@andrealovesanimals especially Bengal cats. They tend to be a bit more hyperactive and require more interaction to keep them settled.
duplicate sorry
I have heard that they are very active, even at night. Do you think that’s true?
I haven’t looked after Bengals yet.
I am retired so it’s a permanent holiday …… hurrah.
We pet sit probably 10 months out of 12. I love to walk/hike so I’m always on the look out for active fit dogs and homes that have good trails from the door. When we want to be tourists we turn to Airbnb or the like.
Pet sitting is not a vacation for everyone. There are definite fixed responsibilities, feeding, exercising, even just giving the animals attention and showing them affection. That is the sitters responsibility. With certain pets there can be time that can be used for sight seeing but that has to be few and far between. Pick carefully, be very upfront and truthful with the owner why you want to do the sit and take the responsibilities serious.
As for a house being “unliveable” that is very much a personal opinion. No hot water? There must have been a reason, something was broken or not working properly. Solution, boil a kettle or take cold showers until the problem is fixed.
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Those are NOT vacations!!!
NEVER…under ANY circumstance, pay to fix someone else’s home for ANY reason. If you do that, assume it is a gift from you to the HO and that you will never see that money again. Don’t do it…ever.
Owning a home comes with risks, including fixing hot water systems. That is the HO job, never the job or financial responsibility, EVEN IF THEY CLAIM THEY WILL REIMBURSE YOU, of a sitter. Never do this!!!
@richten1 is lucky, in the example given the HO left enough money for an emergency to cover that cost…dodged a bullet.
@andrealovesanimals I’ve never sat Bengal cats either. I once saw a listing for a Bengal cat sit that read - 2 hours of play time everyday otherwise the cat would act out. The playtime included some sort of interactive puzzles and such.
What I had in mind was this
5.2.5. notify a Sitter of any special requirements or behaviours relating to your pet(s) in your Home Listing and when you communicate with any Sitter and during the Handover.
But now that I’ve double checked, I’ve seen the “special” and not being left for more than 3 hours won’t probably be considered as a special, particularly after the pandemic and remote working.
Sorry I got this wrong. Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll edit my post.
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I sat a Savannah and the requirements were the same. One hour play in the morning and one hour in the evening. He could be left during most of the day but when I was in the house he demanded attention most of the time. I really enjoyed the interaction and was fascinated by his behaviour. He enjoyed playing fetch with a ball and would bring different toys to change activities.
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No. I sit while telecommuting. I often piggyback days at hotels so I can do sightseeing without pet and home sitting responsibilities. When I want a full on vacation, I pay for hotels or cruise.
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing but now that you are there I think you just have to be more realistic about what you can fit in to a day, especially when dogs are involved.
I know that if we planned a full day out - say an hours drive there and the same back (not allowing for traffic problems or getting lost), explore a city, have a meal etc. it would take at least 7/8 hrs. We would have to consider an early start to get the pets fed and walked before leaving and the same on our return. For us it would be too much and also not fair on the pets.
I always ask lots of questions prior to accepting a sit - such as what does a typical day look like. I choose cat sits if I wish to do more exploring.
Recent THS marketing has been promoting a free holiday with pets but as I have said many times before the responsibility of caring for a home and pets should never be underestimated. Things crop up, pets get ill, maintenance issues can happen and all have to be dealt with around our own plans.
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Wow those are some pretty big cats. I don’t have much experience with exotic cat breeds. I do have an upcoming sit for a Maine Coon next month.
Some sitters have combined a city sightseeing with pet sitting by staying in the city - no time spent on travelling - sights on the doorstep- and you may also be able to take the dogs along too . For inspiration read this post .
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Borderline. I have allergies to dust & mold (& cats- but that’s why I don’t take cat sits). The house is quite dusty and I’ve noticed I’m completely stuffed up, sneezing & red itchy eyes a lot of the time here. Trying some different things has helped. But I would also consider no hot water (especially in a colder climate), unlivable. So it hasn’t gotten to the point yet where it’s unlivable here, but it made me wonder if in the future I was somewhere where my allergies were too bad or there wasn’t any hot water, for example, what could be done.
It sounds like I would need the premium membership as a safety net for situations like that.
So yeah, not a question of not “liking” a place as much as prioritizing my health & what I consider to be basic needs.
This is true. And a good point. But in my own home I have agency to call a plumber or go shower at a friends house etc. Hotels would usually reimburse or find other accommodations in my experience. But being stuck somewhere for 7 days with no hot water in a fairly cool climate and not being able to do anything about it…idk call me posh, but it’s not very livable in my opinion.
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I just had to pay a locksmith (£72)while my HO was in the airport waiting to take off. If I didn’t I would not be able to get back into the home. I’m going to send her my bank details and fingers crossed will get it paid.
I do actually pet sit to travel. I also have a grandaughter who lives in a different state than I, so its a good way to visit her as well. I could stay with the family, but its more fun to do a sit in the area and she enjoys going to them with me as well. The pets get double love that way. I tend to stick with cat sits if I’m choosing the area to see some of the sites. Enjoy !
Oh no, how did that happen? Was the lock faulty?
Luckily you were only without hot water for a day or two, not seven days then.
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Are you sure you are actually suited to house-sitting?
You are presenting yourself to an ever increasing risk of illness with your allergies as it appears that a lot of homes would maybe have more dust than your body could tolerate.
Why make yourself ill?
We only have one life to live so why take unnecessary health risks?
Hope your future pans out well for you anyway.
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