8 comparisons
Compare your options
Updated By Petym
The choices owners weigh before a trip, each laid out side by side from the same official and veterinary sources the rest of Petym cites: a sitter at home or a stay away, drop-in visits or an overnight sitter, a walker or day care, a friend or a professional, a cattery or a cat sitter, and leaving your dog or taking it along.
All comparisons
- Pet sitter at home or boarding? Routine and surroundings against company and supervision.
- Home boarding or a pet hostel? A sitter's home against a facility, and what each should pass.
- Board your dog or take it along? What trains, airlines and other countries ask of a travelling dog.
- Cat sitter or cattery? Home territory and routine against staffed care away from home.
- Dog walker or doggy day care? A walk that breaks up the day against company all day long.
- Drop-in visits or overnight sitting? A few visits a day against someone who stays the night.
- A friend or a professional sitter? Someone your pet knows against someone checked and booked for the job.
- Pet sitter or house sitter? Whose needs come first: your pet's routine or your home's.
Which comparison do I need?
- Your pet could stay at home
- A pet sitter at home or boarding
- You have chosen a stay away
- Home boarding or a pet hostel
- You might take your dog along
- Boarding your dog or taking it along
- Your pet stays home
- Drop-in visits or overnight sittingA cat sitter or a catteryA pet sitter or a house sitter
- Busy days, not trips
- A dog walker or doggy day care
- Someone you know offered
- A friend or a professional pet sitter
- The rules behind each choice
- Vaccines before boardingFlying with a petDogs on trains
Each comparison puts the two options on the same rows, with every fact sourced and dated, and ends with which to pick when, never a verdict that one is always better. Where a fact comes from a single study rather than a guideline, the page says so.
Pet sitter or boarding: how do you decide?
Start with your pet, not the service. A pet that is calm only at home, a cat, an anxious dog or a pet on medicines usually does better with a sitter at home; a sociable, healthy dog that settles quickly in new places can do well in a stay away.
Four questions settle most choices. First, how does your pet cope with change? International Cat Care says predictable daily routines are one of the simplest ways to keep a cat's stress down, and studies of dogs moved into kennels found stress hormones rose by very different amounts in different dogs. Your own pet's temperament counts for more than any general rule.
Second, how long will your pet be alone? PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time, and Cats Protection suggests someone visits a cat at least twice a day. Count the hours your plan leaves your pet alone, including the night.
Third, does your pet need care at set times? Medicines, injections, a special diet or a senior pet's toilet breaks need someone whose day fits the doses. Texas A&M advises asking your vet first whether a stay away is safe for an elderly, medically fragile or very anxious pet.
Fourth, what about your home? A sitter needs your keys and, in most Indian housing societies, a gate pass or visitor approval. If you would rather no one entered your home, a stay away is the simpler choice.
How do the pet care options compare?
Nine ways to cover a trip or a long working day, on the same four rows. Each has its own comparison page with the sources.
| Where your pet stays | Company | Usually suits | What to check | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight sitting RSPCA (England and Wales) | At home | A sitter who sleeps in your home | Most dogs, pets on night-time medicines, anxious pets | That the sitter will be home most of the day, not just at night |
| Drop-in visits Cats Protection | At home | Visits, alone in between | Healthy adult cats; dogs only for short gaps | At least two visits a day for a cat, more for kittens and seniors |
| Home boarding RSPCA Australia | The sitter's home | The sitter's household, a few other pets | Sociable, healthy dogs that settle quickly | Who lives there, other pets, the society's permission, the nearest 24-hour vet |
| Pet hostel or kennel Merck Veterinary Manual | A facility | Staff, many other dogs | Dogs used to other dogs and kennels | Capacity, who is on site overnight, vaccination and tick policy |
| Cattery International Cat Care | A facility | Staff, cats in separate units | Cats relaxed with strangers | Separate units per household, no communal runs, no dogs nearby |
| Dog walker PDSA | At home | A walk, alone the rest of the day | Dogs calm alone for a few hours | Walk times in the cool hours, leash in common areas |
| Doggy day care Merck Veterinary Manual | A sitter's home or a centre, by day | Other dogs all day | Dogs that enjoy other dogs, owners out 9 hours or more | Vaccination and tick checks on every dog, heat routine |
| Friend or relative RSPCA Queensland | Usually at home | Someone your pet may already know | Short trips, when they can visit twice a day or stay | A written plan, a backup person, confidence with medicines |
| House sitter PDSA | At home | Someone living in your home | Long trips with independent adult cats | How many hours your pet will be alone on their work days |
Usually suits is a starting point, not a rule: your vet knows your pet. Petym is not taking bookings yet; when it opens in a city, its sitters will offer overnight sitting, drop-in visits, dog walking, home boarding, day care and special-needs care.
Which option suits your pet and your trip?
Find the line that describes your pet and your plans. Each points to the comparison or service page with the detail.
If you have a dog and will be away overnight or longer
Overnight sitting at home, so your dog is not alone for long stretches or the night; or home boarding if it settles well in new places. Pet sitter at home or boarding? PDSA
If you have a healthy adult cat and will be away a few days
Drop-in visits at least twice a day usually suit; a cattery can suit a confident cat if it meets International Cat Care's checklist. Cat sitter or cattery? Cats Protection
If your dog has separation anxiety
Someone who stays, so it is alone as rarely as possible, and talk to your vet before the trip. Drop-in visits or overnight sitting? Merck Veterinary Manual
If your pet is old, unwell or on daily medicines
Ask your vet first whether a stay away is safe; a sitter at home with experience of that care keeps its routine. Special-needs care Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine
If you are out for long working days, not away overnight
A midday dog walker, two walks, or day care, so your dog is not alone beyond about 4 hours at a stretch. Dog walker or doggy day care? PDSA
If a friend has offered to help
Say yes if they can come at least twice a day or stay for the whole trip, with a written plan and a backup. A friend or a professional sitter? RSPCA (England and Wales)
If you have chosen a stay away and are weighing a home against a facility
Neither is safe or unsafe by type: ask what each has been checked for, and about vaccines and ticks. Home boarding or a pet hostel? Merck Veterinary Manual
If you are thinking of taking your dog along
Check your route first: only Air India and Akasa Air take pets in the cabin, up to 10 kg with the carrier, and a train coupe must be a whole First AC or First Class one. Board your dog or take it along? Akasa Air
What changes for your pet's health in each option?
The more animals share a space, the more infections and parasites can pass between them; the more a pet's surroundings change, the more stress it may show. Both are reasons to plan, not reasons to rule an option out.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kennel cough | Spreads wherever dogs are kept close together: boarding, day care, kennels and vet hospitals. A vaccine reduces the risk of severe illness but does not stop infection. | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Brown dog ticks | Can live in kennel walls and cracks, so ask any place where many dogs stay about its tick policy. | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Cats and stress | Stressed cats often hide more and eat less; a change of place is a real change for most cats. | International Cat Care |
| A cat that stops eating | Not something to wait out: a cat going without food for a few days risks hepatic lipidosis. Ask to be told the same day. | University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Separation anxiety | Signs often start within 15 to 30 minutes of being left, so these dogs need company, not just visits. | Merck Veterinary Manual |
| Cat vaccines before a stay | WSAVA advises the herpesvirus and calicivirus booster one to two weeks before the main yearly stay. Ask your vet at least two weeks ahead. | WSAVAstudy |
| Vaccination card | A careful boarder checks every guest's record, because pets staying together can pass on infections. | RSPCA Australia |
What should you ask a sitter or a boarding host?
The same questions work for a sitter at home, a host who boards pets, a cattery or a friend. Ask them at the meeting, before you book.
- Have you looked after a pet like mine, of this age and temperament, and given the medicines it needs? Cats Protection
- How many visits a day, or will you stay overnight, and what is the longest my pet will be alone at a stretch? PDSA
- Which vaccinations and tick and flea prevention do you ask of every pet, and do you check the vaccination card? Merck Veterinary Manual
- For a stay away: who lives in the home, which other pets, and where will my pet sleep? RSPCA Australia
- For a cattery: are households housed separately with no contact between units, and are there dogs nearby? International Cat Care
- What will you do in the heat: walks early or late, and the road tested with a palm for 7 seconds? PDSA
- Does your housing society allow it, and will my dog be leashed in common areas as the AWBI's 2015 guidelines ask? Animal Welfare Board of India
- Which 24-hour vet will you go to in an emergency, and will you call me first? RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Who is your backup if you fall ill or are called away? Cats Protection
How far ahead should you plan?
Most of the work happens in the two weeks before you leave, earlier around Diwali, Durga Puja and the summer holidays.
As soon as you know your dates
Book, above all for festival and holiday weeks, when popular places and sitters fill up first. Cats Protection
Two weeks or more before
Ask your vet whether any vaccine is due; a cat's herpesvirus and calicivirus booster is best one to two weeks before a stay. WSAVAstudy
Before a long first stay
Try a daytime visit or one night away first, and see how your pet copes. RSPCA Australia
Several days before
Meet the sitter at home so they meet your pet, test the doors and locks together, and show them where everything is kept. Cats Protection
The day before
Leave written daily instructions, every medicine with its times, your vet's details and the nearest 24-hour vet, and enough food for the whole trip. For a stay away, pack the vaccination record and bedding that smells of home. RSPCA (England and Wales)
What changes in Indian heat, monsoon and festival weeks?
The season can change the right answer. A plan that works in February may not work in May or in a Diwali week.
- Summer: IMD says heat waves mostly come from March to June. Flat-faced, overweight, old, very young and thick-coated dogs are most at risk of heatstroke, so whoever cares for them needs a cool room, walks in the cool hours and a plan for a power cut.
- Monsoon: standing water and floods bring leptospirosis risk; if your dog's booster is long overdue, WSAVA advises two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart before it is covered, so check the card before a monsoon stay.
- Ticks: tick fever is a real risk for Indian dogs, and the brown dog tick can live in the walls and cracks of kennels, so ask any place where many dogs stay what it does about ticks, and keep your own dog's prevention up to date.
- Diwali and other festivals: friends and relatives are often travelling themselves, and sitters are busy, so book early and name a backup. The AWBI reminds owners that tying crackers to animals is punishable under the 1960 Act.
- Housing societies: the AWBI's 2015 guidelines say a society cannot ban pet dogs or cats by vote or bye-law, but owners must leash their pets in common areas. Tell the gate about your sitter before you leave.
Which beliefs about sitting and boarding are wrong?
You may have read
Cats are independent, so they do not mind where they stay.
Myth
What the sources say
Cats are territorial, and International Cat Care says predictability and routine are among the best ways to keep their stress low. A change of place is a real change for most cats. International Cat Care
You may have read
A dog only needs someone to feed and walk it twice a day.
Myth
What the sources say
PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time. Two visits leave long stretches alone, and a whole night. PDSA
You may have read
A vaccinated dog cannot catch kennel cough.
Myth
What the sources say
The Merck Veterinary Manual says the vaccine reduces the risk of severe illness but does not stop infection, which spreads wherever dogs are kept close together. Merck Veterinary Manual
You may have read
Someone living in the house means the dog is never alone.
Myth
What the sources say
Only if they are home. A house sitter with an office job may be out all day, and dogs should not be alone for more than 4 hours at a time. PDSA
What will a Petym sitter do in each option?
Petym is not taking bookings yet. When it opens in a city, the same process will apply to every service: a free meet and greet first, a daily photo update, your pet's plan followed as you write it, and a call to you and a trip to the nearest 24-hour vet in an emergency.
At home
Overnight sitting
A sitter stays in your home, keeps your pet's routine and logs each meal, walk and medicine.
At home
Drop-in visits
Visits at the times you set, for feeding, litter, play and a proper look at your pet.
Sitter's home
Home boarding
Your pet stays in a home Petym has walked through on video, with the society's permission and a pet limit.
Your streets
Dog walking
Walks at your dog's pace, in the cool hours in summer.
By day
Doggy day care
Company through the working day in a checked sitter's home.
Medicines
Special-needs care
For senior pets and pets on medicines, by a sitter with experience of that care.
Questions owners ask
Is a pet sitter or boarding better for my pet?
- Neither is better for every pet. A sitter at home usually suits cats, anxious dogs and pets on medicines, because their routine and surroundings stay the same. Boarding can suit a sociable, healthy dog that settles quickly in new places. Count how long your pet would be alone, and ask your vet if it is old or unwell.
Which pet care option is least stressful for a cat?
- Usually staying at home. International Cat Care says predictable routines keep a cat's stress down, and Cats Protection suggests a sitter visits at least twice a day. A cattery can suit a confident cat if each household is housed separately, with no communal runs and no dogs nearby.
How long can I leave my dog with only drop-in visits?
- Only for short gaps. PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time, so visits suit a long working day, not a night away. For a trip with nights away, overnight sitting at home or a stay in a sitter's home keeps your dog in company.
Does boarding raise the risk of kennel cough?
- Kennel cough spreads wherever dogs are kept close together, including boarding, day care, kennels and vet hospitals. A vaccine reduces the risk of severe illness but does not stop infection. Fewer dogs sharing a space means less exposure, so ask any place how many dogs it houses and what vaccines it checks.
What does the cost of pet sitting or boarding depend on?
- Mostly on the number of nights or visits, how many pets, the care each needs (medicines, a senior pet, a puppy) and festival dates. Petym's prices are on its rate card on the Pricing page, and its free care plan tool adds up the visits, hours and cost of your trip.
Do I need my housing society's permission for a pet sitter?
- A sitter coming to your home is a visitor, so follow your society's gate pass or visitor rules and tell the guard before you leave. The AWBI's 2015 guidelines say societies cannot ban pet dogs or cats, but owners must leash them in common areas. A sitter who boards pets at home needs their own society's permission, which Petym will check.
Should I book a pet sitter or boarding early for Diwali?
- Yes. Festival and holiday weeks fill first, and friends and relatives are often travelling too. Book as soon as you know your dates, name a backup person, and if your pet is frightened of fireworks, choose an option where it can stay somewhere quiet and familiar.
What should I leave whoever looks after my pet?
- A written plan with food amounts and times, walks, every medicine with when and how to give it, your contacts, your vet's details and the nearest 24-hour vet. Add the vaccination card and something that smells of home. Petym's free pet care sheet puts it all on one printable page.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Kennel cough (canine infectious tracheobronchitis) (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Stress in cats (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: Separation anxiety in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Cats Protection: Going on holiday (opens in a new tab)
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine: Planning ahead: reducing stress when boarding your pet (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations (26 February 2015) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 22 sourcesShow fewer
- India Meteorological Department: FAQ on heat wave (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: Heatstroke in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Message for a compassionate and eco-friendly Deepavali (29 October 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Leptospirosis in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Planning for travel with pets (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA (England and Wales): Pet sitting (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA Australia: How can I find a good boarding facility for my companion animal? (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Ixodid ticks (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Choosing a boarding cattery (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA Queensland: Holiday checklist: 10 tips to prepare your pet (1 December 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Behavior problems of dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Pets on Akasa: policy and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine: Hepatic lipidosis: a serious problem when cats stop eating (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats (WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, Journal of Small Animal Practice) (opens in a new tab)
- Physiology & Behavior (2007), University of Bristol: Behavioural and glucocorticoid responses of dogs to kennelling (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)
- Parasites & Vectors (2010): Biology and ecology of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (opens in a new tab)