Hello dear community
I recently had a request for a sitting with three children, so a total of five people.
Have you ever had such a large family for a sitting? What do you think about it and what are your experiences?
I think a lot depends on your home and their family.
For example, someone with a countryside hobby farm that requires several sets of hands, has a big farm house, no nearby town … Maybe that’s a plus if the people staying are mom, dad, kids over, say 8 years old.
Consider both what you’re asking the sitters to do and how your home would be with five guests in it!
in the right situation, could be a win win.
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Thank you for your answer. I have only one older cat and I found the apply quite strange.
I think people coming with three children are here not on the right platform. For an animal it must be very disturbing having suddenly 5 persons in the house. I had the impression they were looking for cheap hollydays.
I wouldn’t brush off all big families. Not everyone is looking just for a cheap holiday but they are also not traveling a long distance just to house/pet sit either. There’s paid services for that so it needs to be a win/win for everyone. I’m newer to THS and apply as a family of 5 and we already have 13 confirmed sits. We just completed our 3rd sit today and the HO texted stating our entire family were the best petsitters they ever had and asked us to return. We also received invites from the other two HOs to petsit for future dates. And where are we driving right now? 12 hours to a cat sit that is an older cat that requires some medical assistance but we are happy to take care of her because even older animals who need special care deserve love while owners are away. I think it’s best to interview and ask all your questions so that you feel comfortable with whoever whether it’s a solo or a family
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I don’t think that is a suitable fit for one elderly cat, just move onto the next application and don’t overthink
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Does it matter if the family are looking for a cheap holiday as long as they give you 24-hour home security and great pet care in exchange?
There has to be something in the deal for both the home host and the sitters
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Hi there, I’m new this community and am researching before I commit to paying for membership. We are also a family of five and I wanted to know if there are many options for families. Can I please ask if it took you very long to get your first sit?
@TheKnotts oddly enough, once we started applying, it really didn’t take long to line up a bunch of sits. My profile lists every single one of the family members and describes who they are, their experience with animals, and I started with any photos I could find with them and animals in the photo together. After chatting during the interview process, some homeowners have stated they wanted a family. There’s others who had reservations but after chatting they confirmed us. There’s plenty of rejections though, and it used to bother me. Now I just brush it off and say “Next!” I started applying end of Feb and we lined up 16 sits. Kids are having a really fun time
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May I ask the ages of your children? This is so heart warming to hear!
We have an almost 2 year old and while many sits we’ve applied for have said “family friendly” they don’t mean toddler friendly…and I totally get it, toddlers can be quite the handful 
but I know someday soon we’ll be in an age range where she can be more helpful and involved in the pet care.
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Ours are older. 14, 14, and 16. Although some of the homeowners I’ve spoken with have had little children before. Our struggle with applications is that the homeowners feel like their home is too small for us. Every home is big compared to the 36 foot rv we were traveling in for the first 2 years
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That might be something you mention in your profile — that many homes seem spacious to your family after extended time in an RV.
It’s funny how relative things are. Our Sprinter RV makes the 439-square-foot flat we lived in decades ago in Hong Kong seem big. And by comparison, our homes in the U.S. have been massive — even the smallest ones.
@Maggie8K yes I do mention that in our application but I notice the HOs don’t always read the entire application.
That’s unfortunate and odd. If I were going to have someone watch my pet(s) and home, I’d read every bit of info available.
I turned down a family of five plus a dog, but I have a cattle dog that is wary of strangers and has no experience with children, and I have only two queen beds so I couldn’t see how it would work and I’d be a long way away if it didn’t.
On the other hand, a friend with a big house, and lots of chickens, rabbits, and hamsters might see this family as her ideal sitters. There is a match for everyone, somewhere.
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Thank you so much for your response to my query. Your advice on listing each family member is really helpful - I will definitely do that.
Kind regards
Marissa Knott
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