How to hire a pet sitter
A pet sitter cares for animals in your home while you travel — drop-in visits or overnight stays, which is usually less stressful for the animal than boarding.
What the job usually involves
- Drop-in visits for feeding, water and litter.
- Overnight stays in your home.
- Medication administration.
- Small animals, birds, reptiles and fish.
- Plants, post and making the house look occupied.
What to ask before you agree to anything
- Are you insured and bonded?
- How many visits a day, and how long is each?
- Can you give medication, including injections if needed?
- What is your emergency plan, and do you need vet authorisation from me?
- Will you send updates, and how often?
- Do you have a backup if you are ill?
Warning signs
- No written agreement and no emergency contact plan.
- Reluctance to meet the pet beforehand.
- Vague visit lengths — a "visit" can mean five minutes or forty.
- No insurance while holding keys to your home.
Common questions
Is a pet sitter better than boarding?
For many animals yes, because they stay in familiar surroundings with their own routine, and cats in particular often handle it far better than a kennel. Boarding can be better for dogs who need constant company or who are destructive when alone.
How many visits a day does a cat need?
Most sitters recommend at least one daily visit for a healthy adult cat and more for kittens, seniors, or cats on medication. Ask your vet if your cat has a condition, and be clear with the sitter about what each visit includes.
What should I leave for a pet sitter?
Food and instructions with amounts, medication with clear dosing, your vet details and written authorisation to treat, an emergency contact, and anything about your pet a stranger would not guess — hiding spots, escape habits, or what a bad day looks like.
How does Region Beacon work for pet sitters?
You describe the job once. The first nearby business that takes it gets your details and contacts you; nobody else does. You deal with whoever you pick directly, and you pay them directly — Region Beacon never handles the money and takes no commission, so nothing is added to your price for using it.
How do I know if a pet sitter's quote is fair?
Get more than one. A single quote tells you what one business charges; three tell you what the job is worth where you live. Ask each for the same scope in writing, and treat a quote far below the others as probably missing something rather than a bargain.
Get quotes from pet sitters near you
Describe the job once and the first nearby business to take it contacts you. Only that one gets your details, no commission is added, and your details are not sold on to anyone.