Hi, I’m Dannis and I’m brand new here! I’m 66 and my daughter Maggie is 33. We want to be pet and housesitters and we are pet parents, so both.
We have 3 cats, who will travel with us on our new adventures. You see, we’re selling my daughter’s house and car to become digital nomads. Our first stop is tentatively Guanajuato, Mexico. We’re interested in house and pet sitting. We love animals of all kinds. But right now, we have a lot of questions and haven’t signed up yet.
For those of you with experience, is it feasible to sit with 3 cats in tow? Our Corene turns 12 next month and since she’s a tortie, we’re afraid she won’t be with us much longer. She’s in great health right now, but so was her sister, who went downhill within a week at nine. We got Bellevinne and Fiona, not to replace her, but to help us with our grief when Maggie was ready. They are turning 3 next month. Their love helps us when those anniversaries make us blue.
Looking forward to hearing your advice. We’re hoping to make friends in Mexico and later, Panama if we don’t decide to do a European tour.
Maggie is an avid reader while I love to write and we are both on Duolingo. I’m learning Spanish and German, but I took 4 quarters of German in college so I’m getting back up to speed there. I love science and play with AI, though I never use it for writing. Most publishers have the little check box where you swear you didn’t use AI in any way to produce your books, so I even quit checking my spelling. I do have one temporary book cover that I did with AI, which I’ll replace when I rearrange it for publishing. I mainly use AI to help me with marketing. Everything I write is written by me.
I’m disabled, so my daughter will actually be doing all the work, however I’ll make up for that by loving all the pets while she cleans.
Welcome to the Forum!
I’ve moved your question to a new topic of its own, so that it gets more visibility, and hopefully some helpful advice and replies 
Our Forum has lots of really experienced sitters so I’m sure someone will be able to give you some guidance!
Jenny
Thank you so much!
Hi @DannisWrites,
Welcome to the forum.
I think you are really brave to start this adventure, crossing borders with three cats.
Regarding petsitting, occasionally, I see a pet friendly listing but this is not very common. Besides, Mexico and Panama have very few listings on THS. Maybe you are lucky but I would not rely on petsitting as your main option for accommodation.
You don’t have to be a member to browse listings, so perhaps you could search your favourite places and see what options you have. There’s a filter for disabled access but there’s no filter for pet friendly sits.
Good luck.
Sounds like you are setting off on quite the adventure.
So a few things to keep in mind as you consider sitting
Traveling with your own animals will limit opportunities overall, especially if you are looking to travel internationally. And I think cats will be a more difficult sell than dogs, especially having multiple.
Some dogs may not like cats or their hosts don’t know how they would respond with them being in the home, even if they are separated. Most cat owners probably wouldn’t like the idea of introducing multiple strange cats into their home. But there are people who travel with their own animals so it isn’t some total impossibility.
The issue is you will have to get comfortable with the idea of potentially applying to a lot of sits and getting a lot of rejections since whether hosts are open to having sitters with their own animals is not any sort of ‘tag’ they can add to their listing, nor do most listings explicitly mention whether this is okay or not–and it will most likely not be.
It will be really important to make sure you have accurate information on what is required of you to bring your animals into different countries. The requirements for Mexico seem to be more relaxed than they are for the EU for example.
In all honesty, international hosts would probably be very reluctant to accept sitters in your circumstances unless perhaps you were applying when you were already in the area. I would worry that something would happen with your animals not being accepted into the country or some issues at your point of departure, and I would be out a sitter last minute.
As far as sits in Panama and Mexico, they are frequent enough that you have a decent chance of finding some, but they are not so abundant that you can count on finding sits as the sole means of accommodation if your plan is to book one or two sits to start and then hope to land some more along the way.
Same goes for Germany and other parts of Europe (not the UK though). You have to consider the possibility of having gaps in your schedule where you would need to pay for accommodation.
If you have any health issues that would prevent you from performing certain responsibilities, it is important that you are upfront about this fact and that your daughter will be handling X, Y and Z. Some people want two sitters specifically because they think the pet care or other aspects of the sit require two sets of hands.
It sounds like you are looking to live this lifestyle full-time at least for now, and obviously I am not privy to your financial situation.
But if you are someone who feels you will be very reliant on housesitting for financial reasons–as opposed to someone who is just taking advantage of a great opportunity to cut travel costs-- you have to consider that you may not always be able to book back to back sits and you will have to lay out money for accommodation in-between. Cancellations are always a possibility-though I think they are relatively rare–so you have to consider the potential costs associated with that. THS has membership tiers that include some sort of plan that will reimburse costs, which means that you initially have to lay out the money and file a claim to get it back.
I could probably say a dozen more things but these are the points that stuck out most to me that I think bear some thought.
Hi Dannis,
I had a quick look for search results in Panama. The search bar showed me there are currently no active listings there, unfortunately. There are 26 past listings in Panama in the history of trusted house sitters (that still have an active account).
In Mexico, there are currently 8 sits accepting applications, and around 200 past listings, so you would have better luck there than Panama, though you could still set up a saved search for both countries.
As THS is a British site, with most listings being in the U.S, U.K, Canada & Australia, sits outside these countries are far less frequent. It may be a good idea to look for local pet sitting Facebook groups & websites for Panama & Mexico, if there are some. Another idea that might work for you is Workaway - there would be far more opportunities there in Mexico & Panama, and people often travel with Workaway with their own pets and families in tow. There are all sorts of opportunities on Workaway that might interest you and some might even involve writing/publishing or language practice etc.
To be honest, I think trying to travel full time with 3 cats on THS would really only be possible in the U.S or U.K. Have you considered travelling the U.S full time instead? THS has the most customers there, you wouldn’t have to cross any boarders with the cats, and you’re more likely to find sits that accept 3 cats and any other requirements you need. Just a thought!
Hope that helps 
Going from never having house-sat (making an assumption here) to doing it full time is a huge jump! My suggestion is to start sloooowly.
You might not like moving around that much, you may feel that it’s too much stress for the cats, you may find out that traveling with them will incur more health checks, paperwork and such than you are ready to take on.
And this is only how you might feel. Then there may be HO’s who will refuse your application simply because you want to bring the cats. For instance, how are they with dogs? How do the fare in a new environment?
There is nothing that says you can’t bring your pets with you .
Some things to think about
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How do you envisage that your cats will react to dogs , other cats , or other pets ( rodents / fish / birds ) in the home where you are sitting ?
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What are the logistics of travelling with 3 cats - cat carriers, litter trays , food bowls etc ?
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Where would you register your cats with a vet ?
If your daughter will be taking care of the responsibilities it would be best that she joins and creates a profile and adds that you will be travelling with her . Will your disability mean that only a certain type of home will be suitable ?
I am traveling through the US and Canada. nomadic since Nov 1st 2024. I get a lot of sits because I am a widow, traveling alone, with a car. And I now have 20 sits that say that I am great with pets, responsible and clean. If you are not able to do the chores, like walking the dogs, that isn’t the first choice for HOs. They want someone who can do the responsibilities, besides petting the dogs. Where would you put the litter boxes? What if they didn’t want them in the house? How would you travel with everything? As per others, I would suggest doing some local sits and getting reviews. That is what many of us do. You need some reviews. Though there may be some sits that are not the most attractive in Mexico or Panana, during rainy season that might work.
Where is your starting point ? To enter EU you may need an animal health certificate for each cat ( proof of vaccinations etc ) .
To enter U.K. you can only use certain airlines and pet couriers to bring in pets and they have to travel as cargo . Pets have to be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped . It could get very expensive to travel with 3 cats . Probably more expensive than keeping a home where sitters can come and look after your cats while you travel.
I want to discourage you to travel with three cats because cats hate to travel in cars and planes. As a cat lover and having cats that have since passed I would never put my cats through that. They would be miserable be dragged around from new environment to new environment.
Cats are not dogs. Realistically I doubt if a homeowner would accept you with three cats. Maybe if you get a long term sit on a farm in the country you live in that may be best. The cats will like being in one place and having familiarity. Also, are you financially prepared to pay for damage if your cats scratch the furniture, knock down costly items, pee on furniture because of stress in being in a new environment? Please look at the reality and not the fantasy of being a nomad and traveling the world. Even without cats there are challenges. I really suggest keeping your home base and getting a Trustedhousesitter to stay with your cats while you do sits with your daughter. Many on here do that.
Very unlikely you would ever get a sit. I would rather pay a sitter than accept someone with three cats.
Oh, so many thoughts! About Mexico: We sailed down to Mexico on our boat 9 years ago. I re-homed my 2 cats with friends, because I knew that neither was suited to boat life. Before they died I got to visit them twice a year when we had to return in order to renew our tourist cards (which are only good for 180 days).
There are not a ton of THS sits in Mexico. You could also look at the free FB sites for Mexico and Central America house sitting. And House Sit Mexico is a paid site you might look into joining.
Most of Mexico is not set up well for people with disabilities. Areas that are better are generally those where there are a lot of expats (which is where most of the house sits are as well). Those areas also tend to be more expensive in general.
I’m sorry to be discouraging but I think it’s a really bad idea to bring cats, for all the reasons mentioned above- need for pet passports, how will you manage vet care for your older cat, how will cats react to other animals, what if they get out and get lost… Quite apart from the fact that I don’t think anyone would choose a pet sitter with cats in tow- a well-trained and socialised dog is different but even still limits sit options greatly. And unless your cats are very unusual - and very different to mine!- this sounds like torture for them. I wish you well and hope you find a happy solution for your needs, but well done for asking before you joined- I really don’t think this is the right option for you.
@DannisWrites cats are not so prone to travel and they don’t much like change! However, in saying that: we housesat for a lovely couple who would sometimes take their cat on road trips in their caravan, and have a collapsible catio to set up outside where they camp, where the cat can lie in the sun and sniff about. So that might also be an idea, and it helps to have your own ‘little home’ on wheels for getting to sits and in-between sits.
You didn’t mention whether you’d travelled with your cats before. Some cats are indeed travellers and enjoy new adventures. (Some of them on FB and Instagram!) Other cats would, as others have mentioned, be very upset by frequently changing environments. If you are travelling in an RV the cats would have their own familiar space wherever you go. If you’re just in a car and need to have the cats in the ‘sit’ house, this would take a pretty easy-going cat to adapt.
Also – how would the host cats/dogs react? Some owners know their pets are OK with other animals; others might not, or might not have considered it. Personally I think a lot of cats would be very unsettled by strangers coming into their territory. If I still had my wee one I’d never ask her to put up with strange people AND strange pets coming in to stay even if I was home.
I hope you find a way to have your travel adventure. Keep looking for options to pursue your dream.
It will be difficult to move around with cats. You are advised to keep them in for at least a couple of weeks when you move gto get them accustomed to being somewhere different.
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From the interne advise on moving with cats : _
For adult cats, it’s best to keep them indoors for the first two to three weeks in their new home, so they can adjust to their new environment and routine. Cats tend to bond more to their environment than the people in it, so it’s important your cat is settled in your home before you let them outside to roam.
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A freind who moved home actually lost their cat. After keeping it in for a week a window above the kitchen sink was opened slightly. The cat found it and leapt out, when not looking. The cat was never seen again despite extensive searching.
Some cats do not like the disruption of moving and unfamiliar places. It can frequently take time for them to accept somewhere different.
I don’t think you should sell anything before trying out housesitting. Your daughter should sign up at the lowest rate and apply for sits locally. She can try applying for a weekend sit (which homeowners have a harder time getting sitters for) and asking about bringing one cat and see what reaction she gets. Baby steps.
I’m going to make a very unpopular comment here: Please don’t take your cats on your (admittedly great-sounding!) sitting adventure. Cats are not dogs. They are more complex and more deeply rooted in their home environments. There’s a LOT of evidence that cats find upheaval extremely stressful. Repeated upheaval… I’d rather not think about it. After all, why are so many HOs on this site looking for sitters precisely because they don’t even want to put their cats in kennels while they, the HOs, are away? Cats may not make stress immediately obvious (“Oh, my cat just LOVES rides on my kayak! Look, when I wobble and she falls in, she just swims to shore!”) but it will almost certainly be there. And it will be doing them harm.
You sound like an interesting and genuine person who really cares about her cats. So please don’t do this to them. Re-home them if needs be - you have time to find a good, loving new place for them. But don’t haul them round the continent, or beyond, just because they help you with your grief at the loss of one of them.
I see replies to your post here have focused on the practicalities of travelling with cats, from a human POV - which is fair enough, since that’s what you asked about. But I just have to put in my pennyworth on behalf of the cats themselves.
Right. I’m now going to don my tin hat and get under the parapet.