Housesitter Question

[MJC]

Has anyone used a Housesitter service? How can I know that they will be reliable? Our neighbor who usually cares for our cat is ill, and I'm thinking of hiring someone, but I'm wary of letting a stranger into my house. We are too far away for friends or family to do it. Any suggestions?

[Carolin]

I would kennel my dog at the vet. Mine provided this service. Contact your veterarian and see if they do this or if they can recommend a reliable kennel. This way your cat will be well taken care of by someone you already take them to.

[iheartbda]

Has anyone used a Housesitter service? How can I know that they will be reliable? Our neighbor who usually cares for our cat is ill, and I'm thinking of hiring someone, but I'm wary of letting a stranger into my house. We are too far away for friends or family to do it. Any suggestions?

References from other who have used them.

[leaveitallbehind]

Kennel - Cheaper, safer, easier, better. It is a cat afterall.

[Ashland]

I would "NOT" let a stranger stay in my home....My home would be my priority.... My pet can be cared for at a kennel/pet hotel...JMHO

[LHT28]

We found a lady locally that would come & check on the house & cat daily

 

Because of our insurance someone has to physically check on the house every 72 hrs

 

My SIL boarded her cat at the vets ...took her weeks to get rid of the fleas

 

shop around

[jmf123]

Have you checked at your vet's office for a vet tech who pet sits? We have found great petsitters this way. She comes to our home once a day to provide food & water for our cats, clean the litterboxes, and bring our mail in. (She don't stay in our home). And another plus of hiring a vet tech is if your cat is on medication, they can administer it to your pet.

[Donder1]

Just got back from a 12 night cruise. We use a very reputable kennel which has cat and dog kennels. We also had our cat groomed. (She is a long hair cat and had lots of matts.) They took great care of her in a multi level cat condo. She had a sunny window to sit in if she wanted and I bought her a new cushy bed which she loved. They kept me up to date in emails with pics. Check our Clover Acres on Facebook. Anyway, she was safe and well cared for.( As well as our Great Dane). Once we used a house sitter. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

[triplett]

Too bad you probably don't live in my area..... My daughter and I love our cats and we would be glad to take care of your little boo :)

[triplett]

Actually I had a college student from my church come check on my cats and hang out at my house. She got some extra cash and time away from the 'rents and my kitties got some attention..... win win!

[PoofCat99]

Hi,

 

I have never posted here, but have been a member for awhile.

 

I actually worked as a petsitter (subcontracted to woman who owned it) for several years. I you hire a professional, they should be bonded and insured against accident, theft, injury (animal and human) and illness (animal) for all employees. This is especially important if they are staying in your home. I normally only did overnights if the job involved dogs or sometimes small horse farms.

 

Meet at least once with the sitter before you commit so you are both comfortable, and be sure to go over any special instructions, feeding, medications, etc. When you are on your trip, leave important numbers such as the vet and how to reach you in an emergency. They should have references and you can also check that website that has lists of recommendations (Angie's list, etc.)

 

I have a kitty now who requires daily meds, and would not do well in a kennel situation (except for his vet, but they only do boarding in an emergency) as he can be a bit of a grump especially with strangers. I have a professional who comes once a day, feeds and medicates, cleans the box and brings in the mail. It is also nice to have someone checking in on the house. I pay $25/visit which is pretty competitive. Hope this helps (sorry I get long winded).

[6andy6]

 

My SIL boarded her cat at the vets ...took her weeks to get rid of the fleas

 

shop around

 

Maybe if the cat had a flea collar or flea treatment in the first place........it wouldn't have got fleas off other animals? Isn't that the reason you treat your pets monthly???

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is no way I would let a stranger in my house -- even if someone else may have recommended them.

We just went through 8+ weeks on renovations due to a water pipe that burst and we wouldn't even let those people here alone.

Check with your vet and see if he can take care of your cat.

[LHT28]

Maybe if the cat had a flea collar or flea treatment in the first place........it wouldn't have got fleas off other animals? Isn't that the reason you treat your pets monthly???

Oh you were there :rolleyes:

 

He did not have fleas when he was dropped off, he was an indoor cat

He was wearing his flea collar at the time

The Vet even had him groomed before my SIL picked him up

Took a lot of flea powder as he was a persian cat ..lots of fur

The poor thing was not allowed into the house until he was clear ...he stayed in the porch

 

I would not send my cat to the VET to board them ...too many smells that may upset the animal

 

YMMV

[cb at sea]

I always board my animal elsewhere. Had a bad experience with a "pet sitter"...a great friend of the family and well known to my dog, but when we weren't there, the dog would NOT allow my friend in or near the house. Thankfully, we were only gone for 2 days....

From that point, we took our dog to a kennel...I researched A LOT before picking one, and she always did just fine.

I don't want someone in my house when I'm gone, either.

[PoofCat99]

I am sorry you all had such poor experiences with petsitters. I had clients that I never liked doing, such as the people (think hoarders) that left dirty dishes (in the sink with water) and a vat of soup on on their stove (they were gone 2 weeks), not to mention the rats and trash in their barn, it was horrid! And yes, sometimes an animal gets sick or has an accident, you can't always control that. My horse (who I board at a friend's barn) just recently was kicked (probably) and ended up with 10 stitches, swollen tendons and over $1000 in vet bills and is finally able to go back to work after 2 months. I don't blame the barn owner or the horse that may have done it, especially since my boy probably started it! Just one of the joys of horse ownership.

 

To the OP, do what you are comfortable doing and what you think is best for your cat. The most important thing is that the animal is comfortable and for some that means staying in a familiar environment at home. There are good professional sitters out there and for some of us, especially if you have horses or livestock, a sitter is more practical, if they are knowledgeable.

 

I would not have hired my current petsitter if he were not bonded and insured and without checking him out first. He has been wonderful, even scheduling me at short notice the time I had to go home to my parents to be with my old horse before she was put down. And on the same trip, I ended up staying an extra day because my car broke down on the way back to NJ, he had no problem with it.

 

Best of luck to you no matter what you choose to do!

[SuitCaseBears]

I've hired house sitters. They were bonded and insured (not the same thing) came with references and seemed totally legit...

 

And they were.

 

The house was cleaner than when I left it, not that they did a major cleaning, but they put dishes away and just neatened things up. They washed the linen and left it folded on the drier.

 

And there were even some flowers from the garden in a vase on the table when we came home. My dog seemed perfectly healthy and happy. The mail was neatly piled up where I said it should be. The lawn was watered.

 

They were much better than my ex-husband's boss' kids who forgot they were supposed to sleep at the house because my dog barks like crazy if no one is there after about 1am.

 

I would have had them come again, but a friend moved in nearby so it wasn't necessary. But it was a good experience.

[spunkyhungry]

When I was a kid we used to hire the "pet nanny" for our cat. She had a pet sitting business and would come to your house once a day. Our shy cat who hated everyone except our immediate family loved her. Before we found her we boarded him at a kennel once for a vacation, and he was so depressed he hardly ate the whole time. We could never have done that to him again.

 

My advice is to search around online for a good pet sitter. Read reviews. Invite the person to come to your house to meet you and your pet. See if it's a good fit.

[kandagal1939]

We sometimes house sit & all owners have been completely satisfied with our services. Most important is to check references especially from previous house owners. There is a service on line called housecarers.com.au which you could use. That is in Australia of course but I think there would be similar in other countries. At the moment we are house sitting while owners are overseas & we are looking after 2 large dogs, 1 cat, 7 ducks & several gouldian finches (rare birds). A few days after we finish this house sit we are off on a 15 day cruise to NZ

[Ashland]

This is a decision "you" must make...No one's experience can determine what experience you will end up having...Good luck !

[Keith1010]

I would look at a kennel or to see if someone I knew could look after the cat.

 

Keith

[ladytravlr2]

I have tried two different ways of taking care of my dog while on a cruise. First of all, pet care is quite expensive in Central Illinois.

 

Once I used a lady who would come to the house for $12 a visit to take my dog out. That got expensive for even a short little time away. Then she offered to take him to her house after he got diabetes, and needed round the clock eyes on him....it was $40 a day, she said she normally charges $50! I was gone for 10 days, the bill was $400 dollars..for my time on the cruise/travel to and from.

 

I decided I guess I would not cruise anymore as long as I had him to care for.

Then I found a lady who lives 45 miles away, who keeps him when I am gone for any length of time....for $15 a day!!!! She has had diabetic pets before, and is great about his medications and his twice daily injections. It is totally worth the drive to her house.

 

Vet clinics and kennels here will not keep diabetic animals overnight, as they do not have personnel available should a problem arise.

 

I am quite happy with my pet sitter now. She is a widowed lady who does nothing now but care for animals in her home. She has 6 rescues of her own, and keeps other people's pets as she has room for. My dog is 10 and I never worry about him while he is there. She has a good vet who will come to her house if needed to see about any of her pets.

 

I wouldn't want someone staying in my home as a sitter. I don't like imposing on family to come and take care of injections, medications, potty breaks as often as my dog needs them....so we are all happy now!

[JackerooCruiser]

Have used trustedhousesitters dot com in the past & they were great! The original couple who came to do the house/pet sitting are now great friends & we book them every time we go away!

 

Jack

[SMerritt]

Most cats prefer to be at home

 

Find a pet sitter that will come to your home once or twice a day to feed and play with kitty. They will collect your mail, papers etc.

 

Check with your vet techs, friends, and the volunteers at your animal shelter

 

We have quite a few in our small town - all bonded and insured

 

Most cat boarding, at the vet, or even kennels. keep all cats caged during their stay......not good

[Porthopper101]

Perhaps we should have used the house sitter instead of our daughter. She watches our cat for us while we were on a cruise early this year. She refused to give our cat back. She also watches our African gray bird. This bird is very talkative and very fast learner. When we picked her up, the first thing she said "what the f...ck happend". For weeks, she kept saying that, finally she stopped. Now she says "I love you in my voice" and "anyone call in my husband's voice" and "Oh God...Oh ****.. in my neighbor's voice" :eek:

 

M