Hi all - I have a question and maybe my situation is unique. I have two very low maintenance cats, who I can leave alone for 36 hours with a feeder. I’ve been on TH for 1.5 years and debating whether to renew. I dont think my cats need the attention that a TH sitter may be able to provide, so I’m really here to reduce my costs through Rover while enjoying travel.
Looking at the past year, excluding the fees for TH, I’ve had one sitter leave one of my cats outdoors during a winter storm requiring an emergency vet visit that cost $400, another ruin my coffee table which I just replaced with a cheaper one of $300, another take a costco pack of fish from my freezer after a weekend stay (I assume it was stolen because other food was eaten), and one cancel last minute so I hired a Rover anyway. I think out of the 7 sitters I used in 18 months, the total days covered was 30, which would’ve cost $25/d on Rover.
The sitters were kind and they apologized for some of the above “hiccups” and I always left positive reviews out of general decency. All around, I can’t say there’s been a bad taste in my mouth but I’m wondering if this makes sense financially given the number of problems are bound to happen with this model.
Does everyone here usually prefer TH because of the attention their animals require? Does it make sense financially if you have independent, low maintenance cats? Would that be dependent on the amount of travel I expect each year?
I haven’t heard of an owner who has had such a concentration of problems as you have had. That is not associated with this model it’s just bad luck.
But, ultimately, only you can answer your question. It does make sense financially but only if you choose your sitters carefully and you feel comfortable with the model.
THS is not for everyone, and that is fine. Each must decide for themselves. If you think your cats can be left unattended and you’re here just for free petsitting it might not make sense, just as it might not make sense to petsit for a free holiday (it is neither. Not free and not a holiday).
But let’s argue just for the fun of it.
Pets are not domesticated once and for all. Pets without human company will turn wild over time, in the sense that they get reactions and behavior like a wild animal. Everything from skittishness to toilet behavior or aggression. Perhaps not for the duration of 36 hours (probably not) but it will have an impact. In some countries it is illegal. In my country pets can not be left longer than 24 hours before it is an animal welfare case.
A sitter provide more than just feeding and loo - it is maintaining the habits of the pet, giving the pet activity and social interaction that all living creatures need for wellbeing and mental health. «Activity» can be play, but just having a human there, follow to the food bin, jump in the sofa to be petted or get warmt is important. This service is more costly on Rover also than just popping by to scoop the loo.
I’m sorry you had mishaps. I don’t think it is «bound to happen with this model» any more than it is «bound to happen» when you have friends over. It could be an unfortunate series of events (loved that series…) but it could also be something with the listing and the process getting a sitter. If it comes across as a need for free petsitting and not a mutual exchange then that might impact what sitters will apply. I tend to avoid listings that seems to want a bargain (or free work) and not an exchange. I don’t think it is a problem to want to save money, but I think fellow members that are in it for a mutual exchange are more likely to succeed as that is the purpose for most members.
I haven’t had these kinds of problems with sitters, BUT if you feel your cats are okay with 1 visit a day on Rover, then that might make more sense for you. Rover sitters are independent contractors. Rover is a matching service, so you could still wind up with “issues.” You might consider a service – which could be more expensive but which has a “business” behind it and a reputation to uphold.
I also have cats. used to use “paid” sitters but have found sitter quality through THS to be better in general than paid sitters. As my cats have aged, I now feel overnights make more sense and one visit a day wouldn’t work so drop ins would be costly for me.
Last time I had a sitter, there was a maintenance emergency in my building and I am glad someone was here to let maintenance in and keep my cats calm. I also sit. Last summer I was catsitting in a rurual home when there was a big rain storm. There was a power outage. Fortunately power was restored. There was also a leak in the upstairs bathroom from the roof. We couldn’t fix the leak, but we could put a bucket under it and prevent it from damaging the bathroom or the one below. If we’d just been coming in once a day for drop ins, we wouldn’t have seen the leak.
@anokhi13, welcome to THS Forum.
As experienced sitters then we find that Pet Parent primary motivation for using THS varies. Most seek to have wonderful trips without worrying about their pets and/or their property. Many tell us that they perceive THS live-in-housesitter provides maximum pet care, far beyond brief-visit contractor. Some mention THS as a way to lower, often materially, the cost of looking after their pet(s) during trips. It is our suspicion that the cost of THS, to many Pet Parents, is truly insignificant in comparison to the cost of their trips. Suggest reflect on your primary objective and on which platform best meets that need - no ‘right answer’ but choices.
As @Garfield and @Newpetlover rightly mention, your post suggests exceptionally bad luck. It may also be time to reflect on your criteria for selecting housesitters; due diligence efforts; and information per listing/Welcome Guide.
Housesitter use of Pet Parent food is plain wrong. This may reflect conscious theft, innocent misunderstanding (if inexperienced housesitter) or otherwise. Suggest add a simple statement in listing/Guide that housesitter is expected to provide their own food. And likewise for any other historical challenges.
Regardless of your platform of choice, here’s hoping that you enjoy some better trips away in the future.
You might be underestimating two factors. Cost is probably not insignificant. My spouse and I love to travel and have more opportunitiy to travel now because of remote work (although he’s now been pressured back to the office part time). We can’t be “nomads” but love travelling every chance we get and we’d do a lot less travel if we had to pay for petcare every time we left.
The second factor is that our experiences with THS petsitters has actually been as good or better than our experience using various paid sitters.
I absolutely agree with what others have said about criteria for sitters and vetting. Bares repeating many times: THS is a matching site not a service.
@anokhi13
According to your calculations you’ve already saved a lot of money using THS compared to Rover daily rate or THS annual membership fee.
In addition your cats have had company and were cared for and your home remained secure and lived in.
It sounds like you have been very unfortunate with the things that have happened with your sitters to date. That’s not the norm. In 6 years of sitting we’ve never caused any costly dramas for our hosts. (I’m sure the same can be said of most responsible sitters.)
Infact the opposite is true- We once saved some hosts in Spain a fortune when an underground water pipe burst during our 2nd week (of 3). Unattended it would have become a major drama. Also we have had a couple of Vet dramas over the years where we’ve had to liase with hosts overseas to get appropriate care for the pets, in one case it was life saving. I honestly think in-home care is the best for most pets- keeping their environment as close to normal as possible.
Its entirely up to you if you prefer daily drop ins to full time care, but from my sitter perspective I feel living in with pets and caring for a home gives me a greater feeling of responsibilty and connection towards pets & home than if I was just paid to drop in daily. A bond is built that may not occur with a paid person dropping in to multiple different pet homes a day.
I also think the non-monetary exchange creates a different energy between sitter and host- less of a transaction and more a mutually beneficial exchange.
Ditto, what folks have said above. Additionally, please be honest in your sitter’s reviews while still being fair. Both sitters and homeowners will learn from an honest review.
I do not mean to put the responsibility back on you entirely, but perhaps it is important to emphasize the importance of reading a sitters profile and application carefully and having a “feel” for the fit with a particular sitter. Unfortunate events can occur without doubt, but my experience as a sitter is that things go best when some degree of relationship grows between the sitter and the home owner. Having a good flow and simpatico on a video or phone call has been the start of very successful sits in my experience.
Most pet owners we sit for only really encounter 1 problem out of 10 / 12 sits, so you’ve had more than your fair share.
From my own personal opinion, I think you are looking at from only one perspective, the annual fee side.
The sitters on THS are not in it for the money, if they wanted a free bed while travelling they can simply go on couch surfing websites, they do it because they love the company of pets while travelling, so they are happy to help someone out by caring for their pets while they travel. Whereas a sitter on Rover does not usually sit for free, their first priority is receiving a payment (and there’s nothing wrong with that at all), but personally, if I still had pets, I would rather have someone care for my pets that did it purely out of love, not because they stood to make a financial gain.
Hi @anokhi13
It sounds like you’ve been incredibly unlucky with your sitters. Maybe as suggested a better vetting process for any sitter would help. Having done 24 sits myself I have only accidentally broken a picture frame. I have also been there for a cat that started fitting and organised taking said cat to the HO’s vet. I’m currently just started a sit where one of the cats has reacted badly to being de wormed and the HO was grateful I am here to care for their ill cat. So yes your cats may be fine for 36 hours but a good THS sitter provides peace of mind that surely money can’t buy for a family pet?