I did a sit abroad a couple of months ago. I was able to meet the HO in person before agreeing to the sit. I asked beforehand what level of contact she’d like while she was away so we were both clear on that from the outset. She said quite casually that she’d be more than happy with a photo every other day so of course, I obliged.
Imagine my shock when just as I was getting into bed at 11 pm at night, I got a text asking if she could FaceTime right there right then at that very moment with the cat! I explained that I was very tired and about to go to bed. I didn’t get an acknowledgment to my text response but she didn’t ask me again.
Maggie, I was also curious to see if there were “red flags.” So curious about it that I clicked on @pietkuip 's profile to see. Mammamia, Pieter, you’re a saint for putting up with that. The pet parent (who’s a sitter themselves) sounds very judgemental & difficult to please and seems to think only she can be a good sitter. I just read all the reviews she gave other sitters. Ugh
I’ve been a sitter for 4.5 years and most owners, with the rare more relaxed person, want an update at least daily. This is more important when you are a new sitter to them, eventually some may feel more relaxed with you and know you are doing a great job, and be fine with every other day or every few days.
But, personally, I do what I would want done for me and that’s sending daily updates unless I’m directed otherwise. I feel like that is the norm (at least in the US) and as many have said, it doesn’t take long to snap a pic or video and send it.
Not meeting the HOs request of frequency could land you lower reviews, so why not help them have peace of mind and send it, as it’s definitely not an extreme request in my experience.
I don’t know how long your sit is, but on a normal, short “vacation” type sit, I would send a text with photos of the cat(s) every day. I’d also respond quickly to any owner questions or concerns.
I have a combined membership. I would expect a sitter to text everyday with at least one “proof of life” photo.
If a sitter told me that was “too much” I would not be impressed.
As an HO, we like regular updates. Daily or more is appreciated but daily or every other day is expected, requested and written out explicitly in our profile.
As an HS, we follow whatever the HO requests, but tend to send anecdotes and photos at least once a day.
TLDR, ask before you accept the sit and if you’re not ok with the frequency, don’t accept the sit but daily does not seem an unreasonable request to me.
I always ask during a video call or other communication what owners would like. Answers have ranged from every day through to only if there is a problem - whatever is requested I will do. Generally I would not accept a sit where more than once a day was requested as for me that hints at a lack of trust in the sitter and/or micro management.
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Because not everybody glues their hand to a phone for constant communication.
I told this to the HO this during the video call and they said no problem. They accepted me because they were desperate to find someone on short notice, on top of that I drove 3000 km within a week so they could leave earlier than the planned date. They had good reviews so I foresaw no problems, turns out they are obsessed with trying to micromanage things and rude about it at the same time.
Not exactly the type of behaviour which encourages me to communicate with them.
Unfortunately I’m experiencing the same type of behaviour. Even with many more years of experience raising chickens and owning cats than they have, the lady has the attitude that only she knows how to look after things. The poor cat is extremely obese and not allowed outside due the the lady’s fear of fleas (they live in a farmhouse!) and they readily admitted to losing over 20 chickens with 2 months prior to me coming due to a mite infestation they did little to solve.
I offered advice on how to deal with it and they declined my help stating they knew what they were doing.
I, for one, am often glued to my phone, and (usually) enjoy the little text-based relationships I have with owners / sitters during a sit. I enjoy learning their pets quirks and personalities, and hope that by being attentive they will be able to relax when they’re away.
As a sitter I think it’s vital to manage expectations. I always make sure to ask about frequency, type of update, and access to messaging when booking a sit. Typically if I’m working and the pet is around I’ll send a cute video/photo with a caption a a couple of times during the workweek. Then generally night it’s usually a 2-3 line text about the pet, the house, and any issues (mail, packages, weather, appliances, workers) as needed. I do this in the evening my time so I don’t have to get sucked in if I don’t have the bandwidth during the day.
Depending on your schedule and preferences, I’d just say something like, “I’ll send you regular updates after our morning walk/around noon/after the workday ends. Please give me X amount of time to respond to non-emergencies as I don’t usually have my phone on me otherwise.”
My therapist likes to say “we train people how to treat us,” so this is a great exercise in boundary setting!
This has been a really interesting discussion so far, and there’s been lots of interesting insights shared.
I’ve had to remove a couple of off topic posts. We’d be really grateful if things could stay on topic i.e. about the frequency of contact between HS and HO, rather than critiquing how a specific member has handled a situation. This isn’t the place to give unsolicited opinions on another sitter’s ways of managing their sits.
