If as a cat owner like me you have had felines as pets, and loved them no matter how tall or shy, curious or disobliging, then you’ll get it when I say you want them to have the best sitter no matter what. When we go away on holiday it is feels just as important to find a sitter who will care for them as much as we do. But how to find a cat sitter who will be that person while you are away? There are a number of ways.
Different types of cat sitters
Some people love to use a pet hotel, and there are some excellent options to consider if you are happy sending your pet away. However, increasingly people are considering an alternative to kennels.
Asking a friend to cat sit
You may have a friend who is a cat lover, and already knows your cat and vice versa. This is clearly an option and a sure way for how to find a cat sitter. The main advantages are that your pet never has to leave home, and can be cared for where they live and feel most comfortable.
Looking for a local cat sitter
Another option you might consider is looking for a local sitter, perhaps a young student who could help out or a neighbour who is happy to look in and feed your cat on a daily basis.
- Cat boarding sitters — there are sitters who will take your pet into their own home and for a fee care for them on their premises.
- Drop in cat sitters — there are others who will stop at your home each day, sometimes twice daily to feed and water your cat, and to ensure that all is well at home in your absence.
- In-house cat sitters — An increasingly popular choice is the sitter who will come to your home and stay to look after your cat. They live in your property to provide one-to-one care for your pet to ensure all is well during your absence.
Such an option may sound like a wonderful service and yet you may be thinking well how expensive can this be? It’s not expensive thanks to a collaborative network like HousesitMatch.com. Once you join this network the cat sitters are for free! How this works for petowners is straightforward and secure.
Paid or unpaid cat sitters
Another consideration to finding a cat sitter is will they charge you to help you out?
- Paid cat sitters — A traditional format for petsitting is that the sitter will offer their services for money. They may be full time professional pet sitters or they are cat sitting to earn a little extra cash.
- Free cat sitters — Increasingly popular is the growth of pet lovers exchanging their services as pet sitters for free accommodation during the time of your absence on holiday. This is usually facilitated by a secure and managed network like HousesitMatch.com
How to find a cat sitter
Local websites — Your first instinct to beginning your search may be to go onto a local online noticeboard or website such as Nextdoor and to ask for recommendations. While some people may be happy to promote their friends these sitters may not have a number of references and may not be checked.
Catsitting websites — There are some specialist websites that only allow niche sitters offering cat sitting services to join. Likely these will be full time cat sitters charging professional rates.
Word of mouth — Many people prefer to ask the close circle of family friends for recommendations and will likely follow up on those.
How it works through Housesitmatch.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH1O_vdaJgc
How to find a cat sitter with Housesitmatch.com — If you are looking for pet lovers to care for your cat, and you want to see the profile of the checked sitter before you commit to taking them on then consider HouseSitMatch.com There is also a personal service should you need support online or advice about your particular circumstance. All members are checked and the site is managed, and police checking of sitters is available online no matter where they are in the world. And this is all available for a small annual fee. The catsitters do not charge you because for them their gain is the free accommodation and a change of scene in your home and in your location.
“With Cats, some say, one rule is true:
Don’t speak till you are spoken to.
Myself, I do not hold with that —
I say, you should ad-dress a Cat.
But always keep in mind that he
Resents familiarity.
I bow, and taking off my hat,
Ad-dress him in this form: O Cat!
But if he is the Cat next door,
Whom I have often met before
(He comes to see me in my flat)
I greet him with an oopsa Cat!
I think I’ve heard them call him James —
But we’ve not got so far as names.”
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
By TS Eliot
