First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘cat sitter’

Living through the credit crunch is difficult enough, but add animals which rely on you for sustenance, a home and veterinary attention, anything that can be done, helps.
It’s a sad fact that many pets are given up or abandoned every day, as animal lovers struggle to cope with today’s financial climate.
This is extremely thorny for pet charities who have look after animals when money is limited, living off on donations to keep their pets in good wellbeing.
Here are a few points which should help make owning a pet on a budget more manageable:
1. Consider every animal cost? Do you need that branded animal food or product? Easier said than done, raise pets up with variety, equally dry and wet, as well as different brands and flavours. Keep an eye on special deals. You can stock up. Think of vouchers, search on the net for some promotions. Buy based on price per pound / Kg, as sometimes, especially with promotions, the smaller pack can be more economical.
2. Wherever possible, pet owners can often club together to buy feed and bedding in bulk, reducing the overall price and passing on savings to all.
3. Vets bills are unknown but still have to be considered. If money’s a little stretched, you may find a lot of Vets will consider spreading the costs, and pay in instalments. If you can, afford it – have or keep pet insurance.
4. Can you modify the way you live? It’s not all about finding ways to keep your pet more cheaply, what about yourself!
5. What about earning some money? Perhaps find a dog walking job Dog Walking as a profession Good companies will require you do it regularly. There is also the possibility of becoming a pet sitter, though professional businesses such as London Pet Sitter will also require you be a London dog walker.
6. Do not forget your other animals, you may have put your cats in a cattery, what about considering a cat sitter? The animal may prefer it and the pet sitters often do other things.
7. Do use external stabling or boarding? Many horses can live quite happily outside for most of the year, just make sure there’s food, water and shelter available. If this is a suitable option for your horse, it could diminish the outlay on stabling greatly.
8. Are you thinking of choosing an animal, please consider taking a pet from a charity, they are suffering at the moment.
Enjoy your pet, they are worth the cost.

How do I go about choosing a new pet for the family? What is the best pet for the household? Well you are starting well by collecting information. This is vital as a pet is for life, so be 100% sure, otherwise do not have a pet.
A bit negative there, but there is such a large choice of pets to pick from, all of them can be pleasurable, but have different advantages and disadvantages. You can pick from a dog, cat, hamster, rat, fish, spider, bird and the list goes on and on.
It is important to involve everyone in the assessment, it needs to be a whole household decision. Due to its significance I propose you discuss and write down your objective for wanting a pet. Add to it on a large sheet of paper, with a column for the pet, some columns to rank each pet. The considerations for a pet include, time (yours), cost (pets are pricey), pet care, space constraint, ability to fuss, interest, collective activity, any phobias, other points.
Pets take time, some have need of more than others. Time hungry animals are those that require regular exercise such as dogs and horses. Dogs evolved from wolves and maintain many of those characteristics. They are used to regularly covering large areas every day to search for food, so most breeds need a minimum an hour or two a day walking. This needs to be part of a regular schedule and done everyday. Other pets may necessitate a lot of grooming, changing water etc. A pet sitter often uses much of their visiting time to grooming long haired cats, though the cat and the sitter enjoy it. You may aspire a specificpet, but do you have the time for him? Be straight with yourself and the potential pet.
Expenditure, consider all expenditure. There is the potential cost of the pet to start with, which for a pedigree pet can be costly. I would strongly advise you to consider adopting a abandoned pet, there are increasing numbers of these now as people are unfortunately discarding them to the pet charities – why not do good and help out? The other starting costs include cages, leads, grooming aids, blankets / beds. After that are the regular pet costs, food, which for a large dog can be substantial. I strongly advise you to have your pet sterilized, many pet specialists and research have shown that you will have less behavioural problems with a neutered animal. There are regular veterinary expenditure such as vaccinations, however some are impossible to plan for. Because of this I strongly recommend you to take out pet insurance, so you can deal with any situations that may occur. There are also regular costs for flea treatment etc. These costs mount up.
Is your house large enough for the animal? Some animals can be exciting, but you may not be able to fuss them, what is the key for you? No animal has everything. Can you pick up the animal? Rats are remarkably fascinating, but some people hate the scaly tail, or the idea of one.
You may want to review the summary paper, you may not have the time for walking the dog during the week due to work pressures, but this may pay for a professional dog walker. Not enough space for the horse, use stables, but watch the cost.
So once you have identified a type of animal, there are lots of diverse types and breeds to choose from, looking at hamsters there are five basic types, with very different characteristics. There is also the choice of how many, some animals are better off single, others as a pair because they must have the company. Then there is the choice of sex, some animals have very different behaviour between the male and female. Male rats are less active than females and urinate more.
Final steps, I would suggest you to organise a pet test drive. Find someone with a similar pet, that you can borrow for a few days, or even be a pet sitter for them during the summer vacations. Talk to the owner about the expenditure, the work that is needed, and do not forget the pleasure that the animal gives. An alternative is to do some animal charity work.
Pet breeders and dog trainers are exceptionally knowledgeable, so visit and talk with them.
I hope this helps, go and enjoy a new pet.

Pet sitting for some individuals is a great job, for others it would be totally out of place. A great pet sitter requires to adore animals, all animals. It is not just a need, it should be a natural love. Whether it is a rabbit, guinea pig or one that some individuals may fear. Normal pet issues for potential pet sitters are scorpions, spiders, lizards, snakes and reptiles. In a larger company, they may be able to handle this, but typically pet sitting is a small business with only two or three people, so you will need to handle these animals as a pet sitter. Happily these animals require minimal care, but as a pet sitter you will still need to feed and water them. Often the owner may require the pet sitter to give small live animals to the pet. In my experience other animals that cause possible problems for pet sitters include rats, “I don’t like the scaly tail”, especially as the rats and owners adore the frequent fussing and handling of the animal.

The requirement for pet sitters is normally normally during the major holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving and summer holidays. There is also a demand for pet sitters at weekends year round the year. Because of this seasonality, pet sitting frequently includes dog walking which is often required all year.

Dog walking in a first-rate pet sitting business will limit the maximum number of dogs to four or less. Superior companies such as London dog walking will give you T-shirts, sweaters and rain protection. This is of common benefit, as the free outfits are branded, dog walking is one of the best adverts for their pet sitting services. You will not however be allowed to have these on view when pet sitting, as it will announce that the owners are away on vacation. Though one of the benefits of pet sitting with someone entering and exiting and doing other things such as emptying the mail box, reduces the likelihood of burglary.

Pet sitting often requires the pet sitter to do other tasks around the house. A pet sitter will often look after the garden and indoor plants. Pet sitters habitually look after cats, who due to their territorial origins, rarely like being separated from their home. Cat lovers dislike the separation from their loved pets, so companies such as London cat sitting will place photos and comments on their web site for the pet owners.

Good companies such as London pet sitters and clients demand that a pet sitter be police checked as they are often visiting homes alone

So pet sitting is a wonderful job for those whom it fits, try it!

Domestic long hair cat is a term used to explain a standard cat with medium or long hair. They come in all variants of colour including, tortoiseshell, tabby, smoke, bi-coloured. Due to the mixed lineage they typically have a great character. The domestic longhair each have their own individual entity that will be moulded in their early stages by their owners and surroundings. Frequent attention and petting will more likely lead to a friendly, home loving cat. The mixed lineage also means they come in a wide variety of body shapes and sizes, ranging from 10 to 20 pounds ( four to 8 kilograms) however the males are typically larger.
The long hair comes from a recessive gene, so you can see short hair offspring from long hairs and vice versa from a domestic short hair.
Cat sitters love them for their long hair, but this results in them not being able to look after their own coats, so need to be brushed daily. This is a key part of cat care. Frequently experts advise that the domestic longhair be bathed every week or two. However many others believe that if they are regularly groomed and they do not venture outside that this is not needed.
Bathing is difficult with a cat, unless it is introduced as part of regular routine to a young kitten.
The extremely long haired cats are very prone to matting, especially if they go outside. This can become so bad that they grow “wings”. The worst places for matting are under the legs and arms. This will irritate the cat and hamper his movements and on a cat that often goes outside, may result in him being caught in bushes or trees. The cats forcing away, can result in bald patches and sometimes injuries.  If the cat develops such matting, the use of a de-matting comb should detangle it. The cat may not like grooming, but regular combing will remove the mat and stop them reforming.
New domestic longhair owners may feel tempted to cut the matted fur away using scissors, rather than combing it out. Caution with doing this, as it is difficult to distinguish the hard-matted fur from the skin and flesh of the cat. If inclined to do this, take care, little by little and cutting away from the cat. There are special grooming electric clippers, but these need care as well. If in doubt, take the cat to a professional groomer or the vet. Many professional cat sitters such as London pet sitting will demat the cat as part of their regular visits.
The matted fur and uncleaned skin in the area can contain a lot of bacteria, so if you do cut the cat here, be sure to clean up the wound thoroughly to avoid infection.

  How do I go about choosing a new pet for the family? What is the best pet for the household? Good start by collecting information. This is critical as a pet is for life, so be 100% sure, otherwise do not have a pet.
A bit negative there, but there is such a large choice of pets to choose from, all of them can be fun, but have different pluses and negatives. You can decide from a dog, cat, hamster, rat, reptile, spider, snake and the list goes on and on.
You need to involve all and sundry  in the choice, it needs to be a whole household decision. Due to its significance I advise you talk about and commit to paper your purpose for desiring a pet. Add to it on a large sheet of paper, with a column for the pet, some columns to rank each pet. The considerations for a pet include, time (yours), cost (pets are pricey), pet care, space requirement, aptitude to fuss, interest, collective activity, any phobias, other points.
Pets take time, some necessitate more than others. Time hungry animals are those that have need of regular exercise such as dogs and horses. Dogs evolved from wolves and still have many of those characteristics. They are used to regularly covering large areas every day to search for food, so most dog breeds have need of at least an hour or two a day walking. This should be part of a regular schedule and done everyday. Other pets may require a lot of grooming, changing water etc. A cat sitter often uses  much of their visiting time to grooming long haired cats, though the cat and the sitter enjoy it. You may want a specific  animal, but do you have the time for him? Be straight with yourself and the potential pet.
Expenditure, think of expense. There is the purchase cost, which for a pedigree pet can be expensive. I would strongly advise you to consider taking a rescue pet, there are more and more of these now as families are unfortunately abandoning them to the pet charities – why not do good and help out? The other starting costs include cages, leads, grooming aids, blankets / beds. After that are the regular pet costs, food, which for a large per can be substantial. I strongly recommend you to have your pet sterilized, many pet specialists and research have shown that you will have less behavioural issues with a sterilized animal. There are routine veterinary expenditure such as vaccinations, however some are difficult to plan for. For this reason I strongly propose you to take out pet insurance, so you can manage with any situations that may occur. There are ongoing costs for flea treatment etc.  These costs mount up.
Do you have the space for the animal? Some animals can be interesting, but you may not be able to fuss them, what is the most important for you? No animal has everything. Can you handle the pet? Rats are exceptionally exciting, but a few people hate the scaly tail, or the idea of one.
You should to revisit the summary table, do you have the time for walking the dog during the week due to work pressures, but this may pay for a regular dog walker. Not enough space for the horse, use stables, but watch the cost.
So once you have identified a type of pet, there is often a huge variety of different types and individual species to decide on, taking hamsters there are five basic types, with very different characteristics. There is also the choice of numbers, some animals are better off single, others as a pair because they need the company. Then there is what sex, some animals have very different behaviour between the male and female. Male rats are lazier than females and urinate more.
After all of these decisions, I would recommend you to take the pet for a test drive. Find someone with a similar pet, that you can borrow for a few days, or even be a pet sitter for them during the summer vacations. Talk to the owner about the expenditure, the work that is required, and do not forget the pleasure that the pet gives.  An alternative is to do some animal charity work. 
Pet breeders are exceptionally knowledgeable, so visit and talk with them.
I hope this helps, go and enjoy a new pet.