Here’s a photo I sent a couple nights ago. It’s the HOs indoor cat that identifies as an outdoor escape artist
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Thank you! I love terriers of all kinds but didn’t recognize these-- great to know!
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Two or more photo updates a day is a fairly rare request from a homeowner, so if that’s what you want, it’s important to be very clear with your sitters in advance.
Unless something was wrong, or something dramatic happened, I would never send more than one photo a day after the first day or two of a sit.
It doesn’t matter what type of pet you have, it’s that the desire for more than one daily photo is unusual.
Just be clear about exactly what you want! And that way, sitters who don’t want to send more than an average of one photo a day won’t apply!
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Edited to add:
If you made it clear to the sitters that you want at least 2 photos a day, and they are not doing that, that is clearly a problem. In that case they are not living up to the specific requests they agreed to.
Personally, I make sure we have a very clear agreement in place about specifically how many updates the HO wants, before they leave on their trip.
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Cuttlefish said it well. You asked for two updates per day and the sitters were fully aware of that before applying, so that’s what you should get. It’s not about the sitter’s preferences here. Many sits involve way bigger chores and responsibilities than two updates per day.
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It sounds like a simple case of the petsitter not fully understanding the specific details of your request. Perhaps you can repeat the request, with very detailed expectations, and remind them of your written Welcome Guide, as well as your conversation, about the frequency of daily notes/photos.
I’m one of those folks who may have a ridiculous amount of pet photos on my phone, and am happy to share them with homeowners. A sit we left this morning, had two young girls who missed their kitties and loved getting videos of them playing. It was fun capturing their antics and sending something each day, even though the family was far way with 6 hours time difference.
As a sitter, it’s part of the responsibility to set the pet owners mind at ease, in which ever manner possible. You also may want to state in your next posting that it’s very important for you to receive x amount of daily updates, and if this is something the sitter doesn’t feel is within their comfort zone, you’d prefer they don’t apply.
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Daily update (once a day) ensures we know that the sitter is okay as well as our pets. It also gives the sitter a chance to ask any questions they might have, now that they are settled in. A few words and a pic is all we ask for.
If a sitter did not do something that you expressly discussed with them, and they agreed to do it but then did not do it, that is something you need to put in your review. It’s important that future homeowners know that about the sitter.
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I’m sorry but I may be in the minority here on this. I think even twice a day updates of a cat is excessive. Part of me thinks “well you know what your cat looks like so why do you need a photo?” you probably have a hundred photos on your phone already of your cat. Also the four times a day to me seems like the sitters had too much time on their hands. I’m either working or wanting to visit a place when I’m doing sits. With cats sleeping 18 hours a day what kind of photo update am I going to do twice a day that isn’t just them sleeping. I know this may seem like a little bit of a harsh response but as soon as I see sits where people want multiple updates per day I scroll right on by and I would never apply.
I also had my own pets including cats for 15 years and even with my dog I never expected or wanted daily updates. I knew that my sitters would send me updates if they needed to or questions when they needed to. Granted they were people I knew already but even daily updates with a dog is pretty unusual. I would say that more than 80% of my sits I’ve never done a daily update and they never wanted one. However I were with a couple who never told me that they wanted multiple pics a day including up to 7! Which is ridiculous and I would never sit again for them because of that.
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Wanting multiple updates a day kind of feels like being on call. As a sitter it would really put me off. People have their own lives, and a lot of us have a lot going on. To remember to send multiple updates a day, think of something to say, take photos etc is like having an extra job and if you want that kind of service to feel comfortable that’s your preference, but maybe you should get a paid sitter.
I think one update a day is perfectly fine, it’s what I’ve usually done in the past - or every few days depending on what the HO wants. More than that though is excessive and gives an air of paranoia which would make me feel tense about sitting for someone. I want to feel trusted.
That’s a fair point of view you don’t want to send that many updates so you don’t apply for the sitting. Also I fully understand that we all have different opinions on how many updates per day we want of our pets
Here is my issue, we are very clear on our post about this, so if people don’t want to send updates they shouldn’t apply (like you do), the thing is is that it’s happened a couple of times that they say they are ok with it and they will do it but in the end they don’t.
We are very attached to our cat (like all loving pet guardians are), and yes we know what she looks like 
so that’s not the reason why we ask for the pictures. She got pretty sick in the beginning and for months there were several times when we thought she wouldn’t make it so when we leave her (even though she is healthy now) there’s always a piece of us that thinks what if something happens, that’s why the pictures comfort us.
Also we always tell them we are aware she is a cat, she is not doing funny things all the time so just a picture of her lying down or sleeping works for us, I mean is not like we ask for a huuuge montage of pictures
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My previous sit was for a family that was on vacation (visiting family) and their mother told me that the kids would love to get photos of the cat. So that was quite motivating. I enjoyed taking the pictures, and to show how the shy cat got closer to me day by day. That went on for almost a month, often two pictures per day, no burden at all.
The present HO is away for work and told me that no pictures are needed. That is fine too, of course.
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It’s unreasonable for a sitter not to send the agreed upon updates, I’m not sure why anyone is arguing that the HO is asking too much when it was highlighted well in advance. I will send daily updates at least as standard, with a few photos that show everything’s in hand/everyone’s been fed and walked etc. I also am aware that photos communicate to a home owner that their house and animals are in safe hands so I’ll make sure to include obvious details that the home in the background is tidy or that recommended favourite walks have been taken for example. If your sit is in a highly desirable location it may unfortunately be that sitters agree to regular updates to secure the sit and then are out and about all day not offering the company to your cat that you might have wanted for peace of mind. As a sitter my first priority is the welfare of the animals so if that means foregoing daily all-day outings then that’s OK because this isn’t a holiday. Ideally there will be plenty of opportunity to explore and enjoy the local area as well as care for the pets but it shouldn’t be taken for granted by sitters that their time is their own. A morning snap of your cat having breakfast and an evening one of them snuggling on a lap isn’t a big ask.
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I try to send as many updates as the HO wants. But honestly sometimes I just feel so comfortable and are enjoying the pets and forget that their is someone else wondering what is going on. Often i get to the end of the day and think, i need to send an update!
It can take a lot of effort to get goid pet pics. And with cats it is mostly the same photo over and over - sleeping on a chair, slerping on a bed, etc. Cat action photos are much tougher than dogs.
I’m sorry you have had sitters let you down not sending you enough updates. Perhaps aside from telling them how often you’d like updates, you can tell them that you will be checking in every day if you dont hear from them.
Just noticed date of OP! Deleted
As a petparent, I don’t rate your photography skills! I want to make sure you didn’t abandon ship or slip in the bathtub. It’s reassuring to know the situation is normal. Cats can go downhill fast for all kinds of reasons, so my concerns are: Did everyone eat? Did anyone vomit? Anything weird happen you want to share?
This should not be something where a sitter feels pressured to be entertaining, or take the world’s best cat photos. A cat sleeping in a chair photo is fine because it tells me the cat isn’t hiding from you and is acting normal.
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LOL. This conjured images of cats costumed in operatic outfits, meowing performances.
Sounds like some folks overthink the updates. Basically, the bar should be proof of life, LOL. And if the pets do something cute, that’s nice, but not a must to capture. Plus, pet parents usually think any photo of their pet is lovely when they miss them.
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@Lili1 I agree - since you are clear with your expectations out of the gate, then any sitter who takes the sit should expect to be sending you 2x daily updates. If they feel that’s too much for them, they should bow out and not confirm.
We sit exclusively cats and I always send minimally 1x day updates or more if I can catch them doing something cute or funny. Personally, I would not request more than 1x if it was my cat, but would welcome more if they wanted to share more. But that’s just my personal preference.
It’s your pet and your parameters - confirm with sitters who are more than happy to meet what you are asking.
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I wouldn’t apply for a sit that wanted twice a day updates but it is totally the pet owners prerogative to state what they need. For cat sits up to a week I will do daily updates but longer sits I prefer every other day. Even with that I find I am continually looking for photo opportunities and composing the written part with little amusing stories.
On my current sit which is just over 3 weeks I will have sent 54 photos and several videos by the end and it is hard not to duplicate the cats positions lol.
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I don’t understand why sitters aren’t fulfilling your requirements. You’ve been clear on your expectations & as a sitter it’s our duty to make sure you enjoy time away knowing your furry family is happy with evidence. If I’m honest I find it odd when HO’s don’t want regular updates!
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There are only so many cute poses a cat will do on command, and, for me once a day should be sufficient for any home host. More than that can become a chore for the sitter
Am I letting the you-know-what out of the bag by admitting all our updates are not in real-time?
In the early days, we had many stressful moments knowing the owners were waiting for updates but Tiddles was nowhere to be seen or he was in the house but more interested in his own nether regions than smiling for an update photo.
Now, we catch as many moments, as and when we spot them early in the sit, then drip feed them to the owner daily.
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@Colin . Yep! I’m hearin ya’! 
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