Thriving During the Holiday Rush: A Guide to Making the Most of the Busiest Time of Year
By August Odenbaugh
The holiday season is the most magical time of the year, but if you’re a cat sitter, it can also be the most chaotic. With clients heading out of town, schedules filling up fast, and kitties needing extra care and comfort, this season can push even the most experienced sitters to their limits.
The secret to thriving during the holiday season is preparation, communication, and compassion (for both cats and yourself). If you’re gearing up for your first (or fifth) Meowtel holiday season, here’s how to not just survive, but truly thrive, during the rush.
1. Start Early, Preparation is Everything!
When the holidays roll around, time is your most valuable resource. The earlier you plan, the smoother everything will go.
Reach out to your regular clients well before Thanksgiving. Let them know your calendar fills up quickly, and encourage them to book their visits early. This shows initiative, professionalism, and also helps you map out your schedule before new requests pour in.
Once your regulars are set, you can decide how many new clients to take on. Ask yourself:
● How many visits can I reasonably handle each day while still providing top-quality care?
● How might traffic or weather delays affect my schedule?
● Do I have time to rest, eat, and recharge between visits?
These might sound like small questions, but they’re key to avoiding burnout. When you plan your calendar around realistic limits, you can give each cat the calm, focused attention they deserve. This is what clients notice most.
💡Pro tip: Group visits by neighborhood to minimize driving time. Utilize color-coding for your route to organize your visits into time blocks. Less time in traffic = more time with the kitties (and fewer “running late” texts).
2. Don’t Overbook, Know Your Limits!
It’s tempting to say yes to every client, but overbooking can backfire. Taking on too much is a recipe for exhaustion, lateness, and mistakes.
If cat sitting is your full-time focus, aim for 8 visits a day max. If you’re juggling other commitments (including personal holiday plans), scale that down to about 4–6.
If you are doing overnights, only do about 2-4 drop ins in addition to your overnights to avoid burnout. This all
really depends on your experience, location, and what you can manage. Just make sure you know your limits and don’t overcommit.
Remember: saying “no” is an act of professionalism. Sticking to your boundaries can be one of the most loving choices you make for yourself, your clients, and the cats. When you’re stretched too thin, you risk missing meals, forgetting updates, or rushing through visits (and that’s not fair to anyone).
If you reach capacity, make sure to close your calendar so clients can’t send you requests for days you have completely booked. If a repeat client sends you a message to ask if you are available on days that you’ve reached capacity, don’t feel obligated to accept or guilty that you don’t have time in your schedule. Help those clients find another trusted Meowtel sitter! It’s a great way to support your community and keep clients within the Meowtel family. Collaboration beats competition every time.
3. Prioritize Self-Care (and Don’t Feel Guilty About It)
Cat sitting is very rewarding work, but it can also be physically and emotionally demanding. Long hours, communication expectations, holiday pressure, and the responsibility of caring for someone’s beloved cats can take a toll.
Schedule intentional breaks. Bring a packed lunch or stop at your favorite café to recharge. If you start feeling drained, acknowledge it. If you can, build a little you-time into your calendar. Even if it’s just 30 minutes to listen to music, stretch, or cuddle your own cats before bed.
Self-care is what allows you to show up as your best self. The more balanced you feel, the better care you’ll provide.
Remember: Compassion fatigue is real. Cat sitting is a caregiving profession, and just like nurses or therapists, we have to fill our own cup before we can pour into others.
4. Communicate Clearly and Build Trust With Every Update
The holidays can be stressful for clients too. They’re juggling travel, family, and sometimes worry about leaving their cats behind. Good communication eases that anxiety and helps build trust that lasts all year.
Send a quick text when you arrive, and share updates with bright, well-lit photos or short videos of their cats playing, purring, or lounging happily. These small gestures go a long way in helping clients relax while they’re away.
If you’re running behind due to weather or traffic, be transparent and courteous. Most clients appreciate honesty and flexibility as long as they feel informed.
💡Pro tip: After the season ends, send a follow-up message thanking clients for trusting you during the holidays. You can even leave a small gift like a catnip toy, a handwritten note, or a personalized holiday card. Just make sure any extra treats, toys, or extras are cleared by the kitty’s parent. These thoughtful touches turn one-time holiday clients into loyal regulars who come back year after year.
5. Turn the Holiday Rush Into a Growth Opportunity
While the holidays can be intense, they’re also a golden opportunity to grow your business and strengthen your reputation. This is when new clients find their “forever sitter,” and when established sitters build momentum for the year ahead.
The sitters who thrive long-term are the most consistent. They respond quickly, follow instructions carefully, and deliver that little extra. Whether it’s a super cute photo, a detailed report, or a sense of genuine care that clients can feel through the screen.
Every visit is a chance to showcase your reliability, thoughtfulness, and compassion. When you approach each booking with genuine love and professionalism, your reliability becomes your brand. That’s what keeps your calendar full long after the holidays are over.
6. Remember Why You Started
In the whirlwind of bookings, don’t lose sight of the magic. Amid the rush, it’s easy to forget what makes cat sitting special. Some of the most meaningful moments happen in the quiet in-between: when you’re sitting beside a shy cat who finally trusts you enough to curl up on your lap, or when you watch a senior kitty stretch into the sunlight after a nap.
Those moments remind us why we chose this work: the cats. Their trust, their quirks, their calm presence is what it’s all about.
And the holidays, though demanding, are the perfect time to reflect on the privilege of what we do. We’re invited into our clients’ homes to care for their family members, and that’s an incredible honor. So when things feel hectic, take a deep breath, look around, and remember: you’re spending the holidays surrounded by purring, whiskered love.
Final Thoughts
To thrive during the holiday rush, remember these four keys: prepare early, respect your limits, communicate clearly, and take care of yourself. Do that, and you’ll make it through the season feeling proud, balanced, and grateful.
Get out there, love some cats, and rock this holiday season. You’ve got this! 😺⛄❄️
About the Author
August Odenbaugh is a full-time Meowtel cat sitter, former vet assistant, and lifelong feline enthusiast based in Portland, Oregon. Through their business on Meowtel, August’s Cat Care, they’ve cared for hundreds of cats with compassion, love, and expertise. When they’re not visiting kitties, you’ll find August working on music, cuddling their own cats, or writing about the beauty of the cat-human bond.
