Hi Everybody. I see this is an old post; however, I hope a few sitters might see it and eventually answer my question: Would it be too much for me, as a pet owner - cat more precisely - to ask for daily updates? Especially if we are speaking about three weeks sit?
@IonIlisie I have moved your question to a topic of its own.
Welcome to the forum @IonIlisie
No it’s not too much . If that is what you want I would add this to the responsibility section of your listing .
We are happy to provide daily WhatsApp messages - with a cat sit they are mostly short and sweet messages - because cats don’t have much change in routine and depending on cat’s character the updates can be quite repetitive over a long stay . If something significant or of interest happened we will of course include that . We’ll add photos - again they will generally be quite repetitive over a three week sit -cat asleep on sofa / cat looking out of window / cat eating their food /
If that is what you would like for reassurance you can discuss this with your sitter before confirming the sit . If a particular sitter isn’t agreeable to this they are not a good match for you and you can look for another sitter who is willing to do this .
Be prepared to see lots of photos of your cat happily snuggled with your sitter .
@IonIlisie If you want daily updates just make that clear to sitters. Most will be happy to accomodate. Our usual patturn is daily updates on shorter sits- and every 2/3 days on longer sits e.g 2/3+ weeks. Our current sit is 2.5 weeks and they requested every couple of days. We did have one 3 week sit that requested daily pics of the cats (“because I miss them so much”) but she didn’t want ‘big stories’ and we’ve had hosts who don’t want any updates (“except emergencies”) or pics (“I know what my dog looks like!”) But most people do like regular updates and sitters expect that. Our limit is once a day, usually the same time each day. (Though ofcourse if an issue arises during the sit an active dialogue might ensue- so we are flexible) Just clarify the frequency of updates with your sitter beforehand then you can relax on your trip.
Hi @IonIlisie Not at all! And it’s really helpful to be specific about how often you’d like to be updated, as it varies from one person to the next.
When I first started sitting I didn’t provide updates at all, working on the theory that ‘no news is good news’, and not wishing to disturb the home owners unless there was something that concerned me. But over time, updates seem to have become more of a thing, and it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed doing as part of a sit. I mainly sit on my own, and tend to enjoy remote places that involve lots of dog-walking, so it’s also a good - albeit indirect - way of letting home owners know that I’m ok and haven’t gone AWOL.
@IonIlisie I think it’s fine, but you should clearly communcate your expectations upfront.
We always ask HOs how many updates their expect and on around 25 cat sits around half of them asked for daily news (usually we just send a picture of the pet(s) with “all fine” or anything relevant to their care).
The rest asked for every second or every third day. Hosts with a “do not disturbe” attitude seem to be an excepion. At least on our sits that was the case.
I think it’s not too much to ask for one pic/short note a day.
I send a daily photo of the pet doing pet things- eating sleeping stretching etc I tell the HOs they don’t need to respond as I can see that they’ve seen the image. I send the image to arrive for when they awake (taking into account time zones- a bit like if they were at home tbh).
I figured out that the first week and a half is usually the time frame a homeowner is most stressed about their home and pets. I will send daily updates.
Then I might miss a day to see how the homeowner will respond, will they chase me up for an update or not. If not, then I understand that the homeowner is comfortable enough if I don’t do a daily update. (I would still send regular updates, but not be pressed to do so daily)
If yes, I will send a photo with small little update daily till the end of the 2-3 week sit.
It takes a small amount of time and it doesn’t affect me much.
If you were putting this in the listing, I would just say,
“I would appreciate daily updates ( a photo or 2) just to calm my nerves as I’m still new to house sitting”
YES it is reasonable to ask for updates every day. We usually do morning and evening updates, our last visit was a man who really missed his cats and we did multiple videos and photos every morning and every evening. It is completely reasonable. If they don’t want to do it then they shouldn’t apply to your sit in my opinion.
But to be clear you must put it in your original post so there are no misunderstandings and sitters who think that that is too much to ask for should not apply.
Yes, perfectly reasonable. It takes a couple of seconds to take a nice snap of Fido/Boots and send it with a quick message, I would be weary of any sitter that makes that out to be an unreasonable burden.
It is your sit, so you set the parameters of what you want. A daily update is definitely not unreasonable to ask. If you identify this requirement during an interview and someone has issues with such a simple request, then they aren’t right for you.
I personally love giving daily updates. It takes so little time to do it and I end up with a pictorial diary of the sit.
We’re on a 5 week sit with one dog for pretty new hosts who have specifically asked for a daily pic - or proof of life as they called it 
- of their little beauty. Interestingly (& kindly) they said it doesn’t have to be a good photo, just any pic which takes the pressure off. Totally happy to oblige as it’s a quick snap. #proofoflife
Fine - but don’t get jealous if the cat appears to prefer the sitter to you!
Thanks very much to all for your very informative postings
@IonIlisie, looks like you’ve already received some great advice.
Thought contribute perspectives-
- we find that communication expectations vary dramatically by pet parent. some people say contact only in emergencies, some want daily messages
- best tactics is to ask upfront. mismatched expectations is a lose-lose
- in our experience, typical comms from pet parents is daily for first 2-3 days (pets/us settling) then once every few days then daily for last couple days (pets ok, logistics leaving)
I agree with the advice you’ve recieved… daily updates are pretty common. And as others have said, it helps to state in your listing or a pre-confirmation chat, what you expect. “Unreasonable” might be, half a dozen photos a day, an essay about the pet’s day, a daily video call… A snapshot and quick “all is well” type message should suffice.
I’ve only had 1 host who said “Nah, I don’t need updates” when I asked (1st time for both of us). After a week I sent her a quick e-mail & photo anyway, because: …
This. “Yes, I’m still here, I haven’t had a car crash or got hit by a bus.” Even if the hosts dont need to hear about the pets regularly, I think it’s just responsible to let them know you are still on the job. If I had a sitter I would want to know! 
Asking for a daily update is reasonable. I find, as a sitter, that sending a daily update is easier to remember than sending an update “every other day” or “every 2-3 days.”
If you are going to be in a different time zone, you can also ask your sitter to be mindful of the timing of the update, so that it does not occur at 3 am while you are trying to sleep, with your phone not silenced, just in case there is an emergency at home.
To send updates daily or every other day is common sense. I did it from the first time I sat. I wasn’t asked nor told. It just made sense to me. I sent a photo with a note. I know how important pets are to their owners and I felt a daily update would help them enjoy their holiday more knowing their pet was cared for.
As a cat sitter i have had a lot of different situations. What is reasonable all depends on the situation. But I also in general agree on whatever the owner wants regarding updates. It obviously also depends on the number of cats, if they are all healthty or have some issues. And also how much the cat or cats themselves are independant or interact a lot with a petsitter. I find it much easier to do daily updates if there is anything to tell or to show. The more cats and the more they actively enjoy interacting with me, playing, petting, lapsitting, etc then the more opportunities to tell something or to send a photo of their antics. For one healthy cat my feeling is that daily updates for 3 weeks is a bit overboard. But you could also ask for daily updates the first couple of days when the relation between cat and petsitter is still developing.
I’ve done over 70 sits and don’t think it’s unreasonable at all. I always send daily updates unless the H/O requests otherwise. Usually it’s something like, “all is well here” or “ nothing new here” always accompanied by a picture of the pet or pets. I take a little time to try to get a good picture of the pet. Several of my pictures have ended up being used by H/O’s in their postings. It only takes a minute and makes H/O’s really happy.