Pet Sitting in an Emergency

Last week, millions of stranded passengers were affected across the world by the flying ban caused by the volcanic ash crisis. The incident has surely raised our awareness on a lot of things, one of them being ‘what if I am stuck in an airport and my pets are waiting for me at home?’

The volcanic ash incident has proved one thing: anything can happen when you travel. If you are the kind of pet owner who believes in ‘leaving a big bowl of food and water and everything will be fine’, think again!

9/11 had grounded flights for a few hours to 3 days, depending on the location; volcanic ash has grounded flights for one week and some passengers are still stranded overseas when this article is published. I know what you are thinking… ‘these things don’t happen all the time, do they?’

No, they don’t; but then how about the regular flood problem in Ireland that stops intercity traffic? Or even emergency situations like someone in your family got into an accident and you are staying with them in the hospital for a few days? Or you have to attend a funeral down in the country in short notice? The examples I have just listed here are real life examples that have all actually happened to my customers!

To many of us pet owners, our pets are like our babies. If you go ask any good parents, they all have contingency plans for their children for everything. Why not ‘pet parents’? You might now go, ‘you are scaring me! What should I do?’

Don’t panic! There are actually quite a few options out there nowadays to help you;

1. Hiring a professional pet sitter - Professional pet sitters are trained to handle emergencies. They provide personalised service to fit in your life style and circumstances. If you are stranded somewhere, you won’t have to worry about too much if you hire a professional pet sitter. Some of the pet sitters even provide service to keep a copy of your house key in their safe for you. If anything happens to you, your personal help is just a phone call away!

Of course, it goes without saying; always hire a pet sitter with a track record of good customer service and professionalism. Hiring some random people from the internet is just not safe. They might not entertain you when you are delayed or they might have other commitments if they are not full-time pet sitters. Be safe, always hire a professional.

2. Checking them in kennel or cattery - Make sure to check with the facility what their contingency plans are in the case of emergency. Facilities like these are generally very professional and flexible in handling delays and other unexpected circumtances. But what if they have full house and can’t let your pets stay for 5 more days when you are stuck on the other side of the planet? That brings us to number 3.

3. Prepare a spare copy of keys - It is always a good idea to have a spare copy of keys to leave with friends or family when you are travelling. In the case when kennel and cattery is full during the delay, at least your key holder will have access to your house so that they might be able to stay with your pets. At least even if they can’t do that themselves, you can hire someone else to do so (read number 1). This way, you are giving yourself more options.

Particularly in the case of cat ownership, you might be the kind of owner who uses cat flaps and automatic feeders and your cat is used to all your ‘Crazy sale 1 Euro flights weekend away’. Still, it is always a good idea to have a spare pair of keys prepared. If you are stuck in an airport or other natural disasters, at least the key holder (your friends, family, neighbour, management company of the building, landlord etc.) will be able to gain access to rescue the animal.

But what if you are now stuck and you haven’t done any preparation at all. British Airway said they have booked you on a flight next week.

Dog owners generally would have made arrangement for their dogs since dogs tend to need more constant care, this problem is more likely to happen to cat owners. Cats can generally go without food for a few days if they have access to water, depending on the physical condition of the cat. However, it is not something I would recommend any owner to do. Your only option will be to get your friend or family to gain access to the home by a locksmith.

Think about it this way, if it is a human who live in your home during the time when you are away. Would you have given him/her a spare copy? It is just plain unfair if you lock the door and no one could gain access to a house where a living thing is inside! Natural disasters can happen when you are away; flood, snowstorm, just to name a few.

Be a responsible owner, always think ahead.

Do you have any travel story when you are stuck and your pets are at home? Share with us, nothing can give us more insight than experience sharing in pet ownership. Leave a comment below, we would love to know.

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