Was super skeptical about 'house sitting' as a cheap travel option until my neighbor let me stay in her Brooklyn apartment for two weeks while she was gone and I saved $900 on hotels.

I only had to water her plants and take out the trash once, but the catch was her cat hated me and yowled every night at 3am - has anyone else had a pet ruin their free stay?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim19114d ago

Oh yeah the "cat hates me" thing is SO real. I did a sit for a friend of a friend in Chicago and her demon cat would literally wait outside my bedroom door, then sprint in and knock over everything on my nightstand at 2am. Like clocks, water glass, phone, all of it. My advice is to bring a spray bottle and just keep it by your bed, it sounds mean but it actually stopped my little monster after a few nights. Also if they yowl nonstop, check if the owner left any wet food because sometimes they're just mad they're not getting their usual treats. That $900 savings is worth some lost sleep honestly, but next time I'm asking for a "pet interview" before I agree.

sammoore14d ago

Yeah that's exactly what I heard from my friend in Portland who did a cat sit... she said the little dude would sit on her chest at 3am and just stare until she woke up screaming. She told me @kim191 is right about the spray bottle though, after a week she had that cat trained to not even jump on the bed. Still freaked her out enough that she charges double now for any cat with glowing eyes in the photos.

the_sam14d ago

Spray bottle by the bed is the real pro tip there. Keep it on the nightstand and one quick squirt usually breaks the cycle after a couple nights. Also try leaving a worn t-shirt on the bed - sometimes they just need to smell their owner to calm down.