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An unexpected guest during a cat sitting visit: the story of Punt and Taco

By Kattenoppas Enschede on Monday, June 8, 2026

As a cat sitter, you never know exactly what you will find when you open the door. Most visits follow the usual routine, but every now and then something unexpected happens.

An unexpected note

Sometimes you can tell as soon as you walk in that a cat sitting visit is going to be a little different than planned. That happened during a visit to Punt, when I found an unexpected note from the neighbours.

The note said they had seen him sitting on the windowsill, and asked if I could let him back outside if I saw him. A friendly request, but definitely one that makes you pay a little extra attention.

Handwritten note from neighbours about cat Taco accidentally being inside the house
An unexpected note from the neighbours: there might be an extra cat in the house.

An unexpected guest

Punt's cat flap was set up so she could come inside, but not go back outside on her own. At least, that was the idea.

But Punt had found her own solution. By hooking her nails behind the flap, she managed to pull it towards herself and could still get outside whenever she wanted.

Punt knew her own little trick perfectly well. Taco, however, had not been given the cat flap manual. When he realised he could not get back outside, he did what many cats do when something feels scary: he found a safe place to retreat.

Finding Taco

After a bit of searching, I eventually found Taco under the sofa. That made sense: for him, this was an unfamiliar house, with an unfamiliar person and a cat flap that suddenly did not work the way he expected.

Cat Taco hiding under the sofa during a cat sitting visit
Taco safely hidden under the sofa. A little stressful for him, but luckily everything turned out fine.

Taco stayed safely under the sofa at first. Simply opening the back door was not enough. He did not immediately dare to leave his hiding place, which made complete sense.

Patience and staying calm

When a cat is scared, chasing them usually only creates more stress and makes the situation harder.

So I gave Taco time and space first. And honestly, a few tasty cat treats can sometimes work wonders too.

In the end, it took quite a few treats to convince Taco to come out from under the sofa. After that, I could calmly pick him up and bring him safely back outside.

Meanwhile, Punt kept a close eye on everything from the garden while I helped Taco inside.

All's well that ends well

Once Taco was safely on his way back to his own home, Punt could come back inside calmly too. All's well that ends well.

Cat sitting is about more than filling a food bowl. It also means paying attention to behaviour, safety and anything unusual in the home.

Cats are curious, clever and sometimes wonderfully unpredictable. Taco was a good reminder that no two visits are exactly the same. That is why I look beyond the food bowl during every visit and pay attention to behaviour, safety and unexpected situations in the home. You can read more about how it works or visit the frequently asked questions.