For me it comes down to this and in no particular order:
Seeing my dog bond with other people and in turn learning how much our sitters fall for him and his many fun quirky personality traits.
Getting pup-dates (we SO appreciate when sitters send us photos of fun adventures and walks they take our dog on). Sometimes we even learn about new areas to take him to when we return. I especially love the snuggle photos as our dog is Mr. Snuggles (just after he’s Mr. Prancy Pants on walks but before Mr. Feed Me NOW).
Knowing our dog is getting the BEST care and often times is being spoiled way more than during his regular routine with us.
Getting to know our sitters! We absolutely love trying to arrange one meal together before we depart so we can get to know our sitters better. We have met some of the most amazing people and have been so fortunate to keep in touch and see where their adventures take them.
Here’s just a few photos our last sitters sent us while we were away.
Knowing that our cat is in her surroundings with minimal disruption and with people who care for her as well as we do. When it takes her a while to warm up to us when we get back (sometimes she’s lying on the couch and does not react to our arrival even though she sees us, almost disappointed it’s not the sitters) we know she has been in good hands.
Absolutely. Cats are far more independent than dogs and ‘bonding’ isn’t really something cats do. They do what they want when they want whilst a dog ‘needs’ attention particularly when the owner leaves and a sitter takes over.
I’m as pleased as can be when I return and find that the cats are just as diffident but have been cared for as the day I left, all four of them!, all four of them!
@Ken
I disagree cats totally bond with you. I guess it depends on the cats, the person and perhaps the breed.
Our cats are very bonded to us and have bonded really well with some of our exceptional sitters. There was one couple that I think they preferred to us However, that was perfect for us, as we knew they had been treated really well and had had fun with them.
Sure some cats are aloof, but then so are some dogs, just like people it is all down to personalities.
I think you are confusing ‘bonding’ with feeding! Cats will ‘bond’ with the person feeding them.
Try it sometime, the next time you have friends or family staying for more that a couple of days; get them to feed your cats and then see who they ‘bond’ with! They certainly have different personalities ut essentially are extremely independent animals. If you didn’t feed them they would leave and find food elsewhere. A dog, relatively stupid animals when it comes to survival. They would stay and starve!!!
Oh @ken! How could you say such provocative things about dogs? The many, many poor abandoned strays that live around us in our house in Italy are tough survivors and fend for themselves admirably (I wish they didn’t have to but that’s another matter).
@Kelly-Moderator yes, you are spot on about loving the pet sitters. We had so many over the course of Sassy’s lifetime, and many of those are now friends we keep in touch with on a regular basis. They always sent the best pics of her loving the time she had with them…many were just on the sofa snuggled up, but many also outside playing with her favorite soccer ball in the yard. We kept that soccer ball even after she passed and have since moved to a new home and have it in our new backyard. It brings such memories, but so many of those memories have come from the time she spent with our TrustedHousesitters extended family!
It was a general comment about dogs, domestic dogs that is. I know most ‘wild’ animals’ including dogs will somehow survive. It is heartbreaking to see them I know. They obviously live a hard and a shorter life. I have taken in wild cats (I have four now) so I know how you feel.
I disagree about cats bonding with whoever feeds them.
It is me that feeds the cats and I get quite excited when they jump onto my lap. Alas, they just use me as a stepping stone to then sit on Mr Itchyfeet’s lap
Well I didn’t mean my comment to be taken so literally! I feed our cats and they also sit on my wife’s lap. It was more a ‘if they aren’t fed then they will go somewhere else to be fed’ comment.
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However, that was perfect for us, as we knew they had been treated really well and had had fun with them.