My sitter has just cancelled with less than 8 weeks before I go away. My listing has gone live again but I’m really worried that I won’t get anyone. I’d feel much happier booking a kennel/cattery for my own peace of mind and as a premium member I think I am covered by some insurance. It is all a bit unclear and when I went on chat (a BOT) it says it will send an email with information, but doesn’t. I’ve tried twice now.
Does anyone have any experience of this? I just want to know whether I should cancel the listing and go ahead and book alternatives, and if so, can whether I claim any money towards the cost
The insurance you have only covers if the cancellation is close to your dates (2 weeks) but 8 weeks out you have plenty of time to find another sitter. To be honest many owners/hosts don’t even put up a listing until 8 weeks beforehand so I think you’re feeling a bit shocked/panicked etc. It’ll be ok. If you managed to secure one confirmed sitter then there’s likely another also out there…. unless of course something has changed and there’s a reason that they cancelled eg undisclosed information or extra pets etc
@Isca You do have plenty of time to secure a new sitter. Do as @OnTheRoadAgain suggests. You will not be covered by the cancellation plan where it is too far away in dates.
What I would suggest you do is re-read your listing and make sure it is completely up-to-date. In your Introduction you mention October dates but they were for 2025 so that’s not relevant. Millie is now 20 , not 19. I would be wanting to know more about her health. You mention her weeing outside of the litter box. Has this worsened?
For your peace of mind, why not book the kennel/cattery now but leave your listing up (remember to make it New again) and see what response you receive in the next couple of weeks. You can always cancel the kennel booking,
Extract from sit cancellation insurance terms:
“Unexpectedly” means a cancellation that occurs 14 days or less before the agreed sit start date or during the sit, but before the agreed end date.
In your intro you’ve got “anxious to secure sitters quickly” - change it.
Don’t put your stress onto sitters that are reading your profile. Think about it, would you apply to sit for an owner that stresses you out, before you’ve even got there? Keep it light hearted.
You’ve got a lovely home in a beautiful area with adorable pets, so hopefully you’ll find someone, 8 weeks is still a reasonable length of time.
The listing is live again although when I was editing the dates it said one section was not completed. It was the one concerning the house. The only bit missing was the first section asking if it was a house. I’m sure it was ticked before, but I’ve ticked it again but it won’t let me update for some reason.
I notice you’ve now replaced October with March @Isca. There’s no need to mention the month at all as we can see it by your dates. It also means you don’t have to update your information each time you post new dates.
I think the biggest issue is that your dog has accidents also your elderly cat. You might be accepting of this but sitters find this pretty off putting so you need to find mitigation solutions. Why does the cat pee in the shower? Is this where the litter box is located…. so move it. Tell sitters to lock the shower room etc. Train your dog to use a Press Bell to ask to go out to do its business, it’ll take 1-2 weeks. Make your sit more appealing for sitters.
I see it is live but it still shows as Low Applications. Taking down your dates and putting them back up later changes you to New. Sitters can explain why but New is better than Low Applications because New triggers notifications to sitters that Low Applications does not (I think).
Hello @Isca & welcome. Looks like a nice clean home with great walks & cute pets. A few bits to tweak. Change your strapline to “Country sit with cute pets, great walks & easy city access.” As that says way more than the current one. Change the cover photo to no 20 which is a sweet one of Maia. Lose the word anxious as someone advised earlier as that suggests a needy host. We can’t see how long the pets can be left for, so please spell that out. Are you open to couples and families as it’s a four bedroom property? That could widen your pool of sitters. The “peeing in the shower or wherever” thing isn’t appealing so you may want to elaborate there as it’s fine when it’s your own pet but a bigger ask for an unpaid sitter. Make a few adjustments, pause and relist and you still have time on your side for March. #bestofluck
Thank you for your observations. I am just being honest. The litter box is in the bathroom as is the shower, but my cat is elderly and almost certainly going senile. As for my dog, I wish I had your optimism. I have tried everything, even a dog behaviourist, to no avail.
In which case you’ve got a challenging sit and I’d be up front about this. Say it early on that the the pets are aged and a bit accident prone- describe how you manage this or have you simply adapted to a stinky home? If not then say so in the listing, otherwise us sitters will fill in the gaps. Have you got hard floors or carpets? How have you kept your place nice? If you can’t do this then I’d pay pet sitters to do this sit as it’s way beyond an equal exchange.
You cook chicken for the pet? I DEFINITELY would not apply for that reason alone, and also animals peeing in the shower, no thanks. I appreciate you are being honest, me too.
& welcome. Looks like a nice clean home with great walks & cute pets. A few bits to tweak. Change your strapline to “Country sit with cute pets, great walks & easy city access.” As that says way more than the current one. Change the cover photo to no 20 which is a sweet one of Maia. Lose the word anxious as someone advised earlier as that suggests a needy host. We can’t see how long the pets can be left for, so please spell that out. Are you open to couples and families as it’s a four bedroom property? That could widen your pool of sitters. The “peeing in the shower or wherever” thing isn’t appealing so you may want to elaborate there as it’s fine when it’s your own pet but a bigger ask for an unpaid sitter. Make a few adjustments, pause and relist and you still have time on your side for March.