some people. We have been seeing the same vet for 15 years, big office, all women, lots of techs who just graduated and are maybe living at home. You trust them with your cat's lives so what if you said "Live in my house, don't party or burn it down, food in the fridge, here's a printout of cat's routine. I'm not 20 anymore so I don't know how that would go over. I know I'd rather do that and fork over $1,000 than the call the second to last cat sitter we had who "forgot" to come here. We had Nigel with us and were only an hour away but really? There was no Yelp back then. NEGATIVE FIVE STARS!!! Go ahead, sue me and see what happens.
 
Hi Melissa,
It seems from your replies that you're not doing at home glucose testing.
It's because of the glucose testing that I feel more confident in knowing how my cat will react to food and insulin versus without it.
Because I give her the Fancy feast one ingredient salmon treats when we test 4 times a day (since we just got diagnosed a week and a half ago), she comes running to me if I pick up her testing kit. I am confident if anyone picked up her testing kit she would go to them, lol. She LOVES those treats.
Start your spreadsheet (That they have here, it's all easy to use) when you start home testing. By July you'll be able to identify trends and better and more confidently know if this is a sitter or vet boarding situation.
If you need links to the spreadsheet or the how to test at home stuff let the board know! They are really great at helping here!
 
Noah & me said:
This would be a leap of faith/trust for some people. We have been seeing the same vet for 15 years, big office, all women, lots of techs who just graduated and are maybe living at home. You trust them with your cat's lives so what if you said "Live in my house, don't party or burn it down, food in the fridge, here's a printout of cat's routine. I'm not 20 anymore so I don't know how that would go over. I know I'd rather do that and fork over $1,000 than the call the second to last cat sitter we had who "forgot" to come here. We had Nigel with us and were only an hour away but really? There was no Yelp back then. NEGATIVE FIVE STARS!!! Go ahead, sue me and see what happens.
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My response was my experience. ECID. Our sitter is a specialist with FD. But we ( vet and sitter) discussed in depth how to handle the situation that was best for Jimmy. I am offering up my experience. Boarding is always an option. But in Jimmy's case based on prior experience we made a decision together that was in the best interest for him. Collaboration yielded good results in Jimmy's case. You too, will make the right decision for both of you.
 
Noah & me said:
This would be a leap of faith/trust for some people. We have been seeing the same vet for 15 years, big office, all women, lots of techs who just graduated and are maybe living at home. You trust them with your cat's lives so what if you said "Live in my house, don't party or burn it down, food in the fridge, here's a printout of cat's routine. I'm not 20 anymore so I don't know how that would go over. I know I'd rather do that and fork over $1,000 than the call the second to last cat sitter we had who "forgot" to come here. We had Nigel with us and were only an hour away but really? There was no Yelp back then. NEGATIVE FIVE STARS!!! Go ahead, sue me and see what happens.
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I'm sorry you got burned. Finding a trustworthy sitter is difficult. But there are good people out there who are passionate and good souls. Alas, It is a leap.
 
@Susan G We have a keeper now. Absolute heart of gold. We live in the burbs where the population has exploded and we still depend on the neighboring city for their used buses, our "hospital" only had x-rays until 5 years ago, and we wait hours for help for possums hit by cars, half dead birds etc. She has been badgering the mayor for 10 years to develop a better system and she finally did it, no gratitude needed, no one seems to know it was all her doing. I told her once she needs to start charging more, she wouldn't do it. Our Angel!
 
Melissa R said:
Our Vet said it wasn't the end of the world if she missed a couple days. What is your input?
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AlphaCat said:
Hi Melissa,
It seems from your replies that you're not doing at home glucose testing.
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Something's not adding up here. Melissa, are you home testing? And yes, it could be the end of the world if she missed a couple of days. Sorry to be so brutal. You wouldn't be here unless you loved Roxy and Bailey right? We are not the village elders scolding you and then you think "Screw that, I'll find another forum". If Roxy is depressed without Bailey you could board them together. The end of July still leaves you room to decide and Roxy's condition could change a lot in that time, for the better too. Don't get too worked up yet and please don't think I'm a cranky old man. Keep posting how she's doing, her numbers, curves etc. You're not alone in this. :bighug:
 
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