Caring for Cats on Medication

Most cat owners will have to face looking after a sick cat at some stage during their cat’s life. This may be a one off illness or they may end up on regular medication. If they have had an operation it could even mean follow up trips to the vet.

But what happens if you need to go away or have a holiday booked? Many owners can be reluctant to leave a sick cat, but sometimes they have no choice. Cancelling a holiday at the last minute can incur charges. Or sometimes things just crop like an important family event or a last minute business trip that can’t be changed.
Increasingly, people are turning to professional pet sitters to come and stay in their home, to take care of their pets and keep the home safe and secure when they go away.

If your cat is on medication or needs a follow up trip to the vet, most in-home pet sitters are happy to give medication, including injections, as directed by the owner and will be happy to take your pet to the vets if required.
One couple that have been using homesitters to look after their cat and pet dog, are Lord and Lady Lester from Herne Hill in London. The couple, a barrister and an immigration judge, typically take a long break in the summer and several shorter trips throughout the year.

Previously, Lady Lester’s mother used to look after the house and pets when they went away but when this became difficult, they needed to find an alternative.
On the recommendation of a neighbour they contacted Homesitters Ltd, a national home and pet sitting company with over 35 years’ experience looking after people’s homes and pets. They liked the fact that all the homesitters have been vetted by the company and are fully insured. Plus the homesitter is never away from the house for more than three hours when they are on assignment so the pets get lots of attention.

The couple told us, “Knowing our home and pets are always safe and secure when we are away gives us peace of mind. Over the years, we’ve met some wonderful homesitters and we always welcome them back. They know us and our routines and they love the animals. We used to have a diabetic cat that needed insulin administering every day but we were confident our homesitter would care for him as we did”.
Another couple, Susan and Surojit Ghosh from London have been using homesitters for around 15 years, firstly to look after one cat, Pepsi who has since sadly died, and now two part Bengal kittens, called Sprite and Scampi.

Initially, the couple used homesitters once or twice a year when they went on their summer holiday and when they travelled to India at Christmas to see family. However, when Surojit was posted to Hong Kong for work the service really came into its own.

Susan was still based in London but used to travel to Hong Kong for five or six weeks at a time and they relied on homesitters to look after Pepsi and their home.
In Pepsi’s last year she was unwell and needed regular medication but Susan was able to go away and leave Pepsi in the care of homesitters with whom she was familiar and who were fond of her.

The couple said, “We had homesitters who were former cat owners and had given medication to cats before, so were comfortable with the situation and knew how to deal with it. We felt reassured that Pepsi was in safe hands and that she wouldn’t feel we had abandoned her because she was with people she knew.”

Having a homesitter can make going away that little bit easier for you and your pet. You are reassured that your home and pets are in safe hands and your pet will be happy to stay in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. This is even more important if you have an elderly cat or dog, or one that needs medication.

If you need someone to look after your cat that is experienced in giving medication give Homesitters a call on 01296 630 730 or visit www.homesitters.co.uk