I think this is down to what you want. Of all the cats I’ve sat for most have wanted to chill on the bed with me at night. I grew up with cats that liked to make themselves comfortable on my bed. However most HO’s have told me to shut the bedroom door if I want peace and quiet. If they are restless or wake me up to play in the middle of the night I have shut the bedroom door.
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I love a cat sleeping at the foot of the bed and have begged some of the cats I sat for to do so. Most decline. Cats!
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Thank you. I will be sure to make that clear. I just got an evaluation which said: “…She does not like the pets to sleep with her which was hard for my fur babies. They all slept on my bed alone together for warmth and comfort.” This host rated me down for not letting her pets sleep with me!!
Hosts - please understand that this is controversial and people have good and valid reasons for not sharing the bed with their big dogs or long haired outdoor cats.
There doesn’t seem to be that understanding.
Has anyone else gotten rated down for not allowing the pet to sleep with them?
I agree that HOs should make clear in their listing where their pet(s) sleep, but if that isn’t clear, any sitter for whom this is an issue should clarify during the application process and not move forward with a sit that is not right for them.
It is unreasonable to me for a sitter to expect a pet’s routine to change. I’d probably mark someone down for accepting a sit with a routine they were not willing to abide by too.
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If sleeping with a pet is a dealbreaker for you as a sitter, I’d avoid sits with those requirements. Plus, I’d ask if it weren’t mentioned.
Personally, I don’t mind at all if pets sleep with me, as long as the bed is big enough. I just started a sit last night, and one of the cats slept with me, even though their humans didn’t leave till the morning.
I find it endearing when a pet wants to sleep with me, because how much more vulnerable and trusting can an animal be than during sleep?
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I was probably declined once because I reacted a bit horrified during the video chat when the HOs told that the dog was used to sleeping between them.
When it is not clear from the listing, I often ask where the pets sleep. And if the pets will let me sleep (not barking, not scratching at the bedroom door too early in the morning).
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Agree.
You’re there to meet my pets where they’re at, not the other way around.
If something is a deal breaker for you, and it’s not explicit in my profile, i would expect you to ask about this well before accepting the sit.
Full disclosure, I also would have marked you down if you expressed a problem like this after the fact.
Example: I had an HS complain extensively about our dog’s routine, his tools, etc. On the orientation day (even though everything was written out explicitly in our guides, which she had not read) And there was also a struggle with communication with him because she would not take feedback (our dog was visibly unsettled around her)…we cancelled the sit within the first 24 hours and did not leave our dog with her.
You’re there to meet my dog’s routine, not the other way around so ask me ALL the questions you have before you accept. I’m more than happy for you to find a reason to eliminate us as early as you can so that we don’t waste your time and vice versa. I genuinely want my dog AND you to have a great experience so if that’s not going to be the case, it’s ok. No hard feelings.
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Bookended by lovely cats in Seattle. I’m awake, because I’m on East Coast time. I can hear one of them sweetly, lightly snoring. It feels very cozy. This was our first night together since their humans left.
The dear little pup is in her kennel, as her humans usually have her, though we moved her crate near my bed, so I can hear her. She’s slept well through the night. She’s a year old and already house and crate trained.
During the daytime, she’s happy to snuggle peacefully on your lap for long stretches. She’s so sweet and I love her little ears. They think she’s a dachshund-mini pin. (She’s a rescue, so they’re not sure.) it’s the first time that her humans have left her for longer than a weekend. She’s done beautifully so far.
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On our last sit, the 2 year old doggie was whimpering at the bedroom door, it was so sad. Then we let her into the bed. From then on the doggie slept with us and took over the bed. It was a highlight of all pet sits to date. 
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I love having a cat sleeping on the bed with me - I’m not so fond of them if they wake me too early for breakfast though (one of my own needed waking up, he loved his sleep so much!) so they might get moved out if I get up in the middle of the night - so far they don’t seem to mind when this happens.
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I currently have two dogs AND a cat sleeping on the bed with me 
Hope they’re small and the bed is big!
@Maggie8K I don’t normally like more than one but these three are sooo adorable! Poor Winky the one eyed Ragdoll, tough start to life but thriving now and full of love.
M
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@ziggy, awwww, they’re adorable!
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My previous sit was such a sweet girl. She’d wake up every morning wagging her tail and wriggling happily. And before she went to sleep, sharing my bed, she’d lick me as if I were a pork chop, LOL. It was as if she was expressing appreciation every night for being taken care of. She apparently had a rough life before she was rescued.
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Aww such a cutie
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Sleeping with pets in the same bed? HYGIENE?!!!
This is an absolute no for me.
Yes to boundaries.
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as a HO I’ve trained my dogs to ask permission to get on the bed with you. Before I leave I’ve instructed sitters as to the appropriate commands, permissions (the dogs wait for permission to eat, go up and down stairs, enter and exit house and get on furniture). I always restrict movement from dogs at night and ask sitters if they do not want dogs on their bed to restrict access to the rest of the house to avoid wandering and anxiety at night. Don’t know if that helps, but I would suggest you ask the HO what the commands and permissions are regarding bed sleeping arrangements.
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I thought it might be ‘His Lordship’ 
If you were not willing to go along with pets’ usual routine, which is entirely
understandable, you should have asked the relevant questions and refused the sit. Given that you took the sit, you absolutely deserved the harsh review.