Who will look after your dog or cat while you travel – options and pay

A holiday, a family visit, a business trip or a stay in hospital – sooner or later there comes a time when your pet cannot come with you. Especially before holidays and during the travel season, good places and reliable sitters fill up quickly. Anyone who starts looking a few days before leaving often has to decide in a hurry.

This guide is for both sides: for owners looking for help and for people who would like to offer pet sitting to neighbors and others nearby.

Three options compared

Many cats feel best in their familiar surroundings, so regular visits at home are often the calmer solution for them. Dogs need more company. If nobody can come several times a day, care at someone's home or boarding is more likely to be the answer.

Three questions help: Does your pet get stressed easily? Does it tolerate other animals? Does it need medication or special care? The answers quickly rule out unsuitable options.

How to set fair pay

There is no standard price. Pay varies by location and by who is looking after the pet. The best approach is to build it from how much work the sitting really involves.

What increases the pay:

• more animals, or animals that have to be fed separately,
• a large or very energetic dog,
• medication, especially at exact times, and an old, sick or very young animal,
• a pet that cannot be left alone or is afraid of strangers,
• a longer journey to the owner's home,
• holidays, the end of the year and the travel season,
• short notice ("could you start tomorrow?"),
• bad weather and long periods of sitting with many visits.

How to arrive at an amount:

1. Find out what professionals nearby charge – pet hotels and sitters who do this regularly. It is a useful benchmark.
2. A neighbor or friend usually charges somewhat less. They have no costs for insurance, transport or scheduling, but they are giving you their time.
3. Check the amount with a simple question: would it feel fair to do this work for this pay? If not, offer more.

For short and simple sitting, a gift or a favor in return may be enough instead of money, if you and your neighbors help each other regularly. What matters is that both sides consider it fair. And even if a neighbor says "you don't have to give me anything", a small token of thanks when you get back is always appreciated.

How to find someone you trust

• Ask in your building and on your street. A note in the entrance often brings a surprising number of replies.
• Collect recommendations. The vet clinic, other dog owners on walks, neighborhood groups on social networks.
• Start early. Before holidays and during the travel season, many people are looking at the same time.
• Do not look only at the price. What matters is how well the person handles animals.

Questions for the first meeting

Meet in advance, ideally at your home and with your pet:

• What experience do you have with dogs or cats?
• How often will you come and how long will you stay each time?
• How many other animals are you looking after at the same time?
• What will you do if the pet does not eat, vomits or gets injured?
• Who will stand in for you if you get sick?
• Will you send photos or short messages?

Notice how the person approaches the animal. Someone who first talks to the owner and lets the pet come over to sniff them usually has a good feel for animals.

Do a trial run first

Before a long trip, do a test: one evening or a weekend when the sitter comes without you. It shows whether the key, the feeding plan and communication all work.

If you choose a pet hotel

Do not decide based on photos alone. Visit the place in person and pay attention to:

• cleanliness and smell – a strong smell and dirty pens are a bad sign,
• temperature and ventilation – especially important in hot weather and for short-nosed breeds,
• separate areas – dogs apart from cats, large dogs apart from small ones,
• escape protection – double doors, a fence,
• night supervision – is anyone on site after closing?
• a vet – who decides if the animal gets sick, and how will they contact you,
• extra fees – food, giving medication, bathing, pick-up and drop-off, holiday rates,
• vaccination requirements – which ones and how many days before the stay.

If you get vague answers or cannot see the place, keep looking.

Handover checklist

Write everything down, even what seems obvious, and send it as a message too:

• food – type, amount, times, treats and what the pet must not have; pack extra for a few more days,
• medication – name, dose, time and how to give it (a short video helps),
• vet – contact details for your own clinic and for an emergency clinic that is open during holidays,
• documents – vaccination record, microchip number,
• contacts – your number, the time difference and a backup person nearby with a second key,
• the home – windows and balcony (tilted windows are dangerous for cats), heating or air conditioning, plants, post,
• for dogs – lead, harness, walking routes, behavior around other dogs, children and bikes,
• for cats – litter tray, hiding places, whether they go outside,
• costs – up to what amount the sitter can decide without you if a vet visit is needed.

If the pet goes to the sitter's home, pack familiar food, a blanket that smells of home and a favorite toy.

Celebrations with fireworks and other noise

For many animals, nights with fireworks are the worst of the year. That is exactly when a dog in someone else's care is most likely to run away.

• Walk the dog earlier, while it is still quiet. Keep the last evening walk short.
• The dog always stays on a lead, even if it is normally walked off-lead. Ideally a harness it cannot slip out of, plus a collar with a tag.
• Close the curtains and windows, turn on the radio or TV.
• Give the pet a place to hide and do not leave it alone if it is scared.
• Calming medication only if prescribed by a vet and explicitly left by the owner.

Before you leave, check that your pet is microchipped and that the registry has your current phone number.

What to agree on in advance

• the exact dates, including the time of drop-off and pick-up,
• where the pet will be and how many times a day the sitter will come,
• the pay and when it is paid – no large deposits to strangers; it is more sensible to pay at handover or after you return,
• how the key is handed over and returned,
• how often you will be in touch (a photo and a short message once a day is enough),
• what happens if your return is delayed and who steps in if the sitter gets sick.

Sample message when looking for a sitter:

"Hello, from [date] to [date] we are looking for someone to feed our two cats and clean their litter tray once a day in the evening. They are shy and do not take any medication. Before agreeing, we would like to meet so you can get to know them. What pay would you have in mind, and when would suit you for a meeting?"

If you want to be a pet sitter yourself

Start nearby – neighbors, colleagues, dog owners you meet on walks. Say specifically what you offer (morning and evening dog walks, visits to cats, care at your home), what experience you have and what pay you ask for, including any extra charge for holidays. Take on only as many animals as you can handle, and turn down a dog whose temperament you have no experience with. Rules on keeping and walking certain breeds and on taxing the income vary by country, so check them with the local authority or an accountant.

Pet care in your neighborhood

The best pet sitting is often with someone who lives a few streets away and can meet your pet before you leave. Finding such a person is not easy, though. At QuickCashSpace we are preparing a service that we think you will like. Sign up for news using the form right below this article and we will let you know when it launches.