normal cat sitter prices?

My husband and I are going to England in May for 12 days and trying to figure out what to do with Chloe. Normally I have someone come in every couple of days to check on her, spend a little time and do the feed/litter. But now she's got an issue with feline psychogenic alopecia and I think if she went more than a day by herself it might cause more problems with that. I checked into boarding, but we're in a small town and there's only 2 places to board. Both of them are cages instead of rooms, and I just can't do that to her for almost 2 weeks!
What's an average price for having a sitter? I'm hoping to find a college student who wouldn't mind staying at the house for the whole time.

I think a college student staying at your house is an excellent idea as long as you know them or they have references and can be trusted. Before adopting our dog when we left on an out-of-town trip we had someone we knew come to the house at least twice a day and usually paid $10 p/day. However, if you have them do any other chores, i.e. take in mail, water plants, etc. the price may vary.

A lot depends on the area. I live in suburban NY and have used professional pet sitters who change $20 a visit. I always have my cat visited twice a day. But when I'm away more than 4 days, I usually have someone live in the house and care for the cat. I never have anyone that I don't know already. I usually pay that person $50 a day.

A girl I work with gets paid $15 a day to feed 3 cats and clean litter boxes.

I recently had a sitter come by at a rate of $25/visit. We have three cats, two turtles, and a crab. She gave one of our cats his dental treatment and also fed our ferals. This sitter was licensed, bonded, insured. I agree that it depends on the area, and maybe the amount of work that's required.

I just paid about $24 a visit for my pet sitter. I'm a little out of their normal service area & Jordan needed to get pills 2 times while I was gone.

I believe the visits are about 1/2 hour each.

I've been pet sitting while I've been at school here to get some extra money. I charge $20 to come by once, and if you want me to come back again thru the day, it's an extra $5 (mainly to cover gas costs)

I usually stay up to an hour and feed/ medicate/ play with the kitties, or walk the dogs at no extra cost.

It's been a great way to gain more experience with animals while I'm at college, and gets me out of this place!

I'm not really sure what costs would be in your area, but I do have reference letters that I normally show clients on my first visit to meet them, one from the vet clinic I worked at and one from my current teacher who is a vet tech. I find people appreciate the fact that I'm able to have nursing skills and can deal with emerg. situations should they ever arise!

I hope you find someone! Good luck!

I have almost the same problem, for one lovely cat, who is also an outside cat for a few hours daily (no evenings). I would like to have advice on what to expect for home cat care while on vacation.
My routine with the kitty includes brushing her long hair several times a week, giving her some hairball preventive gel orally twice a week, fresh water changes, scoop out the kitty box, plus feeding and play. I let her out in the am, and when she comes in, she gets fed, checked for anything amiss, groomed, whatever. She is all set with the vet, and gets a monthly flea prevention oil application on her neck. She has never had any critter problems and is a playful, affectionate cat.

I checked out a local cat boarding place, but I do not think they go the extra mile with the kitties, although the accommodations are nice. My option is to have someone stay, or come by, or a combo.
Can someone plese advise me on the above? Can I expect a caregiver to cover all the bases with my cat? Thanks!

When I was a full time pet sitter (I still do it part time) I charge(d) $15 a 30+ minute visit. That includes scooping litter, feeding, watering, bringing in the mail/newspapers, watering plants, turning lights on and off, taking the garbage to the curb & back, shoveling snow, etc. The price may increase due to mileage to the customer, multiple daily visits, or additional services requested.

Some of my "clients" hide, and I always make sure I see that they're okay, usually by climbing around with a flashlight looking under furniture. If needed (and approved by the owner) I have also clipped claws, given meds, sub-q's and so on.

You can go to www.petsit.com and use their pet sitter locater. You just enter your zip code and it will pull up sitters who serve your area. However, if you live in a rural area you may not find one at all. The web site also has a list of questions you should ask potential pet sitters. If you hire a professional they should have insurance so be sure to ask about that.

I found a sitter here in Washington who charges $15 per pet and $10 for any additional. I have called a couple of pet daycares and they charge $20-25 a day, but if they stay longer they usually give a better deal instead of charging per day.