Time for a cat sitter?

[Szewan]

So my newly adopted ginger tabby boy Pancake has been with me for a month now. We have been adjusting to each other (I never owned cats - or any real pets actually). I would say we are both doing quite well . I had adjusted myself to go to bed earlier since he would start waking me up between 5 and 6 am (used to be 3 am so it is a big improvement!) and I am sure being a 6.5 yo cat, he has been trying hard to adjust to his new life with me too.

I work all day and I live by myself. I am thinking of introducing a cat sitter at this point. Maybe 1-2 times per week so when I travel in the future, Pancake will have someone whom he is already familiar with to hang out with, plus I want Pancake to have someone to play with during the day, so he feels less bored and maybe being more active during the day will help him sleep better at night. I already identified an experienced cat sitter in my neighborhood.

Is it too early for Pancake? He just started to feel more bonded with me. I don’t want him to be stressed out by introducing yet another ‘stranger’ to his life. What do you think? He’s not a super fearful cat but of course as a normal cat, he is timid of strangers. And having been abandoned 5 years after adoption as a baby, then in foster care for more than 1 year, he rightfully needs reassurance that he’s in a safe and stable place now.

God I wish he can give me his permission directly without me guessing!

 

[neely]

Is it too early for Pancake? He just started to feel more bonded with me. I don’t want him to be stressed out by introducing yet another ‘stranger’ to his life. What do you think?

As long as you are with him when the pet sitter comes I think it's a great idea. You can get a firsthand feel for how Pancake responds and the sitter can get to know your ginger boy. I would take it slow and have the sitter come back in a week or so to interact with him. Best of luck, please keep us updated on your progress.

 

[fionasmom]

He is very lucky that you are concerned about his happiness. I think that if the sitter comes in as a friend it will be natural for Pancake to accept that person when you are away.

 

[catlover73]

I am very lucky that my cat sitter is also a close friend. She has been around my cats hanging out with us in our home. My cats know her. Until recently my oldest cat a female named Starbuck would hide from anyone but us. We did show our cat sitter her hiding places. This became necessary when we were on a 7 day cruise in 2016. My catsitter would find Starbuck to make sure she was ok but did not force interaction with her. My other 3 cats all hang out with my cat sitter it does not matter if we are home or traveling. My cat sitter is an experienced cat owner who has many shy kitties of her own. Starbuck one day decided she wanted pets from my cat sitter. Now she will interact with my cat sitter when we are home or away. My cat sitter has cats that I never see when I go to her house too. I think my cat sitter knowing that time and patience were needed to allow Starbuck to make the decision to ask for attention. My point is if Pancake is shy try to find a sitter who has personal experience dealing with shy cats. My cat sitter has experience socializing feral cats.

 

[Willow's Mom]

I think you are wonderful for thinking about these things and being able to put yourself in Pancake's shoes. My Willow is a very sociable little kitten but not all cats take well to strangers. You are wise to introduce him to the sitter now instead of right before (or even after) you leave for your vacation.

I've seen people do that and even consider it "normal".

I don't have a sitter yet because one of my dogs has separation anxiety, but I intend to do exactly what you're doing: have the sitter come by and visit the same way and for about the same amount of time a friend might drop by for a visit the first time.

Once a week should be plenty. You can go at Pancake's pace the same way you would with a human child: the first visit you stay with Pancake and the sitter and then you slowly move to a "mother's helper" situation where you are physically on the premises while the sitter is there, but in another room busy with your own thing (paying the bills, cleaning, writing a novel, discovering a cure for cancer, etc.) and when Pancake is comfortable with that, you can start stepping outside to water the plants while the sitter is there, then running to the store for a few items, and when Pancake is ready, you can leave him alone with the sitter for the whole hour.

When that's a normal part of Pancake's life, it's going to make things so much easier for him when you go on vacation. Not everybody wants to make the effort or spend the money to do this, but don't you let them make you feel bad or "weird" for being an exemplary pet parent whose priorities are in the right place.

Pancake is lucky to have you. I wish all cats who need homes could find people like you.

 

[KittyCat Angel]

~ Maybe it's luck but my friend sometimes leaves her cat with me when she travels. My cats seem to like the company .