10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Cat Sitter

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Cat Sitter

Cats have a funny way of making “just feed them and scoop the litter box” sound simple.

It isn’t.

A good cat sitter needs to notice the little things. Did your cat eat less than usual? Is there less urine in the litter box? Are they hiding somewhere they normally don’t? Did your social butterfly suddenly decide nobody exists?

Those little changes can matter.

Whether you’re leaving for a weekend or heading out on a longer trip, you should feel confident that the person caring for your cat knows what normal looks like, notices when something isn’t quite right, and knows what to do next.

Here are 10 questions we think every cat parent should ask before handing over the keys.

1. Are You Insured, Bonded, and Background-Checked?

This one isn’t glamorous, but it matters.

You’re trusting someone with your cat, your home, your keys, and access to a pretty big part of your life. A professional cat-sitting company should be able to explain how they protect all of those things.

Ask whether the company carries liability insurance and bonding. If they have a team, ask whether the people entering your home are background-checked, trained, and covered under the company’s insurance.

And don’t feel awkward asking for proof. A professional company should expect the question.

At Pink Paws & Purrs, our caregivers are vetted and trained under the same standards, so the level of care doesn’t change depending on whose pink paws walk through your door.

2. What Cat-Specific Training and Experience Do You Have?

Loving cats is a wonderful start. It just isn’t the same thing as knowing how to care for them professionally.

Cats communicate quietly. A tucked posture, different hiding spot, change in appetite, unusual litter box activity, or one very particular tail flick can tell us a lot.

Ask your sitter about experience with:

• Feline body language and signs of fear, stress, pain, or illness

• Shy, fearful, senior, and medically involved cats

• Fear Free or low-stress handling

• Medication administration

• Pet First Aid and CPR

• Recognizing changes in eating, drinking, mobility, behavior, and litter box habits At Pink Paws & Purrs, we combine Fear Free principles, veterinary-care experience,

Pet First Aid and CPR training, and professional cat-care experience.

But one of the most important skills is knowing when not to push.

Your cat doesn’t owe us affection. Our job is to care for them safely and earn their trust on their schedule.

3. What Is Your Emergency Plan?

Nobody wants to imagine something going wrong while they’re away, but this is one question you definitely want answered before you need the answer.

Ask:

• What happens if my cat stops eating or shows signs of illness?

• How and when will you contact me?

• Do you keep my veterinarian’s information and medical authorization on file?

• What happens if my regular sitter suddenly becomes unavailable?

• Who makes decisions if you can’t reach me?

• How would my cat get to a veterinary hospital if necessary?

A professional company should have actual procedures for emergencies, not a plan that begins with, “Well, I guess I’d call you.”

We believe in asking questions, documenting what we see, communicating clearly, and never making assumptions when a cat’s health or safety is involved.

4. What Does Each Visit Include?

This is one of those questions where it’s better to ask than assume.

Cat sitting can mean very different things depending on who is providing the care. Ask what actually happens during a visit and whether the sitter has enough time to follow your cat’s normal routine without rushing through it.

Depending on your cat, a visit might include:

• Meals and fresh water

• Scooping and tidying litter boxes

• Medications, when needed

• Play, brushing, cuddles, or quiet companionship

• Checking appetite, water intake, litter box activity, mobility, and behavior

• Bringing in mail or packages and taking care of a few basic home tasks

• A detailed update with photos after the visit

But here’s the part we think matters most. The visit should look like your cat.

One cat may be waiting at the door with a list of demands. Another may watch from the bedroom while we quietly take care of everything and leave a treat nearby.

Neither visit is less successful.

Good cat care means giving your cat what they need in the way they’re most comfortable receiving it.

5. Can You Accommodate My Cat’s Individual Needs?

Tell the sitter what makes you hesitate before booking.

Maybe your cat needs insulin. Maybe they’re 17 and move a little slower these days. Maybe they hide when anyone new enters the house. Maybe they have very specific opinions about how dinner should be prepared, and heaven help the person who puts the gravy on the wrong side.

Ask about the things that actually matter for your cat.

A professional sitter should be willing to talk honestly about what they can handle, what additional information they need, and whether they need to involve your veterinarian.

At Pink Paws & Purrs, we would rather ask you ten questions than make one assumption about your cat.

Complicated doesn’t mean burdensome. It simply means we need a good plan.

6. How Do You Handle a Cat Who Is Afraid or Doesn’t Want Interaction?

This is a big one.

Ask what happens if your cat hides, hisses, backs away, swats, or simply makes it very clear that today is not the day for friendship.

The answer should never be, “We make them come out.”

A good cat sitter understands that those behaviors are communication. Your cat may be frightened, unsure, overstimulated, uncomfortable, or simply asking for space.

Sometimes the best way to build trust is to sit quietly nearby and do absolutely nothing exciting.

We still complete the care your cat needs. We check food, water, litter box activity, and whatever else is part of their routine. We observe what we can without turning the visit into a confrontation.

If your cat chooses to come closer, wonderful.

If they choose to supervise us suspiciously from underneath the bed, that counts too.

Your cat doesn’t have to love us for us to take excellent care of them. Trust is earned in their time, not ours.

7. Will I Hear From You After Every Visit?

You shouldn’t have to wonder whether your sitter arrived, how your cat is doing, or whether they ate their dinner.

Ask what kind of communication you’ll receive after each visit and what information is included.

At Pink Paws & Purrs, we send photos and a personal update after every visit. We also document the visit so you know your cat was cared for as scheduled.

And we don’t believe every update needs to say, “Everything was perfect!”

If your cat ate less than usual, didn’t use the litter box the way we expected, stayed hidden, vomited, or simply seemed a little different, we’ll tell you.

You know your cat better than anyone. Something we notice may mean nothing, or it may be the little piece of information you needed.

Good communication isn’t about making every visit sound perfect. It’s about helping you know how your cat is actually doing.

8. What Happens If My Regular Sitter Is Unavailable?

Life happens to pet sitters too. People get sick, cars misbehave, and occasionally the universe decides everyone’s schedule needs a little chaos.

The important question is whether there is a plan when that happens.

Ask whether the company has trained backup caregivers and how another sitter would know your cat’s routine, medications, hiding spots, feeding instructions, and all those little details that live inside your home.

This is one of the advantages of working with a professional team. Your cat’s care doesn’t depend entirely on one person being available.

For cats who need more time to trust new people, backup care should be thoughtful too. We don’t believe in introducing a parade of strangers just because we can.

Sometimes that means building a relationship with one sitter first and introducing a backup gradually, so your cat has time to decide that this new human may also be acceptable staff.

9. How Do You Keep My Home and Cat Secure?

Cat sitting means caring for more than the cat in front of us. We’re also being trusted with your home.

Ask how keys or entry codes are handled, how sitters confirm visits, what happens if there is a problem accessing your home, and what security checks are completed before they leave.

A sitter should notice the little things.

Did the door latch completely? Is the cat accounted for before an exterior door opens? Is a window or screen suddenly unsecured? Did someone leave a package where it blocks the door?

And for the escape artists among us, what is the plan for entering and leaving without giving your cat the opportunity to launch Operation Freedom?

Good security isn’t one dramatic precaution. It’s a collection of small habits performed consistently.

We never assume everything is fine. We check.

10. What Happens Before My First Cat-Sitting Visit?

Ask what happens before someone walks into your home for the first time to care for your cat.

We believe good cat care starts before you leave town.

Your sitter should know where the food is, how much your cat eats, what their normal litter box habits look like, where they tend to hide, which doors need extra attention, what medications they take, who their veterinarian is, and what you consider normal for your cat.

But we also want to know the things that don’t fit neatly on a checklist.

Does your cat usually greet you at the door? Do they disappear when the doorbell rings? Will they eat anything placed in front of them, or do they require dinner to be presented according to specifications known only to them?

Those details help us notice when something changes.

For shy, fearful, or medically involved cats, we may also recommend a trial visit before your trip. That gives your cat a chance to meet us without their whole routine changing at once.

The more we know about your cat’s normal, the better we can recognize when something isn’t.

The Right Cat Sitter Should Make You Feel Comfortable Asking Questions

You don’t need to interview a cat sitter like you’re conducting a federal investigation.

But you should feel comfortable asking questions.

A professional sitter should be willing to explain how they care for cats, what happens when something doesn’t go according to plan, and where the limits of their experience are.

And pay attention to the questions they ask you, too.

We want to know about the cat who sleeps on your pillow and the cat we may never actually see. We want to know about medications, favorite hiding spots, weird little routines, what makes your cat nervous, and the one cabinet they have somehow learned to open despite having no thumbs.

Because those details are not extra. Those details are your cat.

If you’re looking for in-home cat care and you’re not sure where to start, tell us about your cat. We can talk through their routine, what makes their care unique, and whether Pink Paws & Purrs feels like the right fit.

Ready to Tell Us About Your Cat?

Every cat has their own routine, preferences, quirks, and very firm opinions about how things should be done. Tell us a little about yours, and we’ll talk through their care needs and whether Pink Paws & Purrs is the right fit.