Pet Sitters Allow Furry Friends to Stay Home When Owners Are Away

DECATUR, Ill. -- Susan Price knew how she felt when she had to board her cats with their veterinarian while she was away.

She also knew the cats would be less stressed and happier if they could stay at home, in familiar surroundings. From there, it wasn't much of a leap to conceive the idea of Pet Sitter Services of Decatur, the business run by Price and her mother, Yyonna Price.

"(Susan) is the one who got my cat hooked on tuna," said longtime customer Sallie Fischer. "When she first started coming, she asked, 'Can I give her some tuna,' and now she expects tuna every day."

The Fischers have two border collies, Sarah and Valentine ("Val" to her friends) and a cat named Cricket, plus a "grand-kitty" who sometimes stays with them, and it gives them peace of mind to know Price is popping in several times a day to check the house as well as take care of their pets. One of the dogs, Fischer said, is older, and she hated to think of her lying on a hard floor in a noisy kennel when she could be at home instead.

According to Pet Sitters International, an information and advocacy organization, the benefits of leaving pets at home are numerous. "Pets are happier and experience less stress at home," spokeswoman Courtney Klein said. "Diet and exercise routines are uninterrupted, and a pet's exposure to illness is minimized."

The Prices are members of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters and have been trained in pet care, health, nutrition and first aid, including CPR.

"I've never had to give CPR to a cat or dog," Susan Price said, "but I know what to do if I have to."

They spend at least a half hour at each home, playing with the animals, bringing in mail and the paper and checking to be sure there aren't any problems like a plumbing leak. They'll turn lights and televisions on and off, and generally keep the place looking lived-in.

Price visits with the pets beforehand to be sure they will accept her, she said. She asks the clients to show her their pets' hiding places -- cats, especially, tend to hide -- so she can be certain they're healthy and well when she comes by to take care of them.

"They're my responsibility," Price said.

She'll give medication to special needs pets, and she and her mother will take on just about any kind of pet. They've looked after goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and birds and once, a crab.

Laughing, Price pantomimed opening just the top of the crab's cage and quickly tossing in its food before shutting it again. "A crab isn't really a pet you play with," she said.