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Thinking of returning to an old plan and getting into petsitter. I actually used to be bonded and have insurance, I just never actually launched. I even have brochures and cards laying around.
If you were to hire a pet sitter, what would you consider a reasonable fee? What services would be important to you? Looking in once or twice a day, or staying in-house? Would you want an e-mail updating you every day? Maybe even a video?
If you used a pet sitter in the past, how did you select them? Were there any special touches that you appreciated?
Its been a few years since I used one, but this is what I can recall:
For a one-hour visit which included- petting/brushing the cat, emptying litter box, food/water, and medication, the price ranged from $18 to $22. My cat only needed a once a day visit and I thought 1 hour of socializing was good too.
One company would write me a narrative paragraph about the visit each day so that I could get a good sense of how my cat acted each day. Kind of like a kitty report card. That was actually really neat to get when I got home.
I pay $12 a visit; she brings in the mail and waters my plants. She'll do a quick check to make sure the furnace is running, the CO2 alarms aren't shrieking, and the water pipes haven't burst.
She gives the cats fresh food and water, scoops their boxes, and takes the refuse to the outside garbage can.
My cats aren't social; she says she never sees them. She leaves me a written report on her last day, and calls if anything is amiss.
I pay $17 a day. I wish I could get 2 visits for that but I just get one. She hangs out for 1/2 hour to 45 mins and plays with the kitties that will come out, scoops the box, fills the food and water bowls, brings in the mail. Things that decided me: good reviews on yelp or angie's list; professional website with photos, details on what is provided, costs; and membership in professional pet sitting society. Since this is someone i don't know in my home when i'm not there, i want someone who takes this seriously and professionally and doesn't do it as a side job.
I want to say my pet sitter for 4 cats was around $30 a day. She worked for a company and there was a base rate for "first pet" and then a small charge for each additional. She came once a day and stayed for around an hour.
My mom uses her and my mom's neighbor uses her and we all LOVE her. I do have video cameras in my home and yes, I peeked in. She was wonderful with my cats. I think she played with them more than my mom did LOL. This lady also happens to be an assistant at a veterinary hospital a few minutes from my house (not where my pets go) so for me, that was a bit of a bonus. Not that mine were on any meds at the time - but if they ever are - she knows how to properly give meds and knows how to really look for signs of illness. She had full permission to take my babies to work with her if she felt it warranted.
A girl who worked for the vet mine actually go to used to pet sit on the side. You may want to ask because you may find someone at your vet that does it - if you like your vet that is!
I had a pet sitter when I lived in Ann Arbor. Keep in mind that this was 10+ years ago, so I'm sure the rates will have gone up. I paid $10 per visit. I had 2 cats at the time and they didn't really like strangers so she almost never saw them (except for Mabel, who would hiss and then run away -- she called Mabel my "doberman kitty"!). She would come in, put out fresh food & water, clean out the litter boxes, and take the waste out to the dumpster. She charged per visit, not per cat, and I imagine each visit took her about 15 minutes (plus travel time, though). She came highly recommended and I liked her a lot. She didn't mind me calling her when I was gone just to get an update, and she always left a report for me at the end.
When I have gone on trips here in New Hampshire, I've had a friend come in, then I did the same for her when she was away.
I use one. One of the most important things for me - since I had a cat with kidney disease - was the ability to give meds and fluids.
Mine will play with them, but only 1 comes out for her - the rest hide under the bed and she's never seen them!
Also - since my job would sometimes require me to go out of town with little to no notice, the ability to be available with short notice was important. I know one place I had contacted required at least a 1 week notice. That wasn't going to work!
She does leave a note for me on the last day, telling me how everyone did, if one of them seemed to not be eating well, etc. While I am away I can call or email if I have any questions or concerns, and she'll get back to me quickly.
Thinking of returning to an old plan and getting into petsitter. I actually used to be bonded and have insurance, I just never actually launched. I even have brochures and cards laying around.
If you were to hire a pet sitter, what would you consider a reasonable fee? What services would be important to you? Looking in once or twice a day, or staying in-house? Would you want an e-mail updating you every day? Maybe even a video?
If you used a pet sitter in the past, how did you select them? Were there any special touches that you appreciated?
Hi Parallel,
I wish you the best. Good for you: In my opinion, top quality pet sitters are always in need.
For me, believe it or not, cost comes a distant second to ability to handle a complex situation here. There are few pet sitters able and willing to take on my situation if I have to go away, so I rarely do, and when I do, I have to hire more than one person because I have found that the one person cannot or is not willing to do it all!
I have 11 cats inside and 2 to 3 outside whom we feed at least twice daily. My inside cats are so varied according to age, illness or chronic condition, need for medicating, need for being picked up and carried to the outdoor attached cat enclosure since some will not use the litter box for that (I have used a vet school board certified DVM already for help and don't need advice on that now, plus my own vet agrees I am doing as much as can be done), I need someone sensitive to fearful, newer additions to the household, someone able and willing to change 12 litter boxes and many water bowls, willing to learn the different foods different cats eat, and more. On top of that, I need someone to be willing to show me, by demonstrating, that they know how to use the front loading washer and drying, how to use the inside laundry room lines and how to dry the right things in the dryer, how to check all over 2 floors for urine on bedding (cat and human) and do it twice daily. This is what I do every single day and I need someone to do the same.
The pet sitter needs to know how to get to my local vet with a sick cat and is able to go to the emergency practice, miles away, if needed and IS AVAILABLE TO DO SO.
I am very nice to my pet sitters and they love me and ask if they can come back. I pay very well and never quibble over the money even though I don't have much myself. I feel that they earn it and I want the cats to be cared for very well.
I pay over $100 per day for my sitters to come here(combined amount), usually well over. I just have to. When I have had less cats. Now that I have more, I will have to up the fee, I know.
I had a vet tech come in to do daily subQ fluids on a cat who used to try to run away from her when she pet sitted. But she only did some things.
From my vantage point, I would want above all else, far above all, a sitter EAGER (this is the attitude I am looking for) to help us get away and know that the cats will be cared for well and correctly and properly, and that I will not have to come back and see urine all over the cat beds, the floor, or cats not happy or correctly medicated, etc. Also, I want to have someone who understands and appreciates that my cats, each one, has a preferred food. This is not being overly solicitious. Some simply will not eat most things and must be given a certain food or they will not eat, etc. I have all rescues and have to go with what I have here. They were not kittens that I raised. Although I have 2 kittens who need to take medications twice daily for conditions that they have and so I need a skilled person who can do the correct measuring and administering of liquid and pill form medication. Right now I have 4 cats on twice daily meds, for example.
My rate would be $100 for first 20 minutes, plus travel time. Any additional work besides visiting and play time is extra.
You wouldn't be getting much business. Or perhaps that's your goal. Or unless you're going to care for Martha Anne's cats.
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You wouldn't be getting much business. Or perhaps that's your goal. Or unless you're going to care for Martha Anne's cats.
