Cats are attached to their environment, and, as such, prefer to stay at home than a cattery. A good option for holidaying cat owners is to hire a pet sitter that provides in-home visits. The pet sitter can make sure that your cat is fed, safe and happy, without being moved at all.
Why an in-home cat sitter?
Cats generally do not like to travel. When you go away on holiday or a weekend trip, it is, therefore, best to hire someone who will take care of your cat at your house.
Friends or family often live too far away or your neighbours might be too busy, which can make asking for help a little awkward. A dedicated pet sitter can be a nice alternative. A Pawshake cat sitter not only makes sure your cat is fed and watered, but also gives them the attention, love and special care that your cat really needs.
Should you use a pet sitter for your cat?
Is your cat attached to its own cosy bed? Maybe your cat is a bit shy and anxious, or, alternatively, very playful and active? Or does your cat need extra care such as medication or a special diet? Be sure to consider the specific needs of your cat well, so that you can find a pet sitter who matches the skills and experience necessary.
Should a cat sitter visit once or twice a day?
Do you own two cats that happily keep each other company? Then one home visit per day may be sufficient for your situation. But you might just own one cat: fortunately, Pawshake offers the possibility of arranging two home visits per day.
Find the best pet sitter
You can find the perfect pet sitter for your cat by entering your suburb or postal code on the Pawshake website or Pawshake app. Simply select 'home visits' and tap or click 'search'.
A list of nearby pet sitters will appear, which you can narrow down by entering your dates, searching and zooming on the map and by using our various advanced search filters.
Each profile contains important information about the pet sitter, such as their prior knowledge, training and experience. You can also read reviews from other pet owners, and check statistics on how active a sitter is and how quickly they respond to messages.
Contact a pet sitter for free - no strings attached.
Have you found a pet sitter that looks perfect for your cat? You can send a free message by clicking or tapping on the 'contact' button. Send a brief enquiry with details about your cat and your specific pet care needs and requirements. If the pet sitter responds positively, you can arrange a free meet and greet before booking.
Make clear agreements
It is important to have an obligation-free, in-person meet and greet before agreeing to a booking.
When booking home visits, it's a good idea to invite the sitter into your home during the meet and greet. Get to know each other and let your cat slowly meet and get used to the pet sitter.
Ask plenty of questions and explain what you expect from your pet sitter, such as what your cat's specific needs are, what you need the pet sitter to do in your home etc. It's best to write down all details and agreements on paper or in your message thread on Pawshake - so you are both on the same page and have mutual expectations.
Booking home visits for your cat
Have you met up with the pet sitter and feel enthusiastic about them caring for your cat? Now is the time to make a definitive reservation. You can do this by simply clicking the 'book now' button in the message thread with the pet sitter. You will now pay for the reservation via Paypal, Poli or credit card - there are no additional hidden costs and you only pay once for this particular service. Pawshake holds onto the payment securely and pays out the pet sitter after the booking period has successfully completed.
With every reservation, you are automatically covered by the Pawshake Guarantee. This means, among other things, that your pet is covered in case of accident or illness during the booking period. There is no minimum deductible amount, for extra peace of mind, plus the Pawshake Customer Support Team is here to help you. Do you have questions about the booking, your pet sitter or do you need help in the event of an emergency? Get in touch with us any time, or visit our handy help centre.
Please note: you are only covered by the Pawshake Guarantee if you have a meet and greet with the pet sitter prior to the booking, as this is an enormously important safety measure in successful matching with the right sitter. Animal welfare and safety are always the top priority at Pawshake.
Is Pawshake safe?
We accept only the most experienced and dedicated pet sitters onto the Pawshake platform, and accept only 20% of new pet sitter registrations. We also continuously monitor our pet sitting community: if a sitter is no longer responsive, has a poor profile or isn't performing up to the high standard we expect, they will be removed from the platform. Likewise, pet sitters who do a great job and are available to help have extra visibility on Pawshake. This, plus the Pawshake guarantee, ensures that Pawshake strives to be the safest online pet-sitting platform in Canada.
