How much to pay a pet sitter?

MsFifers

Hi - I've arranged with a youngster I know to stay in my place to look after my two cats when I am going away for a weekend soon. (I am reasonably sure they won't be throwing a major party or anything!)

What would be a fair rate of pay?

He'll just be there for a Saturday night really, and just has to clean litter trays, feed and water the cats, and play with them a little bit. (They are apartment living, indoor only cats so it will be nicer for them to have someone there so they won't be bored & lonely).

The cattery I use would only charge e18 for the night - but that seems too little to pay him.

What do you think?

Whispered

How young is a youngster? I would say that when I was between 14 - 16 I would have been delighted to have a place to myself for an evening! I wouldn't have expected money.

Get in a few DVD's, nice snacks etc and give him or her €20. The person is probably delighted to have been asked and looking forward to it. Think of the €20 as payment for the yucky litter box bit. The rest would be a pleasure.

Lauragoesmad

I know a pet sitter who just checks in, feeds a cat and stays for an hour and she costs 10 euro a day. I'd say don't bother with the snacks or dvds. Give him 30 euros for the two days. Thats great money for them and for you its probably worth every penny knowing that your cats safe and isn't lonely.:)

Possum66

Hello there, the girl who looked after our pet parrot, was a professional, and charged 15 euro for a visit. So I would say 30 euro is fair, and yes, pls, leave him a bowl of nice snack, it is a nice touch, and you might need his service in the future...:-)

For Paws

MsFifers wrote: »

Hi - I've arranged with a youngster I know to stay in my place to look after my two cats when I am going away for a weekend soon. (I am reasonably sure they won't be throwing a major party or anything!)

What would be a fair rate of pay?

He'll just be there for a Saturday night really, and just has to clean litter trays, feed and water the cats, and play with them a little bit. (They are apartment living, indoor only cats so it will be nicer for them to have someone there so they won't be bored & lonely).

The cattery I use would only charge e18 for the night - but that seems too little to pay him.

What do you think?

I'm curious as to why you not using the cattery on this occasion.
Interesting that you'd think that an amateur pet sitter should be worth more to you than a professional service.
Of course, it's your choice and you may feel that your pets will be more at ease in your / their own home, even with a stranger.

JustAThought

My friends cats totally HATE going to the cattery & sulk for weeks after she takes them back. She would live for someone she knows to mind them in her house but can't get anyone she knows to do it locally. ( she lives in a field in the middle of the country -in a house I add!!)
Lucky you to have someone you know who you can trust! Your cats won't be disrupted, they will still have their routine & your teenager minder will have a great weekend! Good for ya!!!

I'd day e25 or e30 & some stuff in the fridge! I pay e10 for a dog walker but she dosn't stay over! Kennels are e12.50 a night & that includes food! It's nice to be generous but if you pay e50 what will you do when you go away for a fortnight!!!!

Hope s/he has fun!!!

miezekatze

For Paws wrote: »

I'm curious as to why you not using the cattery on this occasion.
Interesting that you'd think that an amateur pet sitter should be worth more to you than a professional service.
Of course, it's your choice and you may feel that your pets will be more at ease in your / their own home, even with a stranger.

It seems that this is just for a night or two and I think most catteries would have a minimum stay that's longer than that.

I would also pay around 30 € and provide some snacks.

Whispered

miezekatze wrote: »

It seems that this is just for a night or two and I think most catteries would have a minimum stay that's longer than that.

I don't know of any kennel or cattery who has a minimum stay. Does this happen? I'd be so shocked if I rang somewhere and they said there was a minimum stay.

miezekatze

Whispered wrote: »

I don't know of any kennel or cattery who has a minimum stay. Does this happen? I'd be so shocked if I rang somewhere and they said there was a minimum stay.

Hmm the one I use has a minimum stay and I think I saw this a few times when I was looking around. I'd say they would probably accomodate shorter stays if you've used them before though. Personally, I prefer to use a timed feeder and a friend/relative checking in if it's just one or two days anyway, my girl gets a bit stressed out if she has to travel anywhere so I understand why the OP prefers not to use a cattery for such a short time.

Whispered

miezekatze wrote: »

Hmm the one I use has a minimum stay and I think I saw this a few times when I was looking around. I'd say they would probably accomodate shorter stays if you've used them before though. Personally, I prefer to use a timed feeder and a friend/relative checking in if it's just one or two days anyway, my girl gets a bit stressed out if she has to travel anywhere so I understand why the OP prefers not to use a cattery for such a short time.

I have to admit, if I contacted a kennel or cattery and they insisted on a minimum stay I would worry about them. I work in a kennel and we encourage owners to bring their dog in overnight before going on a longer trip to get the dog used to the place, the staff etc. Probably different for cats though.

Totally agree with cats not liking to travel, I never use a cattery for my boy. I think I did once and it was way too stressful for him. Now, like you, I have someone pop in to feed him and spend a bit of time with him.

borderlinemeath

I know a couple of my local kennels & catteries definitely charge more for shorter stays than 3/4 days.

Pricing structure example

Dog for one night €30/Cat for one night €20
Dog for 2 nights €42/Cat for 2 nights €30
But stay for four days or more and it's €16 per night dog/ €11 per night cat.

Whilst not a 'minimum stay' as such it's certainly discouraging.

mymo

Both the cattery and kennels I use charge the same for one night as for any number of nights, I do get a reduction or one free night if they stay for a week or more as I'm a regular customer though.

Lamina

This thread is 5 years old so I don't think the OP is looking for advice anymore

Whispered

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Whilst not a 'minimum stay' as such it's certainly discouraging.

Yes but you can still leave your pet there for one night if you wish. There are staggered prices where I work too. Multiple nights cost a bit less per night. As I mentioned, we do encourage people to leave a dog overnight first if they've never been in kennels before. So definitely not something to discourage people from doing that.

I wouldn't be at all comfortable if I contacted a kennel or cattery and said that I was going away for 2 weeks but before leaving for that long I want to see how the cat/dog settles during an overnight or weekend stay, only to be told that option wasn't available and that there was a minimum stay policy. I would however expect to pay more for one night than I would for multiple nights per night. I think that's pretty standard.

inocybe

The cattery I use has a minimum stay of 3 nights, and I can understand why. A lot of short bookings in busy holiday time would block people booking longer stays. It's also a lot more work since the units are completely sterilised after a stay.

Soodle

Fair point.

For Paws

Whispered wrote: »

Yes but you can still leave your pet there for one night if you wish. There are staggered prices where I work too. Multiple nights cost a bit less per night. As I mentioned, we do encourage people to leave a dog overnight first if they've never been in kennels before. So definitely not something to discourage people from doing that.

I wouldn't be at all comfortable if I contacted a kennel or cattery and said that I was going away for 2 weeks but before leaving for that long I want to see how the cat/dog settles during an overnight or weekend stay, only to be told that option wasn't available and that there was a minimum stay policy. I would however expect to pay more for one night than I would for multiple nights per night. I think that's pretty standard.

+1

Generally the reason boarding kennels / catteries have for 'staggered pricing'
is to make longer stays more attractive to pet owners.

Pet owners should always take the time to visit any kennel or cattery they might send their pets to. Turn up during their opening hours and ask to be shown around. If they don't do so happily - don't send your pets there.

Soodle

For health and safety reasons customers may not always be allowed in the kennel area (actually in many cases this breaks health and safety legislation) I worked in a kennels and the customers would not be allowed to enter the designated kennel areas for these reasons.

Whispered

Soodle wrote: »

For health and safety reasons customers may not always be allowed in the kennel area (actually in many cases this breaks health and safety legislation) I worked in a kennels and the customers would not be allowed to enter the designated kennel areas for these reasons.

What health and safety legislation?

There is no way I would allow my dogs stay somewhere if I couldn't see where they were staying. I wouldn't even consider it to be honest. Too many horror stories. I can only remember one customer who dropped a dog off for the first time and didn't ask to be shown around. It really is very normal for people to visit and look around first.

inocybe I agree that it's more work with the shorter stays, there is the sterilisation as you mentioned and in my case a brush and wash for the dogs, early opening for their morning walk if they're leaving in the am and to give time for brekkie to be digested before a car journey etc. The staggered pricing allows for that.

As for the shorter stays blocking possible longer stays, that's a fair point and something kennel/cattery owners should consider. On one hand it's guaranteeing that the cattery has long term boarders, but on the other it could chase some customers away altogether. I suppose they should do what works best for them and their customers - I would be one of those who wouldn't consider using them, obviously not all pet owners feel the same.

Soodle

Although it should be very rare (and in all good kennels would be) maybe passing a zoonotic disease would be one of the reasons why customers cannot enter a staff only area which in some cases include the actual boarding area. Also in case a dog attacks a customer and they sue, these situations may be rare but you know how company like to cover themselves when it comes to health and safety.

I totally understand about wanting to see the area your dog will be staying (or cat) I would too and have never been able to leave my beloved cat in a cattery as of yet, we've always worked out something, like a family member or close friend who can be trusted to look after it.

muddypaws

Soodle wrote: »

Although it should be very rare (and in all good kennels would be) maybe passing a zoonotic disease would be one of the reasons why customers cannot enter a staff only area which in some cases include the actual boarding area. Also in case a dog attacks a customer and they sue, these situations may be rare but you know how company like to cover themselves when it comes to health and safety.

I totally understand about wanting to see the area your dog will be staying (or cat) I would too and have never been able to leave my beloved cat in a cattery as of yet, we've always worked out something, like a family member or close friend who can be trusted to look after it.

I've used kennels in Ireland and the UK and have always been allowed to see the dog's areas. No licensing of boarding facilities here, or any legal necessity for insurance, in the UK it is different, but as I say, never had any issues with checking kennels out.

I understand the point about disease control, but chances are, if a person has something on their shoes, their dog will have it on their paws. Easily controlled by having a sponge with disinfectant at the entrance for people to stand on. Also, the risk of a dog attacking someone is very easily controlled by having all dogs in their runs when members of the public are around.

Soodle

I was referring to zoonotic diseases that may be passed from dogs already in the kennels to humans that enter to view the kennels.

I too would want to check out the kennel area, and I’m glad a lot of people do. And of course dogs should be medically assessed before being taken into a kennel, vaccination certificates shown etc, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case or some kennels are still very strict as regards to health and safety.

anniehoo

Whilst the info posted in the last 2 days is relevant to this thread it is over 5 years old and therefore i don't want current petsitters PM'ing the OP about their services.

If anyone has queries on petsitting feel free to start a new thread on the subject. Cheers folks.