Hello to all and thanks to all of you who answered my first questions when we joined last year.
We are relatively new to THS - had an absolutely fantastic sitter for our first experience, so are very happy with the site so far.
My question - husband and I are considering going overseas for 6 months instead of 3 for the next trip.
Is THS a suitable site to look for cat care for this long a sit? Are there other HO’s on here who have had success with this kind of situation?
Looking forward to hearing from you with ideas/suggestions/experiences! 
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I read somewhere on the forum that the longest sit was 4 years…. but this could be an Urban myth of course….
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@BonnyinBrighton
If true, surely there could be no pets involved for a 4 year sit? I would hope not anyway
Yes it is. Regarding the length of the sit alone, there should not be any difficulty in finding a sitter. Digital nomads often prefer longer sits.
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@SyleaAplonis absolutely yes you will certainly find many sitters interested in a 6 month sit. THS is the right place for that 
I strongly recommend not splitting the sit between multiple sitters as that is a recipe for disaster
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It was a sit in Europe for a large estate. I came across it when it popped up on a search a few months ago and it had the most beautiful review by the couple who stayed.
It was an enormous house with extensive gardens that required maintenance. Live in caretakers for the home. It was over the pandemic. The couple ended up getting married and having a child whilst at the sit. They stayed nearly 4 years altogether.
Anyway just to mention it’s not urban myth - plenty of long term sits for all sorts of reasons are on the site 
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But no pets involved, just keeping the house, and gardens clean and maintained?
@SyleaAplonis I don’t think you will have any issues finding a sitter. But I would advise posting as early as possible since it’s for 6 months. Many sitters book fairly far out. Often when I see long sits that I’d be interested in, I already have another sit booked that conflicts so it’s too late.
I see you are in west Michigan which is a beautiful area. I grew up in Michigan and would love a long sit there!
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Stay tuned for my listing!!
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For top tips on your listing, you might want to check out this blog I inspired for THS about mistakes to avoid when creating a listing. Hope it helps, and welcome to THS
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Thank you! I think I covered off most of these concepts when I first created our listing. Challenging to not want to ‘overshare’ details but I really wanted to be able to find just the right person/people for our sit. We had an absolute gem of a sitter for our 3 months, so am definitely hoping to find others for our upcoming 2 overseas trips.
This forum has been such a great resource, thank you all!
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Thanks to all who replied and commented on my post!
So my other questions - we will have a 30 day sit for March/April of 2025 and then possibly a 5-6 month sit starting January 2026.
How soon should I post listings for these? I’m thinking to post my listing for the 2025 sit pretty soon as I will be booking flights, etc.
I’m probably overthinking it all but I really appreciate other HO"s feedback.
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It is quite far away, but then again, many
sitters do like to plan & book in advance too, especially with such a long sit. We have a 5 month sit in Holland booked for next year, and we booked it a few months ago already, and keep in regular contact with the owner. Having a sitter well in advance also builds relationship, I think, as you get to know them for longer and hear updates from them, etc.
I guess with this, the only thing to consider is that as it’s still 1 and half years away, a lot of circumstances could happen or change in that time, so if you do find somebody for these dates rather early, both parties should be flexible & understanding if there’s a change of circumstance (especially in the current global state).
I’d say try it out, see if you get any takers, and if not, post dates again next year
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If it was for Perth Australia in 2026 I’d jump at the chance! The point is some people like us have a strong reason to be in a particular location for say 6 mths to be near to family so the earlier you list the better. Lots of sitters are big planners like us…. Best wishes.
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You’ve received great advice @SyleaAplonis. One point to consider, especially if international sitters apply, is whether they can get a visa for that length of time.
Also circumstances change, pets can sadly die etc so advertising 12+ months in advance does run the risk of a sit not going ahead.
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Thanks, we actually went through the visa issue with international sitters who applied for our first 3 month sit - they were in agreement with me that their visa of 90 days was cutting it a bit close, so we agreed to keep in touch for another time, they were lovely.
And yes, certainly (and especially at our ages) our trip could end up being cancelled, but I think with the Premium membership I would have coverage for a cancelled sit?? Thanks for raising that issue.
The sitter you choose may not have Premium membership @SyleaAplonis so they could be put in a difficult position if you were to cancel the sit though that may depend on the length of notice given to them.