Cat Sitters - Cost?

In my area, it usually ranges from $8-15 a day. It honestly just depends on the company/person though and what you need done. Whatever you decide, just make sure to check the business or person with the BBB and make sure that you ask for several references and call them (you want to trust whoever is going to be comming into your personal home and caring for your animals and know that they'll do a good job).

It probably depends on where you live. The service I use (which I got through a referral) is very good. The sitters are bonded and insured. They charge approximately $16 a visit. I say approximately because i haven't been away and needed to call them lately.


Robin

For 8 cats in my area the going rate is 20 a visit or 30 for twice a day.

For 8 cats, $35 does not sound expensive.

In my area it's $25-30 per visit for 1 cat and $5 extra for each additional cat.

Basic kitty maintenance isn't rocket science IMO.

Make a list and show a local babysitter young teen what to do. If they are responsible enough to care for devious human children, I would think they can handle mostly independent cats.

An hour is enough time, so personally I'd just give her $10 to ride by on the bicycle, go through my checklist of things to do, play with the kitties (which should be fun anyway) and bam they are done and can go spend their money on smack or whatever it is kids like these days.

I have honestly never had a professional cat sitter come in. I have done a lot of house sitting and pet sitting for family, mostly when I was in high school. It always made me feel great that someone trusted me to take care of their home and pets while they were gone. If I was just going by their homes to check on the pets and feed and stuff I would charge $15 if I stayed it would be more. I never had wild crazy parties while they were gone, I always made sure everything was clean, and would always make sure it was okay if I did want a few friends to come over. (Usually no more than my best friend and her boyfriend and my boyfriend to watch a movie or something like that.)
When we have gone out of town we have only ever had friends come by and check in on the cats. We would always treat them to dinner and usually pay about $40 or so.
When we had dogs they would always go to a dog kennel or stay with family.

Our service charges $18 per visit for up to 2 cats and $3.00 for each additional cat.

Mine is free (my mother in law) LOL Otherwise I have no idea. We have never had to use one before. But I've heard that anywhere from $16-30 is normal for ONE cat, so I think that $35 for 8 cats is pretty good.

I am also a couple of hours from Chicago, on the Indiana side. There is one service I have found that requires upcharges for more than 2 cats but most seem to charge a flat fee depending on driving time and the number of visits a day. The average being $15-20 per visit.

I would say given the number of animals involved and the upscale location, $30-35 per day anywhere in California would probably be the minimum.

Im sure you could find someone to come in twice a day for 35 on craigslist ... look under pet service.

Well I was kidding about kids that use heroin of course heheh! I used to baby-sit most of the munchkins in the neighborhood and family friends when I was a kid, and supervised birthday parties and events w/ swimming pools and the like as a lifeguard. Pretty easy IMO to find a local kid with a good reputation if you know your neighbors, and IMO is less likely to steal than an adult that you don't know making near minimum wage when you consider drive time/expenses and you have no idea where they live or know the same people they do for a "background check".

Another option too along those lines would be a trusted cleaning lady for the area. If she's doing all the other houses nearby, swinging by to handle a few chores for cats would also represent little time investment and so could be negotiated quite cheap compared to some niche specialty cat service IMO. Just an idea.

I don't know because Lynxx was boarded, first at a place that boarded cats and dogs. Then after that he was always boarded at his vet's. It probably depends on where you live, and who you hire.

Our petsitter charges $18 per visit (twice a day, although last June when we went to VA to a wedding, she came three times daily because Mollipop was still a little kitten and I was worried).

For that $36 daily, she feeds the six cats, scoops all the litter boxes, brings our mail and newspapers in the house, checks on everything in the house and in the basement. In the summer, she'll turn the pool pump on in the morning and turn it back off at night. We'll get a full report of how each cat ate and how they acted while we were gone. She is licensed and bonded.

I would never have teenagers take care of our cats. Many, many years ago, one of DH's cousins came in to feed Hydrox; he was an only "child" back then. She and her BF spent a lot of time in the house and we came home to broken items in the bedroom and an unmade bed. Ick.

Ah yeah, no kidding! People often equate animal care with juveniles and are shocked by what an adult charges for their time. Going with a professional you're paying for their insurance and the fact they're an adult. What happens if there's an emergency and the local kid doesn't know what to do or that it's a big deal?

Around here $16 per visit is about the norm.

I can understand an electrician, plumber, or other skilled labor contractor being licensed, but what training program is available to get a license to scoop litterboxes and the like as described and who would regulate that? Seems pretty common-sense stuff IMO. *shrugs*

I dunno, I guess its the same debate as with human kids where some feel the need for a nanny where most just use a babysitter with a list of tasks and a couple phone #s to call when in doubt for any reason.
I'd send the parents the video.... lol. I have a 3-camera internet live-fed surveillance system at my house.

I think the licensing is more for the safety of your home's contents. If things show up missing then you have recourse. I met one lady at a cat show that has a cat-sitting business. Even the ladies that work with her are bonded and it is a well-run business.

As for human children, I would not leave my children with an unlicensed daycare. When our daughter was a baby, I didn't leave her with a teenaged babysitter. I actually did once and came home early to find the teen had a friend over and my daughter was running around with a dirty diaper. That was it for more.

What do people pay to have their dogs in kennels when they vacation? I imagine it would be the same sort of cost for someone to come to your home to look after your cats.

Having worked at a kennel for 3 years I can answer that. Base price was $21 per day and $3 per night. But it could go up to $8 per night. At least thats what our prices were.

I've honestly been thinking about starting up a pet sitting service in my area. 1) because nothing exists in this area for that. Having listened to one woman talk about how difficult it was to even find a friend's kid to help (who would not be scooping the litter box) made me feel bad for others who may be stuck like we are. 2) maybe make a little money.

But I can't guarantee I would get much or any business because around here many think like Ducman does. And if I wasn't getting any business I couldn't afford the insurance or bonding that everyone on here insists is the only thing that makes a pet sitter any good - never mind the fact that I have experience with a wide range of animals, including farm animals, birds, herps of all kinds, fish, small exotics, and even invertebrates. And the complex care, and diets, many of those animals have.

My opinion on sitters is whether they come recommend and if the individual who will care for your pets actually seems knowledge and experienced with them. Mind you I have reptiles so that means something different then a person knowing dog and cat care. My cats aren't going to attempt to trick you then go running off across the ceiling because you failed to read their body language properly.

Our Vet about a year ago was charging $8 a day, no xtra charge for night???
I didn't understand that charge. Haven't boarded for @a year, but I heard it was up to $10 a day. When we had two cats we would board the one that boarded well, and let my daughter take care of the other one cause then she only had to drive over every 2-3 days. Now that we have only one, and he just tolerates being picked up, I think I'd have to opt for my daughter or a catsitter.

Boy, do I have a different opinion on this...
I was for a while using my neighbor, who was a wonderful person and did this gladly and for free... Thing is, she was a dog lover, not a cat lover... Didn't understand cats - the results: My cats wouldn't eat their wet food for days, which meant they eat 1/2 of their food intake; and Hope barely ate, since at the time all she was eating was wet food.
Pet-sitting IMHO is much more than just replenishing the dishes, cleaning the boxes and getting out of there. When I am away, I want to make sure my babies are healthy. I want to know they are eating. They do not have an UTI. They do not have diarrhea (well, aside from Bugsy for now, anyways); that their behavior is normal and they are not lethargic. I want to know that in case of an emergency, this person will be capable of recognizing what is going on, fetching them, and taking them to the vet and getting them proper treatment. I want them safe in my absence.
If it was a matter of feeding and changing the litterboxes, I would get a cat genie and set up my wet and dry automatic feeder, and off I would go... But that is not the way I think... At all...
I want them to not even notice I am not here... I want to wak through the doors and see happy, healthy kitties who haven't lost weight, and are not stressed with me leaving them - and that is what I get with my pet sitter...
I pay her $20 per visit, she LOVES them... She is my vet tech, and as so she knows how to give Bugsy's meds, and how to check and recognize immediately when anything is wrong.
I have signed checks for my vet's office and the emergency clinic, and she has a green light to do whatever has to be done for them.
She knows each one of them SO well... She spends the night often when I am away, always sends me pictures, even of the empty plates to let me know that they are eating... That for me is priceless!

Gloria has a FeLV kitty.... What if she hires a clueless kid who opens that door, all of the the sudden Buddy is running around with the other cats... She comes home to a potential FeLV nightmare...

These are our babies... IMHO $10-$20 more a day, can buy you a peace of mind that is truly priceless... That is a money that I will not save right there... Not a chance...

Wonderful post. I agree. I've cat sat for neighbours for free simply because I love animals. I cleaned litter, fed the kitties and spent time with them. I would feel terrible just popping in to change litter and feed them without spending some quality time with them.

But according to what many are posting on here, you're not licensed or bonded so you're not to be trusted.

And that is something I will disagree right there... Kelly is not bonded either... She is a Vet Tech, and I know her from my vet's office... I trust her with my eyes closed any time...
I think that would apply if you are hiring someone out of the streets who you don't know... Then yes, in that case you do want some sort of "guarantee".

^My local vet clinic has some great vet techs that I really like, but honestly I think my cats would overwhelm them, my odd litter box set up would completely confuse them, and the reptiles and insects would probably spook them off (not the reptiles themselves, just their pickiness and behavior - I spoiled the ones I hatched out and they're the reptile equivalent of brats ).

I wonder how many sitters cover invertebrate care? I know spiders, scorpions, centipedes, etc are enough to send most of the members of this forum running, much less the though of caring for them and a lot of sitters tend to be female...

You'd might be surprised! The setup here is pretty intensive too... In between Busy's 2x a day meds (1 in the am, 2 in the pm), Gracies 2x a day meds, Kitties blended (yep, on the smoothie maker!) wet food with different supplements, with Bugsy's getting specific additives on it... Different food for Gracie, and different dry food station for each of them - I think we are a match Strange_wings

I use the DIY safflower seed set up. Each box, which has three pieces, must be scrubbed in a specific order.
On top of that, Blaan and Blasa will only eat in the morning if they're given wet food, in a specific spot, and sometimes only for us. Plus all the food specifics and Blaan's inhaler which he'll only allow you to do if he trusts you as you have to hold him for several seconds. He sometimes gets fussy even with me and tries to hold his breath...

I have a gecko that does not understand the concept of a food dish and must be hand few carefully because she doesn't like insects touching her face ( ). Specific supplementing schedules, and in the summer the turtles' meals that are rather complex - oh, and like the cats they must be fed in specific areas otherwise they won't eat. They also have a lovely habit of investigating shoes which means they'll get underfoot. I have 24 pets, all total, though less medicines than you have to balance out.
...and then there's the insect care.

I doubt many people could get this straight, even with excellent notes, unless they followed my routine with me for a few days, and no certification/guarantee would convince me since reptile care is so often glossed over or generalized information is just plain wrong.
I think it's the rare person that can even take in that much information.

(and yes, we're a bit O/T now, but the OP has already settled her choice is sitters and accepted the costs)