Pet Sitters Show Up to Filthy Homes and Anxious Cats

“Just a bit of context first, my dog is from the Middle East, flew to me on Sept 2nd. Long journey from Dubai to Toronto then to BC. He’s never lived in a home before, only shelters. He’s almost 2. His birthday is in January. He was locked in a crate for up to 14 hours a day while in shelters. When he arrived he was doing his business on a pee pad which helped with his housebreaking. He’s been doing so well with potty training the past 4 weeks. He knows to go in the backyard for both poop/pee and”

“I've had Astro (6mo) in my new apartment for 2 weeks and wanted to get him a friend so he wouldn't be so lonely while my boyfriend and I are at work. He always had plenty of friends and enrichment when I lived with my parents and before he came into my care. I went to the SPCA and decided to get Moonshine (5mo). I brought him home yesterday. Moonshine came from a litter with 5 other kittens. What the SPCA disclosed to me was that his mom and one of his littermates had died from myocardit”

“One of the activities that I'm putting in is that I foster cats and sometimes go into the shelter itself to volunteer. Volunteering is like 2hr/week but for fostering, I can be keeping multiple cats at my home for 1-2 months at a time, so it's a 24/7 thing. How would I write the number of hours/week for the activity? Would I just say 12 hours per week, specify the weeks, and then explain that it's the amount of time I spent caring for the cats at home?? submitted by /u/Ci”

“hi guys so i might be overthinking bc my kitty means the world to me and i get paranoid about her being sick… so i was gone for 2 days and left her home (she has a feeder but her litter didn’t get cleaned for 2 days, i just thought she’d be best at home not boarded) i just got home and as i was brushing her i saw she had a green eye booger which i cleaned off her face… a google search said to take her to the vet because it could be an infection, and im worried it could be because of the 2 day li”

“i'd be down to test this. have three cats and keeping track of who needs what and when is a nightmare right now, just scribble notes on a calendar and hope i don't forget the sitter handoff sheet is a nice touch, always feel like i'm writing a novel for the pet sitter before we leave [re: [Beta] VaxPaw — pet vaccination & medication tracker, looking for testers]”

“Petsitter forgot to refill the water bowl for around 48 hours. I feel absolutely awful and have basically been following the cat around all day looking for signs of dehydration 😭 I immediately filled the water bowl and he drank for maybe a minute but not super long. There is one bathroom in the house where the toilet seat is always left up so I am hopeful that he might have been drinking a bit from there but can’t know for sure. I’ve now put multiple bowls around the house…he’s been eating norm”

Make sure no dogs have access

“Hi everyone. I have a long-time client that has 10 cats that I do drops ins for about two weeks out of every month. She likes things very particular. Theres two cats upstairs that get wet food. She likes for them to have it on two separate plates. They have 3 large bowls of cat food in the room that are constantly full. Today I was in a rush and I’m sick so I accidentally only put the wet food on one plate instead of two, but it was the same amount either way. When she got home today she confron”

“I totally understand now why some of yall don’t house-sit for puppies. I’m currently watching two dogs and one of them is a puppy still. He peed on the bed earlier and it seeped into the mattress I spent hours trying to clean it and get the smell out and it’s still slightly stained. He also peed on the carpet twice and in the kitchen. Please keep in mind that I let them outside a LOT - I sit out there with them for over an hour multiple times a day and then he’ll come inside and pee again. when”

“Long story short, I am going away from Sunday to Saturday. I have a pet sitter sleeping overnights. They get there at 9:30pm and leave at 7am. I have the scheduled for two day visits as well for a bathroom and food visit. Each at 45 minutes. Total for everything is $1000, I was thinking of leaving a tip for $125/$150? I use a local service/business so they do not set their own prices. submitted by /u/dand06 [link] [comments]”

“Ugh. She realized she could do this tonight, and left holes. When should I tell the company and how much will I be looking at? submitted by /u/badmiddling113 [link] [comments]”

“I showed up to a client’s house to check on her two cats (sisters from the same litter). They’re sweet, older girls, and I’d consider them part of the family. I see the first, turn the sink drip on for her and all seems well, so I go to find the other because she’s usually right behind. I heard a weird sound, then found her under a bed in respiratory distress. We had to rush to the er and she wasn’t able to stabilize. :( Congestive heart failure, so nothing else anyone could do. I was able to be”

“We’re currently 8 days into a two-week boarding stay. Our Shih Tzu, who is normally house-trained, apparently pooped inside overnight the past two nights. The sitter said she is adding a $50 cleaning fee because she had to clean/disinfect the area and wash his blanket. We were concerned that the accidents could mean he was sick, so we asked about the stool. She said it was firm and normal , and no photos of the indoor accidents were sent. I completely understand that cleaning up after a dog is u”

“I was watching a pet sitter on People's Court on YouTube where a dog died in sitters care. The dog was anxious and jumped out of a partially open window and died. The sitter didn't seem all there. But I digress. The judge questioned why was the dog left alone if she was hired to dog sit. Also comments questioned the sitter should not leave dog alone as that is the point of dog sitting. This was a boarding. Do people really expect dog sitters to be watching a dog the whole time and never”

“I just had a bad experience while cat sitting and honestly need to vent a little. Last weekend, I was doing a drop-in for a family I’ve worked with before. They’re lovely people, but they had changed their door code and forgot to tell me, so I was locked out. No big deal. I messaged them through the platform, but it was the middle of the night in their time zone and they were probably asleep, so they didn’t reply. Since the cat takes daily medication, I decided to try the emergency number they h”

“So I’ve just become old enough to pet sit through websites and just wanted to know some tips on starting. What should I expect and things I must make sure to do? I’m only doing cat sitting but was wondering if there’s ways to find jobs for reptiles or small animals since I’ve had experiences with them too? Uk submitted by /u/doefaline [link] [comments]”

“Hi! I am new to in-home stays but have been pet sitting for 6 years. I have such a hard time sleeping in other peoples home. Any tips or tricks for this? submitted by /u/grateful429mama [link] [comments]”

“I really love pet sitting but the other day I had to tell a client that one of her cats bit me and the other one was trying to fight a raccoon. Then she got to tell me that the rabies certificate for the cat that bit me had expired. The vet told her to wait to get another rabies shot. Great. I am on antibiotics and the indoor cat that bit me can be observed, but, really? I also use the same vet and don’t like them. I have been thinking about firing them and they are definitely fired. I am ponder”

“Hey guys, I had to leave town for only about 24 hours. It's been 10 hours so far, and I completely forgot to leave the door open that leads to my cats litter box. I was so focused on locking up the house so that she doesn't find a way to escape. Dumb question but is she gonna be fine for that long? No health risk? submitted by /u/Empty_Good2804 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, first time cat owner. 3 weeks ago, I adopted two adult cats. Both of them have been very anxious, and they still avoid human contact. I’ve got them set up in my master bedroom, with their litter box in the bathroom. For the most part they have been hanging out under my bed. My issue is they have been repeatedly going to the bathroom outside the litter box on my clothes, floor, and even my bed. I work 12 hour overnight shifts, but I clean the boxes before I leave and when I get back. From”

“I feel like context does matter here so I will give some. I just bought a house in a new area. I have to go out of town for a wedding. I have one 14 year old cat(no extra care needs, scoop litter, feed/water But he is very social/friendly and loves to be pet so I wanted someone who would be happy to give him some love and more than happy to pay whatever a pro sitter asked because I just love me sweet cat that I’ve had since I was 13) looked through the apps and was overwhelmed with options. I po”

“Please forgive me in advance, I never really post on Reddit. I’ll keep a very long story somehow short, I was made homeless last year and moved in with a friend and his parents, they had six cats, now four, all outdoor cats. There is a bad flea issue here, certain areas of the house you’ll find six or more fleas up your legs in mere seconds - they’ve done almost nothing to combat this, just inconsistent flea treatment. I have a horrific fear of insects so it’s impacted my mental health so bad, I”

“Was asked to cat sit for a neighbor couple in my apartment building, dated were supposed to be Thursday- Sunday. It was for 1 cat, no health issues or special care needed. They asked me to come feed her twice a day at no specific times, whenever is best for me. Okay great. They live directly one floor below me, and it takes me 30 seconds to take the stairs down to their apartment. They changed their plans a few times through the trip, the latest was that they were going to come home Sunday morni”

“Hi all, to preface I have owned a cat, I have interacted with a fair share of cats but I am currently petsitting an evil queen and want to ask if that's normal cat behavior. I offer to catsit for free in my building because I miss having my own cat - I saw a poster about taking care of two gorgeous ragdolls. Payment = cuddles. I was IN. Imagine my surprise when one cat minds her business (fair) but the other one shows kind of friendly signals, rubs herself around my legs, flops around... And”

“I’m wondering if this is a gig that’s worth it for me. I’ve done about 40 cat sitting reservations and most have gone great. But sometimes I get anxious… did a cat slip out the door while I was leaving? Did they really consume the pill? Did I lock the door? I just wrapped up a gig where I did an asthma inhaler for the first time. They knew I didn’t have experience, “It’s easy!” they said and demoed it. Of course when it was just me, the cat struggled and I got only about half of the breaths in f”

“Had a housesit go a bit sideways recently and I’m still really anxious about it over a week later. I handed over to the owner’s friend partway through the booking, because I had another housesit to go to (the agreement was that I would do one week, do my other housesit and the friend would cover me, then I would come back and do the rest). Before leaving I went through my usual end-of-housesit checklist; cleaned every room, run and emptied the dishwasher, washed the sheets, emptied the litter bo”

“I'm taking care of a cat for 2 weeks while her owner is away. This is currently Day 2. For some context, I've never had a pet before but my coworker needed someone to look over his cat and apartement. I actually took care of her for 3 nights, in July as well. During those 3 nights, I kept the bedroom open, even though it absolutely wrecked my sleep. I'd go to sleep around 2 AM and she'd wake me up around 6 AM. This time, I decided to actually sleep properly, so today I closed my”

“hello! im catsitting over the weekend for a friend, and she's bringing the cat over to my apartment. as a non cat owner, what should i do to prepare my apartment so the cat is both comfortable and (hopefully) doesnt ruin my space? i attached pics if anyone wants to point out specific things i need to move/get rid of. submitted by /u/elianamariie [link] [comments]”

“What solutions have you found for 1. Uncomfortable beds. 2. Dogs who are just “busy” bathing etc. in bed while you’re trying to sleep and keep waking you up. The house I’m staying at has a very firm mattress and it keeps waking me up. A lot of the houses where I stay have too-firm mattresses and I can’t get comfortable enough for deep sleep. And also where I’m staying now, the dog is relatively easy during the day, but a requirement is that he stays in the guest bed with me and he’s just a noisy”

“I was reached out to yesterday by a cat parent and they specifically said “I am out of town and need somebody to stop by and check in on my cats.” The cat parent asked me to only check on their food and water, no mention of a litter box. So I got there and their water bowl was completely empty (it was a massive bowl for their water). All of the sudden I realized that I should probably check the litter box even though they didn’t mention it. When I opened the litter box my jaw literally dropped.”

“Sorry for the rant! I’ve never done this before and I’ve had cats all my life. I’ve been watching them for five days and I am absolutely exhausted and miserable. I am so overwhelmed I bawled my eyes out yesterday. These are the most overbearing and annoying creatures I have ever met, I’m sorry to dog lovers but I lowkey hate dogs now. I can’t go pee for five seconds without them following me. They follow me EVERYWHERE and I try to tire them out but they don’t even know how to play properly they”

“Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice from people experienced with anxious cats/cat boarding. I’m boarding a cat who arrived last night , and this is his first time ever leaving his home (he’s staying for a month) He is extremely anxious and hisses every time I enter the room. I’m keeping him in a separate, quiet room and have a camera so I can monitor him without having to constantly enter and stress him out. So far, he hasn’t eaten or drank anything since arriving last night .( which is 14”

“I am watching my friend's animals (multiple cats, dogs, and fish) and it's a nightmare. This is the second time I've watched them, and the first time was bad, but I'm only halfway done with this time and I am so over it. \- they have zero boundaries with the animals, so they are constantly up in my business. The only place I have where I don't have a dog or cat clawing at me, licking my ears, climbing on my laptop, getting up in my food, jumping on me when I'm in bed is t”

“I agree, I was inpatient and all I wanted was my cat. It's so hard now because I am looking for housing and no one can accommodate me because of her. I can't give her up though. She is my little light in the darkness.”

“Context: i have guinea pigs living in my bedroom atm with fleece betting and it is offen dirty. I also have books and a room on the south side of the house. I keep my door and window shut a bit toooo much ngl. They love to be in my sheer curtans next to the light. Some are bigger some are smaller, i also leave stuff on my desk and floor often. i dont vacume quite enough sadly and have dusty af room. submitted by /u/Pleasant_Gur_5956 [link] [comments]”

“So I have a good amount of animal experience I have worked at a dog daycare for 4 years and emergency vet hospital assistant for 2 I understand body language in both cats and dogs and know what an emergency looks like and how to handle one. I have my first pet sitting job on Friday until Monday 1 dog 3 cats I’m more than comfortable with that amount did the meet and greet it went great. I’m more so looking for helpful tips nice stories anything at all. This subreddit can be kind of worrying some”

“The 4 cats: One hyperthyroid,one kitten, one geriatric,one regular? And a bully dog. They're perpetually hungry! The poor cats come out like cockroaches,begging for food constantly!The dog initially almost took my fingers off for treats! And his ribs were nearly showing! The cheap dry food sits in the bowls UNTOUCHED..I've been EXTREMELY nice! I accept VERY LITTLE PAY. I've cleaned up vomit and shit and the hyperthyroid cat was scary thin when I started(he has meds) I told him about”

Laying down and your pet lays down near you

“I am on a cat sitting job for 2 weeks. 2 checkins a day and overnights Thursday-Sunday. I washed her minky cortoure blanket and dried it. It was on the couch and full of cat hair and litter from the long haired cats. I was offered the couch or bed to sleep in. I thought I would sleep on the couch. Well here I am and I think her blanket is ruined. They are not cheap. What would you do? submitted by /u/Various-Squirrel-453 [link] [comments]”

“hello everyone, i am a fairly new professional cat sitter, but i have a great deal of experience with cats and have rescued four of my own. I was booked by someone for a 5 day gig cat sitting his single cat who is adorable. he is a bit timid, and seems lonely, but is such a sweet boy that wants to be pet and loved on and play. i was told by my client that the cat would most likely be afraid of me and hide and the client was shocked when i showed him pictures of the cat coming up to me. anyways,”

“I had to travel suddenly and had only 2 days to find someone to look after my cat. She's just over 1, vaccinated, spayed, microchipped and had completely clear skin before I left. I found a sitter through an app. Good reviews, had looked after cats before, and was close to me so I could drop her off myself. She was also a little cheaper and said we could do the payment outside the app... which I now realise wasn't the smartest decision. The sitter lived in a big shared apartment with 4-5”

“I adopted a cat named Millie on Tuesday (she's a 4 year old cat, last weighed at 4.1kg). The staff at the shelter recommended a staging room for potentially the first few days, maybe more, since Millie was shy. They said a bathroom is a good room, I asked if my bedroom is okay and they said yes but that a bathroom would be better suited. When I arrived home at 4pm, I put everything in my room and let her get comfortable there. But she was hiding and didn't come out for food. The next day”

“I wonder if while home alone they interact, play or even sleep next to each other or no? submitted by /u/UpstairsTourist6379 [link] [comments]”

“I have a 4 yr old male bunny, a lion-head to be specific. I left for 4 days and had parsley, hay, bowl of water and bowl of pellets out for him. Came back this morning to both bowls being completely empty. The water dish super dry. I panicked and immediately looked for him. I found him and I brought him water and food immediately. He spent 2 minutes drinking the water and didn’t want to eat. I got nervous and brought a treat and he immediately ate it. He seems to be alert and still loves the pet”

“So I’ve been cat sitting for these people for a few years now, they actually just keep the spare keys at my house becauae they’re only a few streets away from me. Since it’s been the same routine for the last 3 years , they’re very consistent and they take their holidays at the same times every year! I’m aware of the cats ages, 2 cats being 8 years old and one of them is 16, so quite old! What they didn’t tell me from the last sit I did which was about 3 months ago. Is that the 16 year old has s”

“Gross things I have had to deal with over the years: :Dirty cat litterbox : dirty diapers : spoiled groceries ( including milk) : deer carcass in the trunk (that was involved in the accident) : stripper underwear/crusty costumes : sex toys : trucker piss jug :buddys Polaroid dick pics. :Rusty shanks, drugs, pipes, used needles ( back seat of cop cars usually)”

“I work in an emergency setting and, lately, we’ve had so many spicy/freaked out cats. Some are fine for initial TPR but as soon as you put them in a kennel, they start hissing and growling and we end up having to fully sedate to handle them again. Is it in the air? I know cats will feed off of each other but how long after an upset cat leaves does the angry juju go away? Does anyone have any advice other than don’t get bit? submitted by /u/JeepSmash [link] [comments]”

“Shy? Her? She’s the sweetest, softest, chattiest cat i’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting for! I’ve only been here for 6 hours, and she’s already all snuggled up 🥹. Going to be a great 18 days. submitted by /u/justakingmytime [link] [comments]”

“I am desperate at this point. My apartment smells like dog piss and cat pee. I am in the trenches of my first trimester of pregnancy. I am seriously considering moving out bc I can't stand it. I bought a deep cleaner carpet vacuum, had a professional cleaner come in to treat and clean the carpet. It was good for a day or two but I'm back to square one with gagging every time I walk into my apartment. What can I do at this point? I can't afford another professional cleaning, and our l”

Put a cat in there for a few nights

“Everyone keeps telling me I will hate my cats, and they will be all over everything and I'll want to re-home them and now I'm so stressed about it! We do have 4, but they are all super well behaved and while one of them doesn't generally like babies, he's also the most attached to me and has become even more attached as my pregnancy has progressed. We also definitely won't be locking them out of the room when the baby comes because they would FREAK, and they don't play in”

“i’m babysitting my moms dog for 5 days next week and i’m not super nervous but i am nervous about the fact that she will be away from my mom for almost a week lol does anyone have any tips or suggestions from when they were in a similar situation. luckily my moms dog trusts me and loves me. im just worried about miss girl getting sad or looking out the door. of course im gonna give her the best time here but just need some tips if anyone was in a similar situation! she is also a chihuahua and 8”

“Please put your pet away they will eat your food or spill your drink I’m not responsible submitted by /u/Salty-Sample145 [link] [comments]”

“Hello! I'm dogsitting over the weekend. Barnie is a very shy dog it seems (I think his owners said he wasn't cared for the best before they got him?) So far he hasn't come out of his crate. From a quick internet search, it seems like the best way to get him to warm up to me enough to take him outside to pee and such is to just leave him be for the most part? I got here about 90 minutes ago, opened his crate door, filled his food/ water and have been sitting on the couch in a”

“Currently pet sitting for a week and I’m on my first full day here. These neighbors are making me so incredibly uncomfortable. Last night, they texted the homeowners about “mysterious cars in the driveway” asking who was over at their house. I just pulled in the driveway and the Nextdoor neighbor was staring at me acting like I’m breaking into their house. Every time I go outside I’ve had a strange interaction with a neighbor. I don’t even wanna go outside. I feel so uncomfortable here and don’t”

“Watching two dogs, I have been around them a lot and watched them on separate occasions. They have been leading me towards kitchen all day today. I try to go outside to check if they need to pee and gave them treats but they keep going to kitchen. It’s time for bed and we went to bed together on couch but now they just sit in kitchen and won’t come to bed. Owners say it’s fine but I’m worried and I’m fasting rn so the kitchen is very tempting lol. I have fed them breakfast and dinner , early din”

“Watching two dogs, I have been around them a lot and watched them on separate occasions. They have been leading me towards kitchen all day today. I try to go outside to check if they need to pee and gave them treats but they keep going to kitchen. It’s time for bed and we went to bed together on couch but now they jsut sit in kitchen and won’t come to bed. Owners say it’s fine but I’m worried and I’m fasting rn so the kitchen is very tempting lol. submitted by /u/Just-Needleworker-20”

“Got this reservation today look at her score ? I am debating if it's even worth it ? Could be a awful , messy pet or the owner or both ! Score of 4.27 is pretty awful ! submitted by /u/CapitalSelection2255 [link] [comments]”

“What about a cat? They are pretty self sufficient besides the litter box and food. 10min a day of work.”