We often have people ask us how we handle it if their indoor/outdoor cat won’t come back inside when we come for our next visit. Well, simply put, there’s not really much we can do. Most cats, if they don’t want to come in, won’t allow us to pick them up and carry them in and they only fall for the treat trick once or twice. We always strongly suggest that indoor/outdoor cats be left inside the entire time the client is gone. In most instances this works like a charm but there are exceptions to every rule. Some cats just go bonkers not being allowed outside. In those instances we request that the owner sign a release of liability waiver and we keep our fingers and toes crossed that nothing happens.
I recently received a frantic text from a former team member who moved to Atlanta, GA and started her own pet sitting business. She was on her way to her last visit of the evening when she found her client’s cat dead in the road. She was obviously quite shaken and needed some help on what to do. First, she needed to identify that it was indeed her client’s cat. She was pretty sure, but the scene was pretty grisly. I advised her to call the client’s father who was local to ask for his assistance. The father came over and made a positive identification and then took the cat to the vet to be held until the client came home. The pet sitter then had to make that dreaded call to the client. The client was devastated but was not upset with the pet sitter. This was not caused by negligence on the pet sitter’s behalf.
The sad thing is all of this could have been avoided if the client just left their cat inside while they were gone. We know they love to be outside, but so many things can happen when you aren’t there to let them in and out at their whim. Please keep your pets inside while you are away.
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