Feeling disheartened /anxious , keep missing sits and/or getting rejected

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hey all, this is my first post on the forum, and its long because i feel totally diseartened.

We (little cat sitting family) joined THS last summer, and since then have completed 6 sits. We also did one externally (return sit, got an external reference on here), and returned to one of the THS ones twice.

Up until the new year, of 20 sits I applied for, 14 were successful. A few didn’t happen due to changing circumstances (on both sides - all communicated with good time, no issues, just life), a couple had already arranged for other sitters to come but liked us and asked us to do other dates (which we couldn’t do unfortunately), a couple I chanced it even though I knew we couldn’t do the whole time and fair enough, was rejected, and a couple we agreed on further conversation , that it wasn’t the right fit. all fine, no issues, and I didn’t have any negative feelings about any of it. We had some really wonderful opportunities, met some gorgeous cats and just really enjoyed it.

Fast forward to the new year -i have applied for no less than 55 sits, nearly all saying family friendly… 80% haven’t bothered replying and just rejected, a couple were accepted but again life circs changed, one was accepted and then we met and not right fit, and a couple have said they would have loved to have us but they had already arranged with the first applicant.

So we have accepted and completed 1 sit out of all those! and the host didn’t even leave a review despite me writing her one, asking for one after a week, and now the window has closed so it’s no longer a possibility.

I would have loved to apply for another sit for them as it was our favourite to date , but 'm feeling so anxious that we did something to upset them - there was a breakage while we were there (a cat jumped on the cat frame thing and it came out of the wall damaging the plaster - I offered to pay , but she said no as it should have held the weight of the cat which is true tbf but whatever, i would have pad as under my watch), and we used a couple of bits but i left money for the things we couldn’t really replace cos we didn’t use much (sugar and stuff like that). she even commented in a message that we left the house amazingly clean.

I always get huge anxiety after a sit that we are going to get a negative review, even though I scrub everything from top to bottom - and I replace anything we might have used.
anyway, I digress, I am feeling incredibly disheartened now and the kids are disappointed we haven’t been able to secure anything for easter- I’m not sure what I have been doing wrong - I always write a good chunk of an application individually saying how we might be a good fit for the pet/s - I just copy paste a bit about our experience.

Admittedly I have been going for more dog and cat sits than usual. Cat only sits during the holidays seem to fly like the wind (I rarely see them as I don’t use the app - I find it annoying to use as I like a million tabs open at once!)
and we have no experience with dogs via THS - which I acknowledge in the applications and explain why, and the experience we do have, so I guess this is part of the lower success rate, but still. Can anyone tell me what I might be able to do better to secure a sit? I don’t really understand what has changed, and it’s making us all sad as we need our cat fix! thanks

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I can understand how you and your family must be very disheartened but you’ve obviously been writing good applications as you’ve got 20 sits under your belt.
What does come across to me is that you’ve had to cancel a few sits because life got in the way. Is there anything in your profile or reviews that hints about those cancellations that might put owners off? We are only supposed to cancel confirmed sits if an emergency arises, so I’m wondering why you had to cancel.
Certainly since the 5 application rule came into being sitters have been finding it harder to get sits as they may have missed out. I also think it’s become harder since the pandemic.
Do you have good reviews? Have you also got some references?
You might like to link your profile to your forum listing so that members can give you some tips if it needs improving. Here’s how to do that:

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How many persons are you? How old are the children?
I think it’s difficult for families and perhaps you just had good luck until now.

I also wonder why there have been so many changes. Usually the dates are clear and a sitter should only apply if he can make the sit 100%.

As a HO I would see that you have reviewed a HO and that the HO didn’t review you. That can be a red flag.

I am always a little sceptical about sitters who only want to look after cats, preferably outdoor cats. That doesn’t give me the feeling of a true pet-lover, but of a sitter who doesn’t want any “work”. But maybe I’m wrong.

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Ive noticed THS can be a feast or famine type experience, so I have learnt to just roll with it and not get discouraged in the famine stages as thats usually when an unexpected sit will pop up and it will reignite your enthusiasm for the whole petsitting adventure!

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Id rather delete my original post than be silenced and have my words altered without consultation, particularly when Im responding to someone elses offensive comment that they are permitted to leave on the forum.

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I agree with another comment that being successful at getting sits seems to come in little waves and sometimes it just feels like a wave of declines coming at you but it will pick up again. Ultimately, prospective sitters are at the mercy of owner’s particular vision of their perfect sitter and sometimes we just don’t fit the bill for whatever reason and there isn’t much if anything we can do about it. There are bound to still be a lot of sits coming up for easter for all those people who left it to the last minute and if you are quick at applying and able to be flexible with dates and location I’m sure there will still be something for you.
One thing I would suggest though based on your post, don’t focus on what you don’t have in your application eg lack of THS dog experience and just talk about what you do have eg pet dog as a child or whatever.

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You are wrong. I primarily sit for cats because I love cats and have had cats my whole life. I’ve never had a dog and I would never apply to a sit that I do not feel qualified to do. I very occasionally sit for small dogs, but since I’m not comfortable with large dogs I would not apply to sit for a large dog. Filtering out pets that I don’t have experience with is being a good and responsible sitter. I work virtually so when I’m sitting I rarely leave the house and typically spend hours and hours each week with a cat curled up in my lap while I’m working. Pets in my care get lots of love and attention.

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I still get quite a lot of rejections after 30+ 5 star reviews and as a single female. Don’t always understand why. Often personal chemistry maybe. My success rate is much higher at home in Ireland.

The dog/cat thing might also be a reason. I did a lot of dog sits in a row and noticed that I got rejected for more cat sits afterwards. One cat owner had a call with me and she actually told me honestly that she was a bit unsure because I seemed more of a dog person. But I told her honestly that I really loved cats too, and gave her good reasons why I wanted to visit the area, and she chose me.in the end. I’m currently cat sitting somewhere else too. :cat2:

Perhaps try a sit with a single easy going dog who belongs to another family? That might be the best fit as dog newbies.

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I’m a cat lover, and so that is my preference for sits, it’s certainly not a reflection of being a true pet lover. I don’t mind occasionally doing small dogs, but I have a note on my profile that I don’t take on large dogs because of a previously broken wrist. Don’t judge cat people harshly

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I have become a bit disheartened now when applying in England. I thought that that would be very easy, much easier than on the supposed difficult continent where I had a success rate higher than 50 %. And these were not applications in London etc, but rural countryside.

It may be that HOs are afraid for no-shows or late cancellations. Or for me getting a bicycle accident on the way. And maybe chemistry, someone more like them.

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@pietkuip It must be a chemistry thing. You had sits in Frqnce, right? I tried there and just got wordless rejections. England has been pretty successful for me. I don’t know if it might be because I live pretty close. I also mention that I lived in England in the past and enjoy coming back. Sometimes reactions seem random and beyond explanation though!

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Yes, maybe I am forgetting unsuccessful applications in France but it feels like that I got three out of three last year. Plus two just small distances (less than two kilometers) across the border. And one in Brussels.

Some of the HOs were French, some were nobility, some were American retirees, some were expats working in Geneva.

I mention in my applications that I have worked in England, but up till now all my four or five applications there have gotten declined.

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You might be right about the worry about a bike accident- I’m in Ireland not the UK but the country roads are similar and I would be very worried about someone planning to rely on cycling as the roads and driving culture are not cycling-friendly or safe.
Also, and this is not a criticism just an observation, that wonderful Dutch directness can be quite offputting for much less direct cultures and I think your “about me” section could definitely be putting people off. If you feel it’s very important to have that statement there obviously you should keep it but it would be interesting as an experiment to see what would happen in relation to your success rate if you positioned it less prominently or left it for later in the conversation.

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I specialize in cat sitting only because this is my area of expertise. I would never take a dog or any other animal sit as I’m not experienced with these animals. When taking on a sit it is very important to have the skill set required to properly care for the health and well being of the pet and be able to swiftly respond in case of an emergency.

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Yes, I had started to think about that. And I have looked a bit at how other people arrange their profiles.

On the profile editing page, this section is still called “Introduction”. One of the many inconsistencies in the THS user interface.

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As Smiley said, if you link your profile you might get more focussed advice. But getting family sits is always harder and it looks like you had a great run of beginner’s luck. Our sit is advertised as family friendly and I have actually just sent a confirmation request to a lovely family but in all honesty if I had an application from an equally suitable individual or couple I would always take them over a family as the run-up to holidays is always stressful in our house due to an anxious traveller and it makes a significant difference not to have extra people in the house and extra rooms to get ready.
So, I know it’s easily said but try not to take the rejections personally - I’m sure your run of luck will return. On the cat/dog thing, definitely do try to at least show that you like and care about dogs even if you don’t have much experience. Again being honest, as an owner of both I would be more concerned that someone will “click” with the dog as the cats will largely do their own thing and just need someone who looks after their basic needs and is respectful of them. Do keep trying, and best of luck.

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Just a thought, but have you updated your profile? We sit as a couple, we joined in March 2023, we’ve completed 20+ sits, with lots of repeat bookings, and have a full diary for 2024, 3 bookings for 2025, and have to turn away some because we are fully booked.

But the one thing we did, was to update our profile every month or two, as I am sure you like us, couldn’t believe how rewarding and fulfilling pet sitting makes us feel, and exploring new places as a bonus. So make it even more current than it already is if you haven’t already done so.

In my opinion we had a good profile to begin with, but now we tell a little more about our lives since pet sitting for the past year too, how it makes us feel, and why etc.

So, basically, re-write your profile because it’s like re-writing your CV, you’ll remember how amazing you are at caring for pets, and how trusting those HO’s were that wanted you to care for their particular pets because I think you’ve forgotten! And think of all of those HO’s who you helped since joining, and all you had to do was love their pets.

If you wanted a free holiday you would have couch surfed, but you didn’t, instead you gave your time for free to look after other peoples pets, and they valued you for doing so, so remember how amazing you are!

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Took a peek at your profile and can only second @ElEd’s sentiments. To avoid misunderstandings and questions, some deal-breakers are better left unmentioned. Flagging to presumptive pet owners that you are not a fan of (say) dogs wearing diapers may (and does) send all sorts of other signals. Better to discuss it (if need be) behind closed doors :wink:

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This is really good advice, I’ve not updated my profile since we started.
I’ll do that later- I’m feeling better today anyway, I just felt a bit crap about it all yesterday!

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Hi, thanks all for replying.
Firstly, to clarify, we have only cat sat so far because one of my kids is a bit anxious with some dogs. We also have no experience with big dogs, so while a king Charles spaniel sit would be ok for example, there’s no way we could handle a viszla or something like that. I have to choose the dog sits I apply for carefully.
Also, we absolutely love cats- we actually prefer looking after indoor cats as they tend to b more interactive! Outdoor cats are fine too- I can understand why someone who only wants to look after outdoor cats might be a bit of a red flag, but that’s not us!

Secondly, when I say sits haven’t worked out because of changes, I don’t mean once they’ve been confirmed. I’ve never cancelled a confirmed sit, it’s just been at that point in conversation when it’s like right, let’s confirm , and either myself or the other party has had a change in circs. I guess at this point in the past I’ve taken it for granted that those sits are guaranteed even though we haven’t totally confirmed.

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