Would you hire a sitter or board this cat?

[misskalamata]

I would like to take a vacation for a week, but I've been avoiding doing so because of my cat's care. She's 15 with multiple chronic health issues, and she takes multiple pills 3x a day. She is aggressive when touched, and while I've learned to medicate her with relative ease, my family is too afraid to try.

It seems like the best choice, considering her health, would be to board her at the hospital, where she can get the medicine and monitoring she needs. However, she hates the vet and I think she'd be miserable staying there for a week.

Are there pet sitters out there who will deal with aggressive cats needing frequent medication? I know my girl would be much happier at home than at the hospital. But I don't know if there are sitters out there who can meet these kind of needs. What do you all think?

 

[red top rescue]

You should check with your vet and others around to see if there is a vet tech who would be willing to take it on.  Staying at home is generally less stressful for a cat than being in an animal hospital.  Alternatively, there might be a good CATS ONLY boarding facility with an experienced cat person willing to take on her medication.

I had one sitting job that went on for years involving a diabetic cat who was aggressive to most folks including the vet, but had tolerated me as  a sitter for a couple of years and knew me and was not aggressive towards me.  It took a little working out the first time, but he learned that if he wanted to eat breakfast or dinner, he needed to sit in front of his dish and get a quick and painless shot and then food would appear.  I sat for him for years, and now sit for his brother on occasion, who does not have any diseases but doesn't like strangers.