Conference misery::feline_v1

    There's a place in the Lowell area called Castle Keepers that will
    come in while you're vacationing to take care of pets and plants.
    I think I've seen them advertised for $20 per day, regardless of
    how many pets you have.  Maybe this will help.
    
    Mary
    

    I have a cat-sitter who comes in twice a day and tends to all
    kitty needs, including lots of affection.  She charges $3/day
    (increasing to $4/day shortly), regardless of the number of pets.  
    
    I believe she works for some IRS-related firm...she is not a student.
    
    Hope this helps.  Remember, this low fee comes out of VT.  MA might
    be different.
    
    Have a great day,                                  Paula

    I pay $4.00 a day to a middle school kid. One week is usually
    three visits.
    

    Keep in mind that the cost you'd pay to a 'kid' is not
    what you'd pay a 'professional' cat-sitter.  What's a
    'professional' cat-sitter?  For major starters, someone
    who would be able to recognize and deal with an emer-
    gency.  Would a kid (or any person not particularly
    knowledgeable about feline health/well-being) be able
    to recognize the signs of cystitis, or worse, a 
    blockage condition?  I doubt it.  Would a kid be able
    to transport your cat immediately to the vet?  Not if
    they don't have a license/car.  In this case, you'd 
    have to rely on their parent for the emergency situation.
    This could be an imposition and could take time if the
    parent is not immediately available.
    
    We have the 12 year old boy next door watch our cats for
    short-term situations.  I know his mother would gladly
    handle any emergency situation that might arise, though I
    don't consider this ideal.  We pay him $5/visit and we have
    him come in once a day.  He's responsible, reliable and loves
    the cats.  I think $5 for a 12-year old is a fair price.
    
    For a longer term vacation we had the cat-sitting duties
    split between our neighbor and a fellow FELINEr.  I paid
    her what I charge for my services (actually, we made an
    even exchange of services - I watched her cats while she
    was on vacation, she watched mine in return).
    
    So...to answer the question here...what do I charge?  For
    1-3 cats I charge $10/visit.  For >3 cats I charge $12/visit.
    There really is a noticable increase in the time it takes to
    care for more than 3 cats.  The feeding time increases and
    there's more litter box duties to tend to.  I like to give
    some attentions/affections to all the cats and that takes more
    time for more cats.  So far, two people have balked at this
    price and chose to find a neighborhood kid or a friend who
    would do it for nothing, or for less.  I've done a total of
    7 jobs to date and these people seemed to think the price
    was fair.
    
    Each visit takes a 1/2 hour(minimum) to an hour. The basics
    are done like, wash food dishes, put new food and water down,
    scoop the boxes, clean & change the boxes according to pre-
    determined scheduled, dispense any medications, play with cats.
    If requested I will bring in the paper/mail, turning on/off lights,
    bringing out the trash on trash day, water the plants (unless 
    it's a jungle).
    
    If I were cat-sitting for a friend, who lived nearby, I'd
    probably lower the price, a sort of "friendship discount".
    
    The last time I checked with Castle Keepers they were charging
    around $8-10/visit.  This was a year ago though.
    
    Happy Sitting!
    Donna 

    There is a professional "critter" sitter in my area.  She charges
    $7/day and comes in twice every day to feed, brush, change the water in
    the water dish, and play with the cats.  She even opens and closes the
    windows depending on the weather.  This is in the Sunapee area of New
    Hampshire, so MASS fees might be higher.
    
    But, $20/day!!????  That sounds awfully high to me.
    
    Ande

    I don't know if my previous reply could have been construed as
    describing a 'kid' sitter...My $3/day (2 visits/day) sitter is a
    neighborhood pseudo-professional critter sitter (in her thirties).
    She is very knowledgable of all feline ailments...Probably more
    so than myself.  And she does all the things described in note 1236.5.
    
    $3/day!!!  It all adds up for her, though.  She sits for almost
    every pet in 87 condo units.  
    
    $20?!  You MUST be kidding!
    

    I agree $20/day is high, but that's what I saw advertised and that's
    what one of the women I work with paid to have her cat and dog sitted
    for a week (twice a day and she stayed for 1 hour).  Right now,
    if I board my cats at the vet, it's $7/day per cat (or $21 since I 
    have 3) so $20/day didn't alarm me. 
    
    Mary
     

    Yes, but that's cat AND dog.  It is probably less for just a
    cat, or just a dog?
    
    I don't know how anyone can get by on $3/visit, though the fact
    that she does the condominium means that she has no transporta-
    tion costs.  As far as pet-sitting goes, this is the major expense,
    getting to and from your destination.
    
    Donna

    It may depend on how much time they spend with the animals.  If
    they devote an hour to a visit, which doesn't seem unreasonable
    to get them fed, change litter, play for awhile, and time to and
    from, the sitter can't very well make a living on $3 a visit.
    

    Here in California I pay $10.00 per day and I get two visits, an
    hour apiece.  The gal I use is an AHT and saved Jesse's life while
    I was out of town at a cat show.  I would gladly pay her more since
    that occurence, but she won't accept.
    
    I have seven cats and wouldn't feel comfortable paying anyone less
    than $10.00.
    
    Jo