Wednesday, February 13, 2013

When Choosing Pet Sitters Houston Residents Need Responsible Care

By Paula Barron


The last thing a family wants is to spend their holiday worrying about their animals. When looking for pet sitters Houston families need to find a service that takes care of more than the basic needs of food and exercise. The level of support needed depends on the kind of pets one owns. Many cats are fiercely independent, whereas some dog and bird breeds demand a significant amount of interaction every day.

When families go away, they need to keep the animal's lifestyle calm and free of stress. This can be done best by retaining the animal's routine as strictly as possible, which is what makes a sitter such a valuable asset. Animals become used to the level of interaction they have daily, and a sitter should thus be encouraged to spend the same amount of interaction time with the animals. Disturbed routines can cause anxiety for animals.

Even independent cats need to have contact with people at least every 12 hours. Where animals have medical requirements that demand medication and food every four hours, a sitter needs to be able to offer it. Poor service providers may visit animals only once every two days, but an excellent professional will visit at least once daily.

A sitter needs to fulfill all of the animal's needs, not simply those of changing sand boxes and feeding. They should play with the pet every day and rotate toys regularly. Intelligent animals need to be stimulated and one of the ways to keep them entertained is by changing the toys available twice weekly.

Services that have personal experience with animals will offer a far more comprehensive service generally. They will have a better understanding of the needs of pets. It's also helpful to seek out references and online reviews to ascertain how responsible the company is. The internet allows for background checks to ascertain how reliable a person is.

Loneliness is the biggest problem animals are confronted with when their families go away. It can be comforting to set a television or radio timer to play during the times the family interacts with their animals. Most owners going on holiday use a kennel to board their animals, but this takes the pet out of the environment it's used to, which can be anxiety producing.

When animals are allowed to keep their usual routine in the environment they are used to, their stress is minimized. A sitter is likely to be less costly than a kennel, but more comprehensive service will cost more. Services can be found through word of mouth by asking friends and family about professionals they have hired in the past.

Animals with heightened intelligence such as African Greys and Border Collies demand a greater level of stimulation. They can be kept entertained and active if the sitter retains their training and exercise routines. The owner of the animal should also request phone calls if the sitter has any worries about the animal.

Animal owners can inform their sitter of the kind of games and routines their pet prefers. They should also point out any safety hazards in the home. When employing pet sitters Houston locals should request that their neighbors keep watch to ensure the service is being fulfilled well.




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