Caring for pets — as a job
Professional pet sitter Meg Cary keeps pets comfortable in their own homes
By CARLA SLAVEY
The life of a pet sitter may not be glamorous , but it does have it ’ s perks . Getting to visit with lots of four-legged friends , for example .
“ It ’ s like an aunt coming to see their nieces or nephews ,” joked Meg Cary , a professional pet sitter who stays busy almost year-round .
“ They ’ re like my little nieces and nephews , because I get to see them , but then I send them back home to their parents .”
Cary has been in the pet care profession for 20 years , starting out taking care of a boss ’ s house and pets , then a family friend of that person , and from there word of mouth took over .
Today , she has almost more work than she can handle , she says . And , she spends more time away from her own home than she does in it .
“ I ’ m gone between 280 to 300 days out of the year ,” she said . She jumps from one house to the next . “ My mom ’ s at my house ,” she laughed .
Cary also has a day job , but in the evenings she stays in the homes of those who have to go out of town , whether it be for a night , a weekend or a whole week .
Some families don ’ t need her to stay at all , and for those homeowners she only stops by to let dogs out or to make sure there ’ s enough food and water available . But many homeowners like the extra security of having Cary there . “ When someone first comes to me , we ’ ll establish if I can take the week that they need ,” she said . “ Then I will schedule a meet-and-greet , because I always want to meet the pet owner with the animals , [ so pets can ] see me as well to know that I belong .”
Meg Cary has sat with pets small and large , from dogs and cats to chickens and goats . She drew the line at rats . Photos submitted
April 2023 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 11