Becoming a cat sitter – what you need to know
5 Nov 2023.
Do you love cats and have some spare time? Are you reliable, friendly and polite? Then you should consider becoming a cat sitter. Read Cat in a Flat‘s tips below to find out everything you need to know about the best gig in the world!
Table of contents
What to know to become a good cat sitter?
Looking after cats can be a very rewarding job. Before you get started, here are some important points for you to consider:
- As a sitter, you’ll need to visit your kitty clients once or twice daily. This will depend on the type of booking and each visit should last around 20-40 minutes*.
- Each visit will include feeding, litter box maintenance, play and cuddle time!
- Cat sitters should send updates and photos of their cat clients to their owners at least once a day and preferably every visit.
- Some owners may want to pay for an overnight stay. If availability allows, you could be more of a live-in pet sitter.
- You should have some type of vetting process which provides reassurance to cat owners. If you haven’t been already, it is good to consider getting a police check. This provides added peace of mind for cat owners.
- You should have your own bank account as payment goes through the online booking system directly to your bank.
- For insurance reasons, you should be 18 years or older.
* Unless otherwise arranged, the travel time to your cat sitting job is not part of the booking time or payment. So, please always check the distance before accepting the job.
Are there benefits to becoming a cat sitter
There are many benefits to becoming a cat sitter! They include:
- Cat care is flexible and can take place before and after normal working hours. So it will not likely interfere with your day job.
- Working as a feline carer means you have control over your rates and workload. You set your own rates and availability.
- If the cat you are going to take care of is familiar with children, with the owners’ permission, you may be able to bring your child with you.
- If you have a child they may get the opportunity to learn how to interact with new pets. This will help them understand the responsibility of caring for them.
- You will get to know families in your neighbourhood and have the chance to forge great lifelong bonds with their cats (and their paw parents!).
- And of course the supplementary income might be a nice addition to your household earnings.
What are the traits of a fantastic cat sitter?
Cat sitting is an important job. After all, you are looking after your clients’ treasured fur babies. Here are a few tips on how to be a great cat sitter:
- It is hugely important that you are reliable and organised. This includes replying quickly and politely to booking requests and other client enquiries.
- In-home cat care should be a stress-free alternative to cat boarding. Pay attention to the instructions cat owners give you to make sure you keep their pet happy while they are away.
- Understanding how important the cat’s routine is and ensuring you provide as much familiarity and reassurance to them as well as their owners.
- The ability to demonstrate responsibility and be security conscious of your client’s home.
- When it comes to additional skills being able to administer medications in both tablet and liquid form is extremely helpful.
- Although the cat is your boss, each cat owner has their own ways and expectations. Be flexible about your approach to each client. Every fur friend’s needs are different!
For more tips, read the Cat in a Flat blog here on what cat owners look for in a sitter.
The free meet and greet
As part of the service you will be asked to meet the cat and their owner before the sitting starts. This is usually an unpaid courtesy visit. First impressions count, so we’ve put together a few must-do tips:
- Always wear a change of clothing if you are visiting multiple cats on the same day or have your own cats at home. Cats are very perceptive in their sense of smell and sniffing a strange cat as well as a strange person may put your furry friend off.
- Let Mr Whiskers approach you; do not force your attention on the cat. Some kitties may adjust quickly, others may take multiple visits to feel comfortable around you.
- If you are caring for a feline that goes outdoors, visit when the cat will likely be inside the home.
- Conduct yourself calmly with no loud talking or sudden movements.
- Be polite and attentive. Listen to the cat owner’s questions and answer appropriately.
- If you have the impression that vital information about the cat care has not yet been shared, don’t be shy about asking questions yourself. Take notes if you need to!
- To avoid any misunderstandings, ask about the best approach to feed the cat as well as instructions about water bowls, playtime, and cleaning your kitty client’s litter box.
- Finally, ask the owner to walk you through how to properly close and lock the door. Some doors can be tricky!
Can you make money pet sitting?
Cat sitting offers an excellent opportunity to earn extra income while looking after cute cats. How much you earn depends on how many clients you can take on and how much demand there is in your area. Being available during busy periods makes it more likely that you’ll earn money as a pet sitter. The summer holiday months, Christmas and public holidays are popular times for people to book a cat sitter. If your cat client and their owner like you, it’s common for them to book you again and again. Repeat bookings mean more opportunity to see your new cat best friends and earn money at the same time.
How much can you earn as a cat sitter?
The amount you can earn as a cat carer depends on the level of cat sitting service you provide. Most cat sitters charge £10 to £15 for a once-daily drop-in at home service. A twice-daily drop-in cat sitting service costs £15 to £25. Cat sitters usually charge £15 to £50 for overnight cat sitting stays. You can look after more than one household of cats at a time if they only need drop-in sitting visits. Many cat sitters also charge a little extra for additional services such as watering the plants. More expensive cat sitters tend to be the ones with more experience and who can administer medication.
Is being a cat sitter worth it?
Cat caring is incredibly rewarding. It is absolutely worth being a cat sitter, and not just for the extra money. It’s also a fantastic way to meet new cats and be part of a cat-loving community. In addition, forming a bond with a cat client and getting to know their owners bring cat sitters vast amounts of satisfaction and joy. Cat in a Flat offers the opportunity to book a local cat sitter, so it connects people with cat lovers near them. The extra income is a great bonus, but most pet sitters do it for the love of cats.
How do I start my own pet sitting business?
Starting a pet sitting business can be challenging. The best way to start is through a trusted cat sitting platform such as Cat in a Flat. Cat sitters can build their profile, connect with people locally and advertise their availability. We also offer a Cat in a Flat Guarantee to protect all cat sitters and cat owners. We also ask all of our cat sitters to agree to a Code of Conduct. Using a reliable platform that thousands of people trust mean you can start cat sitting with peace of mind. And you have access to hundreds of cat owners who might require your services.
We look forward to welcoming you as a cat sitter at Cat in a Flat =^.^=
And for an extra kitty fix, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Becoming a cat sitter FAQs
Before you sign up to be a cat sitter, make sure to learn what the job entails. As well as cuddles and play, you will also have to feed your cat client and clean the litter tray and bowls. Each cat sitting visit should last at least 20-40 minutes; it’s a job that demands time. You can read up on whether cat sitting is right for you on the Cat in a Flat blog and by checking our Code of Conduct. Once you’ve made up your mind, go to the Register page to get started building your cat sitting profile.
To be a cat sitter, you don’t need any qualifications, but cat owners will expect you to have experience in cat care. If you have qualifications, make sure to include them on your cat sitting profile to attract more cat owners. Cat sitters profiles should include whether you have a cat, have looked after cats before, and any experience in grooming or administering medication.
The best way to see how much to charge is to look at other cat sitters in your area. Your price should be around the same amount as other cat sitters. If you have qualifications or a lot of experience in cat care or are police checked, you can probably charge a little more than average. However, when you start, you might want to price yourself competitively to win your first clients. Once you have a collection of glowing reviews, you can consider increasing your cat sitting charges. For one daily drop-in service, most cat sitters charge £8 to £15. Cat sitters usually charge £12 to £25 for twice-daily drop-ins. And for overnight cat sitting, most pet carers charge £15 to £50.
Cat in a Flat sitters are a reliable and trustworthy choice for cat owners. All of our sitters agree to a Code of Conduct and are covered by the Cat in a Flat Guarantee to protect everyone if something goes wrong while you’re away. Cat in a Flat also encourages our community to provide honest reviews, so you can check that other cats and cat owners have had a good experience with a sitter.
Cat sitters are a helpful resource for cat owners for many different occasions. Trips away from home for holidays or business trips are among the most common reasons people book a cat sitter. Cat owners can also book a sitter to look after their cat if they are unwell, recuperating from an illness or have to go into hospital for a while. Many cats benefit from a visit from a cat sitter during the working day, especially kittens, elderly or infirm cats. As many people return to the office after a long period of working from home, their cats might suffer from separation anxiety. A pet sitter can help alleviate the stress of cats who don’t like being left alone by popping in once a day to spend some quality time with them
Cat sitters should be trustworthy, reliable and interested in your cat. Most cat sitters love the job because they get to meet cats and other cat lovers. Talk to prospective cat sitters about what they get out of the job and what they know about cat care. The majority of cat owners prefer a carer who has a lot of experience looking after cats. Look for cat carers who are quick to reply, enthusiastic, and have good reviews from other cat owners. For more tips, read the Cat in a Flat blog on what to look out for in a cat sitter.
Cat sitters don’t need to be insured to take on cat sitting jobs. However, cat carers should make sure they are covered and protected if something goes wrong while their cat client’s owner is away. That is why cat sitting with Cat in a Flat is a good idea – our Guarantee offers reassurance and protection to cat carers and their clients.
The cost of pet insurance varies depending on your work and the amount of money you make. The most basic form of pet insurance starts at around £5-6 a month and will usually cover pet fees and the costs associated with losing your client’s keys. However, if you use Cat in a Flat, our Guarantee is automatically included and covers many things that could go wrong during cat sitting.
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