Pet sitter or house sitter: what is the difference?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A pet sitter is there for your pet: feeding, walks, medicines and company, by visits or by staying overnight. A house sitter is there mainly for your home: living in it, keeping it secure, and often caring for pets as part of the stay. Which you need depends on whether your pet's care or your home is the main job.
When a pet's routine matters, agree in writing how many hours it may be alone. PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours, and Cats Protection suggests at least two visits a day for a cat.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
How do a pet sitter and a house sitter compare?
| Option | Pet sitter | House sitter | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Your pet's care, as your plan says | Living in and looking after your home | Not stated |
| Where they are | Visits your home, or stays overnight; some host pets in their own home | Lives in your home for the whole stay | Not stated |
| Your pet's day | Built around the pet: walks, meals and medicines at set times | Fitted around the house sitter's own day, unless you agree otherwise | Not stated |
| Hours alone for a dog | Planned so the dog is not left long; PDSA says no more than 4 hours at a time | Depends on the sitter's work and plans; agree it in writing | PDSA |
| Cats | Visits at least twice a day, or a sitter who stays | Someone in the home, if they keep to the cat's routine | Cats Protection |
| Medicines and special care | A core part of the job; check experience | Check they are willing and able; ask your vet to show them | Cats Protection |
| Home tasks | Usually limited to what the pet needs, plus locking up | Plants, post, deliveries, security, sometimes cleaning | Not stated |
| Welfare charity view | The RSPCA says someone who stays in your home usually works best for a pet | The same advice applies if a house sitter takes on the pet's care | RSPCA (England and Wales) |
Is there a real difference, or just a different name?
The tasks overlap. The difference is whose needs come first when they clash.
There is no legal or official definition of either job in India. In this comparison, a pet sitter is someone whose job is your pet: they come at set times or stay overnight, follow your pet's plan and arrange their own day around it. A house sitter is someone whose job is your home: they live in it while you are away, keep it secure and lived-in, and may look after pets as part of the stay.
The overlap is the overnight pet sitter, who stays in your home mainly for your pet. That is what the RSPCA means when it says someone who stays in your home to care for your pet usually works best. Where it gets difficult is a house sitter with a full-time job or plans of their own: your home is occupied every night, but your dog may be alone all day.
What do the terms usually mean?
Petym's working definitions, used across its guides.
- Pet sitter
- Someone who looks after a pet for its owner, in the owner's home or their own, following the owner's plan.
- Overnight pet sitting
- A pet sitter who stays in your home, including at night, mainly to care for your pet.
- Drop-in visits
- A pet sitter who visits your home at set times to feed, clean, play and give medicines, then leaves.
- House sitter
- Someone who lives in your home while you are away, mainly to look after the home, and sometimes the pets.
- Home boarding
- Your pet stays in a sitter's own home instead of yours.
Which suits which household?
A starting point, depending on your pet and your home.
| Pet sitter | House sitter | |
|---|---|---|
| Dog that cannot be alone for long PDSA | Suits: overnight sitting keeps it company | Only if the sitter will be home most of the day |
| Dog with separation anxiety Merck Veterinary Manual | Suits: Merck says dog sitters can help dogs that should be left alone as rarely as possible | Only with a firm agreement on time at home |
| Healthy adult cat Cats Protection | Drop-in visits at least twice a day, or overnight | Suits if they keep the cat's routine |
| Pet on medicines at set times Cats Protection | Suits, with an experienced sitter | Only if their day fits the doses |
| No pets, but plants, post and security | Not needed | Suits |
| Long absence, home empty for weeks | Overnight sitting for the pet | Suits, if the pet's needs are agreed in writing |
What should you agree in writing with either?
The RSPCA's list of what a carer needs to know, with the home details that matter in an Indian city.
- Your pet's usual routine, and how important it is to stick to it. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Food and treats, exercise needs, behaviour notes and supplies such as leads and litter trays. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- When and how to give any medicine. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- Your contact details and your vet's, including any out-of-hours service, and the nearest 24-hour vet. RSPCA (England and Wales)
- The longest your pet may be alone at a stretch. For a dog, PDSA's guide is no more than 4 hours. PDSA
- Whether the sitter may have visitors, and whether anyone else may enter the home.
- Home tasks, if any: plants, post, deliveries, the water motor, the inverter, rubbish.
- The society's rules: the gate pass or visitor approval for the sitter, lift and common-area rules for dogs, and agreed walking areas. Animal Welfare Board of India
- Something that smells of home for your pet, such as a blanket or a worn item of your clothing. RSPCA (England and Wales)
Where do pet care and house sitting clash?
Most problems come from expectations nobody wrote down.
If The house sitter works long days, so the dog is alone from morning to evening
Agree the longest the dog may be alone, or add a midday walker. PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time. PDSA
If The dog barks, soils or chews doors when the sitter goes out
These can be signs of separation distress, which Merck says often start within 15 to 30 minutes of being left. The dog needs less time alone; talk to your vet. Merck Veterinary Manual
If A medicine dose falls when the sitter is out
Write dose times on the plan and choose a sitter whose day fits them; a missed dose is a reason to call your vet. PDSA
If The cat hides and stops eating while a stranger lives in the house
Stressed cats often hide and eat less, according to International Cat Care. Ask the sitter to keep the cat's routine and to tell you the same day if it refuses food. International Cat Care
Which assumptions cause problems?
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 ten hours a day, and PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time. PDSA
You may have read
A house sitter will work out the pet's routine for themselves.
Myth
What the sources say
The RSPCA advises giving any carer details of the pet's usual routine and the importance of sticking to it, along with food, medicines and your vet's details. Write it down. RSPCA (England and Wales)
You may have read
Cats are happy as long as someone sleeps in the house.
Myth
What the sources say
Cats need their routine kept, not just company at night: International Cat Care says predictable daily routines are one of the best ways to reduce stress in cats. International Cat Care
Which to pick when
It depends on whether your pet's care or your home is the main job, and on how long your pet can be alone.
If Your pet's care is the main reason you need someone
A pet sitter: drop-in visits for most cats, overnight sitting for most dogs. Drop-in visits or overnight sitting? Cats Protection
If You have a dog that should not be alone for long
An overnight pet sitter, or a house sitter who will genuinely be home most of the day. Overnight sitting PDSA
If Your home needs looking after for weeks and your pets are independent adult cats
A house sitter can suit, with the cats' routine written into the agreement. Cats Protection
If Your pet needs medicines at set times or has a health condition
A pet sitter with experience of that care. Special-needs care Cats Protection
If You would rather no one stayed in your home
Drop-in visits, or a stay away: compare boarding. Pet sitter at home or boarding?
What Petym offers, and what it does not
Petym is a pet sitting marketplace. Its sitters are there for the pet: overnight pet sitting in your home is its main service, alongside drop-in visits, dog walking, boarding in a sitter's home, doggy day care and special-needs care. It does not offer house sitting as a separate service; an overnight sitter will lock up and keep the home as agreed, but the job is your pet.
Petym is not taking bookings yet; it opens city by city once its sitters have passed its checks. When it does, every sitter will have their identity verified with PAN, pet first-aid training before the first booking and a named 24-hour vet within reach. Each booking starts with a free meet and greet; the sitter follows your pet's plan as you write it, logs it as it happens and sends a photo update every day. In an emergency they call you and take your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.
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
Questions owners ask
What is the difference between a pet sitter and a house sitter?
- A pet sitter's main job is your pet: feeding, walks, medicines and company, by visits or overnight stays. A house sitter's main job is your home: living in it and keeping it secure, often with pet care as part of the stay. The difference shows when their own plans and your pet's needs clash.
Will a house sitter look after my dog properly?
- It depends on the person and what you agree. Write down the routine, feeding, walks and medicines, and how long the dog may be alone. PDSA says dogs should not be left alone for more than 4 hours at a time, so a sitter out at work all day may not be enough.
Is an overnight pet sitter the same as a house sitter?
- They overlap: both stay in your home. An overnight pet sitter is there mainly for your pet and plans the day around it. A house sitter is there mainly for the home. The RSPCA says someone who stays in your home to care for your pet usually works best.
Does a house sitter need to know my vet's details?
- Yes, if they will look after a pet. The RSPCA advises leaving your contact details and your vet's, including any out-of-hours service, and how and when to give any medicine. Add the nearest 24-hour vet's address, in case your own vet is closed.
Can a house sitter look after a cat?
- Often, yes, if they keep the cat's routine. Cats Protection suggests a cat is checked on at least twice a day, and more for very young, old or unwell cats. Ask the sitter to tell you the same day if the cat hides for long or stops eating.
Does Petym offer house sitting?
- No. Petym is a pet sitting marketplace: overnight pet sitting in your home is its main service, with drop-in visits, dog walking, boarding, day care and special-needs care. An overnight sitter locks up and keeps the home as agreed, but the job is your pet.
What should I agree with a house sitter about visitors?
- Agree in writing whether the sitter may have visitors or overnight guests, and who else may enter the home. Tell your society's gate or visitor system who the sitter is. Visitors and open doors are also an escape risk for pets, so add that to the plan.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- RSPCA (England and Wales): Pet sitting (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)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Behavior problems of dogs (opens in a new tab)
- PDSA: How to give your dog a pill (opens in a new tab)
- International Cat Care: Stress in cats (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)