The best animals to look after as a pet sitter

During our six years as house sitters, we looked after many kinds of pets – dogs and cats were the most common, but we also looked after fish, birds, turtles, yabbies and rabbits.

We love animals in general and we enjoyed looking after them. Obviously, we found that different types of pets have different levels of needs – and as house sitters, some were easier to look after than others.

Animals are all unique and have different personalities. One dachshund might be completely different to another. So this variation of personality is not just based on breed – it is very much individual, in our experience anyway. Age makes a difference, too. A puppy will be more energetic and have higher needs than an old dog with arthritis; some cats are more friendly than others.

Caring for dogs while house sitting

Dogs are great to look after if you love companionship. Most of them are friendly and love cuddling up to you when you are in their home. Others like their space. Dogs are also great to look after if you like exercising. This will vary depending on breed, age and environment, but most dogs need daily walking – which is also great for you! It can also be a social affair – many dogs also benefit from interacting with other dogs on the street and in the park.

Caring for cats while house sitting

We found cats to be slightly lower maintenance – but not always. In general, cats required less of our time, not needing to set aside a period each day to walk them. In our experience, many dog owners wanted sitters who were home most of the time, or didn’t work long hours in the day, whereas cats seemed okay to be left for longer periods of time without human company. Again, this depends on the breed and personality – it was just what we personally experienced. Cats have litter trays that need to be cleaned out regularly, which is more time consuming than cleaning up after a dog. And some cats need more ‘play’ time at home than others.

Caring for other pets while house sitting

Fish and turtles were probably the lowest maintenance when it came to pets we looked after. Feeding hardly took any time, but cleaning tanks / aquariums could be more time consuming. If your house sit is very short, chances are you may not be required to do any thorough cleans; and it also depends on the type of set up the owners have when it comes to filters and so on.

While general feeding and care routines may be simple, and these pets are fairly low maintenance, you will still need to keep an eye on their health and well being.

Rabbits and guinea pigs (as well as rats and mice, although we never had any sits with these pets) all require regular cleaning of their hutches or enclosures. They are cute and furry and can be fun to play with, but never let them out of your sight when not in their enclosures!

Whether you’re looking after 5 dogs or 1 fish, your responsibilities will always vary between house sits. The most important thing you can do is to find out as much as you can about the pet before you move into their home. Always ask about their routines, their food, their health and their personality. Have a conversation about how much interaction the pets enjoy and what is expected of you while you’re there.

Whether they are your favourite type of animal or not, their care is of utmost importance, and ensuring they are happy and healthy in their home is your job. And to answer the question of ‘which animal is best?’, well – that really comes down to personal preference! 

Interested in becoming a house sitter and caring for pets in their own homes in exchange for free accomodation?

Check our our house sitting job opportunities here.