How do you find a good pet sitter?

[Rafiki]

My cats eat raw and no kibble so I now need a sitter to come twice a day if we go on vacation. My previous sitter is now in college, has a girlfriend and 2 jobs and is now less than reliable as he is simply too busy. For this last weekend trip, we hired a professional sitter to stay at the house but that cost us about $100/day once I added in the mileage as she is about 40 miles away. My vet is a home vet so she does not board (and I don't know if my kids would tolerate boarding well) and none of her techs do pet sitting.

How have you found your pet sitter?

 

[MM3]

My cats eat raw and no kibble so I now need a sitter to come twice a day if we go on vacation. My previous sitter is now in college, has a girlfriend and 2 jobs and is now less than reliable as he is simply too busy. For this last weekend trip, we hired a professional sitter to stay at the house but that cost us about $100/day once I added in the mileage as she is about 40 miles away. My vet is a home vet so she does not board (and I don't know if my kids would tolerate boarding well) and none of her techs do pet sitting.

How have you found your pet sitter?

I don't know, but am very interested in getting the same information. If I find a sitter now, kitty can get used to her. Since the vacation is a year away. Plenty of time for them to bond. But where is that special someone??? Come out....come out ...where you are!

 

[Patti]

Well I never go out of town for more than 4-5 days and can usually put out enough food to carry everyone over. It used to be much easier when my son was living at home but now that he's moved out I always worry when I leave. In truth, the only reason i ever leave is for family needs or a cat show, and I only go to cat shows once or twice a year anymore.

 

[F/3]

Also watching this thread

 

[NikkiA]

Our cat sitter is a trusted friend.
He also maintains our saltwater tanks.
We pay him about $50 per day to watch the boys, and leave him several bottles of nice wine and tell him he is welcome to have his wife come down and to bring his dog. We do ask that he sleep at the house while we are away.

 

[WitchyWoman]

If you use a professional pet sitter, it's going to cost you. You can try https://www.petsit.com to see if there's anyone in your area. Or check the internet for local pet sitters. Do your due diligence and get references.

I'm extremely fortunate that my friend is also my neighbor and she loves animals. I pay her $100 a day to feed and play with the cats. She does waaaay more -- takes them out in the stroller, vacuums, and spends much more time with them than any professional pet sitter would for the same amount of money. Prior to that, I used someone from PetSitters International but she's is a bit older and said the cats were too much for her to handle. If I ever have to use a professional in my area, I'd likely pay double per day what I pay my friend.

 

[Rafiki]

That is a good link WW. I looked thru Angies List and Yelp for my last vacation and ended up using a pet sitter a co-worker recommended. She was really great but too expensive due to the distance. Your link provided many more contacts plus listed credentials (bonded, CPR certified) with the initial search filter. Thanks, I will check some out.

 

[admin]

I used to have friends pet sit, but now that I have several cats, it is just not feasible...I found a pet sitter, by searching google in my area...she comes twice a day and feeds all the cats as well as cleans the litterboxes...I only go away for weekends now to cat shows...have not had a vacation in several years :-(

 

[Kristin]

I am extraordinarily picky about who watches Zeddie.

The first time I left her my sister checked in on her, which was disastrous. She didn't even feed Zeddie because she thought she could just eat kibble even though she has been eating only raw for years

Since Zeddie has had digestive issues, I am more picky. Now, if I am travelling around Canada, she comes with me. My other sister lives in Ottawa (I am near Torontoish...about a 5 hour drive) so if I do go away I was thinking I might drive Zeddie there. She knows her feeding regime and knows how to actually handle Zeddie.

My friend has also offered to partition off a part of her house and take Zeddie in. She feeds her dogs and cat raw, and helped me through Zeddie's health problems, so I wouldn't have to worry about her not being fed properly.

Finding a pet sitter used to be pretty simple with us. A cousin would just come in a feed the birds, cat and rabbit. Zeddie requires so much more than all of the other animals. Last year a cousin watched them all, and when I came home Zeddie was pretty timid. Not nearly as outgoing and crazy as usual.

It is so hard to find someone you trust fully with your furkids

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I am fortunate to have some friends who are reliable and love the cats. Still, I pay them what I would likely pay a professional ($100/day) to come in twice a day to feed and play. Definitely it adds up if you want to go on a vacation for a couple weeks! I'd be paying it in any case, but this means I don't feel like I am trespassing on our friendship too much either! Our friend that has done it most recently comes and hangs out quite a bit, watches TV reads JN's BD's (french comic books) and drinks the wine and beer we've left for him

I think that many vet techs can moonlight as pet sitters so it might be worth asking at your vet hospital if anyone would be interested in some extra income...