I’m a pet owner and have been part of this community for a while now. Due to personal circumstances, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to arrange a house sit. In the meantime, I’ve been reading many beautiful stories here, but also some difficult ones, including situations that escalated in ways that must have been very distressing for both pets and sitters.
Some experiences sound quite intensive especially when medical care or constant supervision is involved and it really made me reflect on the level of responsibility sitters sometimes take on.
I also just want to say that I truly respect the care and commitment many of you show. Wishing you all safe, positive and well-matched sits ahead.
The forum tends to be a bit biased towards negative experiences and, although reading about those experiences helps others to learn how to avoid difficult situations, it also triggers a bit of preventive distrust and sometimes discourages people from participating in these exchanges.
The responsibility sitters take on is, indeed, quite important, at least potentially. l accept it willingly provided that I am fully informed about the situation and it is my choice to enter into that situation.
What you read on here isn’t reality, people create posts when they have a problem, not when they are happy, the posts definitely aren’t a true reflection of the amazing experiences that most of us have.
We’re sitters, and we’ve done 50+ sits, and we’ve loved it, all the pets have been amazing, but also we’ve met lovely owners who are beautiful, kind people, who have appreciated our help, and we return time after time to sit for them.
None of the people we have sat for have asked us to do anything that we felt was over-and-above what is expected, we’ve naturally helped with out-of-norm reasonable requests, nothing has been a problem.
We’ve sat for plenty of older pets or ones with ailments, but everything was revealed within their profile to make us aware of that, so we knew the true scenario, not like what I read about on here.
So while the forum is great to help those that have problems, most sits go swimmingly for most of us.
We’ve had 6 sitters so far and they’ve all been wonderful experiences. The peace of mind you get as a pet owner when you find the right ones lets you enjoy your time away on travel. To find the right ones: be clear, open and transparent on what you need, don’t compromise on what’s important and trust your instincts. Communication is the key. We also like to leave a “welcome basket” with some goodies when we leave because our motto is “happy sitters, happy pets”. We ask the sitters what they like during pre-sit communications. We’re so fortunate to have found THS and to know that our cats are in loving hands when we’re away. It shows on the pictures that we get.
Yes, I agree. Some of the cases shared were quite intense, but it’s reassuring to hear that sitters feel empowered to choose what works for them. And most exchanges do seem to turn out positive for both parties.
I also have cats, and aside from personal circumstances, I did hesitate because some of the discussions here can feel quite intense from both perspectives. It’s really reassuring and motivating to read such positive experiences. Thank you for sharing. And I would feel the same. Your sitters needs to feel safe and appriciated.
Welcome @Ettora. Nice first post.
As others have said you need to remember that as I got taught as a fresh faced 16 retail worker not everyone talks about a great experience but people will often vent about a bad experience.
For my part as a THS sitter for nearly 4 years and having done 28 sits and looked after 58 cats most sits are enjoyable, a couple were amazing and turned into a regular thing and a couple were challenging (2 were the cat wasn’t well including one with a fitting cat and a cat getting chemo) plus one crazy HO.
Anyway rest assured there are lots of amazing pet loving sitters on here.
As others have indicated, some Forum threads tend to be outliner exceptions rather than everyday normal.
Worth bearing in mind some numbers. THS 2024 Impact Report (url below) states 2.2 million nights of petsitting … that’s more than 6,000 pets receiving housesitter care every night of the year. A tiny fraction of those, often the tricky ones, reach the Forum. We find that vast majority of THS members - both sides - are lovely people with honorable intentions. But there are exceptions.
As a sitter I can say that I have never met any difficult pets or owners. . Some owners have been incredibly kind and generous. All have been incredibly friendly and welcoming. I hope your experience on this site will be positive.
I have done about 80 sits and the large majority were wonderful experiences. It has been a privilege and a joy to meet so many precious animals and lovely people. I’m currently on a multi repeat sit with a dear little dog. My 11th time here.
I’ve had around 5 sits that were bad, usually because I ignored gut feelings beforehand. Never had any issues with the pets, on the rare occasions that sits went pear shaped, it was always the owners who presented challenges.
We have been sitting for over 10 years and the vast majority of our sits have been excellent with 5 star reviews on both sides. We have two bad sits one with first time home owners with a completely untrained dog and the second bad experience was nothing to do with pets but a boiler that didn’t work in the depths of winter.
I guess generally people only post when they have issues so it may seem a bit alarming , don’t let it put you off , you will find some great sitters when the time is right.
One thing I’ve learned over the past three and a half years as a full-time sitter is how immense the responsibility can be — not just practically, but emotionally. When you step into someone’s home, you’re stepping into their routines, their trust, and often their deepest attachment: their animal.
Medical cases, separation anxiety, elderly pets — these situations can become intense quickly. And what looks manageable on paper sometimes feels very different in real life.
What makes the difference, in my experience, is clarity and honesty before the sit. Clear expectations are very important for both sides and especially the pet.
I appreciate your perspective as an owner who reflects on this. That awareness alone already says a lot. Wishing you the right match when the time comes.
Thank you for your lovely post. I just hopped on here to encourage you. Take heart! My husband and I have been doing this off and on for three years. I guess, I would say, doing your research with the photos, dissecting the reviews and owner’s ad and really asking lots of questions to clarify expectations during the interview are paramount. Also, know your own boundaries. It goes along way to making it a win win; which is exactly what it is all about.
