9 Reasons Why Cats Need Daily Pet Sitter Visits—and Not Lose All 9 Lives!

Cats just love doing their own thing, whenever, wherever, all by themselves. Everything seems to be on their own terms. They may be independent, self-sufficient, and can land and stand on all fours, but obviously, they can’t pick up the phone to call you to come over, fix themselves some chow, get their own water, and clean up their own mess.

You probably think that you can save more than a few bucks by having cat sitting visits every other day or longer, but don’t dare break Murphy’s Law. Anything can and do happen within the 24-hour period. Unless your cat is one of the video game characters with unlimited tries and 1-ups, he or she only has one life per lifetime.

Game over. Period.

This is why I recommend a minimum of one daily visit or at least two visits or, better yet, overnight/live-in sitting for multicat households, senior cats, and cats with special needs.

My colleague Yolanda Nix of Vital Visits lists vital reasons why our feline friends—not just pooches—also need some TLC sits. She also shows what typically happens during overnight sitting, especially overnight cat sitting, one of my specialties.

Yet another colleague, like the majority of pet sitters, agrees that pets need daily visits, and it’s not about the money at all!

For safety, once-daily visits also apply to domestic pets other than cats.

Here are more reasons that you simply can’t ignore for daily cat sitting visits:

1. Cats are domesticated, social animals.

They’re used to human companionship. As creatures of habit, they much prefer to stay where they’ve been living. They like to keep the same familiar surroundings and routine. Anything that disrupts this regularity is upsetting to them, so the only best place to be for them is home, sweet home!

2. Cats have anxiety, too!

This happens when there’s no one to keep them company, entertained, and stimulated. Cats need playtime as much as—if not more than—dogs do.

3. Cats are bona fide clean freaks!

If filthy bathrooms or restrooms gross you out, then you should know why cats hate dirty litter boxes. The more often they’re cleaned, the better! This is particularly true in multicat households. I know some cats that love to do their business again right after the litter box gets cleaned. That’s how much they enjoy cleanliness! If they can’t find a good spot to answer nature’s call, then they’ll find other places to do it, and you probably won’t like their choice!

4. Typical food and water snafu.

Cats can accidentally knock food and water bowls. Automatic feeders aren’t a solution, either, as they’ve been known to malfunction. Without food and water for a prolonged period of time, more serious situations can happen. See number 5 below.

5. Health conditions.

Cats are stoic. They’re exceptionally good at hiding signs of pain or distress. Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), a particularly common ailment in males, leads to bladder blockage. If untreated, it can cause kidney failure and death in 24 hours. Stressful situations and lack of fluid intake also trigger urethral obstruction, solidifying the points of the above numbers 1 and 2.

Hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) is caused by inadequate protein supply due to lack of food. Their bodies use fat in the absence of protein, further taxing the liver. This can happen if cats are too depressed or stressed to eat or they simply run out of food.

Obviously, senior cats and cats needing medications must get daily visits.

6. Bored, overly playful, or misbehaving cats wreak havoc.

They love to break or knock things off. This can lead to number 7.

7. Curiosity literally kills the cat.

Ever so inquisitive, cats, especially kittens, get into things and sticky situations. Freak accidents are too common. They like to chew cords for blinds or drapes and electrical cords. There have been cases where cats get strangled by curtain cords.

Cats get stuck in ceilings and on trees. My boy Miki once spent almost 24 hours way up on a tree in my front yard after he realized that he couldn’t come back down. An animal control lady tried to hose him down to no avail. My family ended up having a co-worker’s friend climb the tree to retrieve him.

Cats also get trapped in tight places—behind kitchen appliances and in closets. (R. Kelly kitty moment, anyone?)

8. Things can and do go awry at home.

There may be power outage, broken AC or heater, burst pipes, leaking gas, etc. that can compromise your cat’s safety and comfort. Besides, don’t you want your home to be intact and secure when you come back?

9. Simply because they’re hip kitties a.k.a. cool cats.

Don’t you think? They only want the best care! When it’s time for a vacation or business trip, I think they want to let you know that there’s the cat’s meow in town (hint, hint)!