Pet Sitting For Diabetic Cat?

[Violet&Pippin]

Hi there, my partner and I are going to be out of town for some point this year, and the sitter we’ve previously used (found through Rover) moved away. We have a good amount of time to find another before we leave, but it’s pretty difficult to find someone through Rover who’s good with diabetic cats.

My question is: what does everyone else do when they go out of town and need a cat sitter for their pet? Is Rover a good option for drop-ins and giving food/insulin? Or should I maybe look into boarding my sugar kitty for more controlled care? I know boarding can be tough on cats, but is it better to board diabetic cats with a vet to make sure their care is being handled well? Any guidance would be appreciated!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Our first sugar cat just loved the car so we got lucky there. Our second, Noah, was a nervous wreck who hid behind the furnace when the wind blew so having a stranger come in was not an option. We had to board him at our vet just once and he came home with better numbers and even gained some weight.
This is what I had to do first;
-I was almost condescending to the staff but they had to know because he was so nervous he had to be picked up quickly, kept low to the floor and dealt with as quickly as possible. It's almost like reading the riot act to a nanny which can backfire but it had to be done.
-His PM numbers were always low so I always gave him 2/3 of what the meter called for. The clinic agreed with my "logic" and it all worked out.
-Paid extra for a double wide dog size crate just so he'd be comfortable.
-It doesn't apply to everyone but Noah came with a DNR. He was old and in poor health and if anything happened that the vet couldn't deal with it would have been an hour in the car to emergency. I always gave poor Noah a 50/50 chance of dying in the car one day (he was that nervous) and that made sense to the vet.
Professional pet sitters can deal with a lot but nothing beats having a doctor right there.
If by chance you're anywhere in or west of Toronto PM me for that vet's name and a second option. Good luck.

 

[Violet&Pippin]

Our first sugar cat just loved the car so we got lucky there. Our second, Noah, was a nervous wreck who hid behind the furnace when the wind blew so having a stranger come in was not an option. We had to board him at our vet just once and he came home with better numbers and even gained some weight.
This is what I had to do first;
-I was almost condescending to the staff but they had to know because he was so nervous he had to be picked up quickly, kept low to the floor and dealt with as quickly as possible. It's almost like reading the riot act to a nanny which can backfire but it had to be done.
-His PM numbers were always low so I always gave him 2/3 of what the meter called for. The clinic agreed with my "logic" and it all worked out.
-Paid extra for a double wide dog size crate just so he'd be comfortable.
-It doesn't apply to everyone but Noah came with a DNR. He was old and in poor health and if anything happened that the vet couldn't deal with it would have been an hour in the car to emergency. I always gave poor Noah a 50/50 chance of dying in the car one day (he was that nervous) and that made sense to the vet.
Professional pet sitters can deal with a lot but nothing beats having a doctor right there.
If by chance you're anywhere in or west of Toronto PM me for that vet's name and a second option. Good luck.

Thank you so much for this! This is good advice. We might look into boarding, Pippin can get kind of nervous and like you said, having a doctor right there might be best.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Last year we had to go to a "no one wants to be here" family thing. First our sitter bailed on us in a three word text. Our next option was a huge place not far away that even had an in-ground pool for dogs. Suddenly they were closed for renovations and then the dreaded Closed Permanently went up on their website. I had driven by a place called the Cat's Castle a hundred times not really knowing what they did and it looked like a dump. It was not a dump and they took all five of our boys instantly, real life savers. It was super-happy-fun-time cramming five cats into a car on a hot day but it all worked out.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I would check with your vet to see if one of the vet techs does petsitting on the side.

One option I've frequently seen is to post a note on the Nextdoor app or via their website (nextdoor.com). If you're not familiar with the site, you specify your neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods. People often post asking about recommendations for a plumber, lawn services, vets, or petsitters.

 

[Howiesmom]

Just wanted to chime in with my experience. I boarded Howie at my vet’s boarding lodge. Because he needed extra care, they charged me as a “hospital patient” even though he could stay in the kittie condo room. I wrote them a “manual” of how to care for Howie and was very specific about his meal times and insulin. I would get him back and his BGs wee a mess. I learned that they couldn’t/wouldn’t accommodate his timing needs and so they just fed and gave insulin before they left (mornings weren’t so much of a problem). Their departure time was his nadir. I raised a little hell with them, and especially with the vet in charge of the lodge since I was paying for a hospital stay.

I lucked out and found an amazing pet sitter just by doing a search on Facebook. She had never dealt with a diabetic cat but was willing to learn. He does much better staying at home and her coming in twice a day to test, feed, shoot. I know that’s not everyone’s experience but am so grateful I found her. My mind is more at ease than when he was at the lodge.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would be a bit apprehensive about boarding as they often are not there 24 hours a day which is something that worried me.
Personally I would look for a pet sitter who you can train up and who your kitty can get used to and the kitty can be in their own home.
We recently had someone who had to go to the UK twice and she had to find a pet sitter when the first one fell through very late just before she had to leave. She managed to find a very reliable person and all went well. She left an extensive document about what to do if this or that happened. She recently went back to the Uk again and had to find another sitter which she has done successfully.

If you have the time, I would ask around and see if you could find a sitter.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I have boarded diabetic cats twice. The first time was with a cats only boarding facility. The owner was previously a vet tech at the clinic I used. When Witn was boarded with her, the owner took her home in the evenings to make sure she stayed on schedule.

Unfortunately when I had to board Witn a second time the person no longer owned the previous facility. So I boarded Witn and Spot at the vet. Because they recently assigned me to a new vet in the office who did not share my opinion on home testing, I did not fully trust her for caring for my cats. The rest of the vets and staff I did trust. I wrote out very explicit instructions about testing and each cats dose with a note that any changes had to be approved by me first. I also provided them with each cats meter that they were to use for testing. The techs did everything I asked for.