Pet sitting questions, answered
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Petym is a pet sitting marketplace opening city by city in India. You meet your sitter free before the first booking, pay through Petym, get a photo update every day and review the booking afterwards. Every sitter's identity is verified with PAN and they finish pet first-aid training before their first booking. No city is taking bookings yet.
How are these answers kept accurate?
Each answer is written from Petym's decided process, and says plainly when something is not decided yet.
The questions below are grouped by topic: booking, the meet and greet, sitters and their checks, what happens during a booking, emergencies and health, payment, cities, becoming a sitter, and privacy. Each answer stands on its own, so you can read only the one you need.
Petym is pre-launch. Where an answer depends on something the owners have not decided, such as prices or cancellation terms, it says so instead of guessing. When a decision is made, the answer changes and the date at the top of the page changes with it.
Where should you start?
Most first questions are answered on one of these pages.
- How a booking works, step by step: the How it works page.
- What Petym checks about every sitter, and what it does not claim: the Trust and safety page.
- What each service costs, and what adds to the price: the Pricing page.
- Becoming a sitter yourself: the Become a sitter page.
- Something not covered here: write to [email protected] from the Contact page.
Booking
How do I book a pet sitter through Petym?
- Tell Petym your city, dates and pets, and what each pet needs. You then meet the sitter free before the first booking, book and pay through Petym, and get a photo update every day. Bookings are not open in any city yet; this is how they will work.
Is Petym open for bookings now?
- No. Petym is pre-launch and no city is taking bookings. A city opens once its sitters have passed Petym's checks. You can join the waitlist for your city and get one email when it opens, and read the free guides in the meantime.
How far ahead should I ask for a Petym sitter?
- As early as you can, and earliest for Diwali, Christmas to New Year and the summer holidays, when many families travel at once. Leave time for the free meet and greet, which comes before the first booking, and for filling in the care sheet.
Can I book for more than one pet at once?
- Yes. Tell Petym about every pet when you send your dates, with what each one eats, its walks or litter, medicines and quirks. For sitters who host pets, each home has a pet limit, so a large household may suit overnight sitting in your own home better.
Which services can I book on Petym?
- Six: overnight pet sitting in your home, drop-in visits, dog walking, pet boarding in the sitter's home, doggy day care, and special-needs care for pets on medicines, seniors and pets after surgery. Home boarding opens for dogs first, with cat stays later.
Can I book the same sitter again?
- That is the idea of a meet and greet: once your pet knows a sitter, keeping the same person makes every later booking easier. How repeat bookings are made will be explained when bookings open in your city.
Meet and greet
What is a meet and greet on Petym?
- A free meeting with the sitter before the first booking. Your pet and the sitter get to know each other, and you walk the sitter through the routine, food, medicines, keys and the emergency plan. If your pet is not comfortable, you do not book.
Does the meet and greet cost anything?
- No. The meet and greet before the first booking is free. It is free on purpose, so that deciding a sitter is not right for your pet costs you nothing.
Where does the meet and greet happen?
- Usually where your pet will be cared for: in your home for overnight sitting, drop-in visits and walks, and in the sitter's home for boarding and day care, so you can see where your pet will stay. Agree the place when you arrange it.
What should I prepare before meeting a sitter?
- Your pet's routine in writing, the food and amounts, any medicines with your vet's instructions, the vaccination record, your vet's number, how the keys and the society gate work, and a list of your pet's fears. Petym's meet and greet checklist covers the rest.
How do I know the meet and greet went well?
- Your pet relaxes over the visit, even if it was shy at first; the sitter asks about medicines, fears and emergencies without being prompted; and you feel easy handing over a key. Steady fear from your pet, or a sitter who does not listen, is a reason not to book.
Sitters and checks
How does Petym vet its sitters?
- Before listing, every sitter's identity is verified with PAN and a named 24-hour vet within reach is recorded. Sitters who host pets also have a video walk-through of the home by Petym, their housing society's permission and a pet limit. All finish pet first-aid training before their first booking.
Are Petym sitters police verified?
- No. Petym's checks do not include police verification and Petym does not claim it. Its checks are PAN identity, a home walk-through and society permission for sitters, pet first-aid training, a named 24-hour vet and a pet limit for hosting homes.
Who are Petym's sitters?
- People living in Petym's launch cities who care for pets and pass Petym's checks. None is listed yet, because Petym is pre-launch. Petym does not publish sitter names, photos or counts until there are real sitters to show.
Does a sitter visit my home before hosting my pet?
- No, it works the other way round for hosting. Petym sees a video walk-through of the sitter's own home before listing them, and you can visit the sitter's home at the meet and greet before the first booking.
Can I see reviews of a sitter before booking?
- Not yet. Petym shows no reviews until bookings have happened, and only owners who had a real booking can write one. Until then, the free meet and greet is how you judge a sitter for yourself.
Is every Petym sitter trained in first aid for pets?
- Yes. Every sitter completes pet first-aid training before their first booking. First aid covers what to do in the minutes before a vet, and the sitter always gets your pet to a vet as soon as possible afterwards.
During the booking
How often will the sitter send me news?
- Every day. Your sitter sends a photo update each day of the booking, with meals, walks, toilet and medicines logged as they happen. If something unusual happens, the sitter tells you straight away rather than waiting for the daily update.
Will the sitter follow my pet's routine exactly?
- Yes. Your pet's plan, covering feeding, walks and medicines, is followed as you write it on the care sheet and logged as it happens. A sitter does not change food, doses or rules without asking you first.
Can the sitter give my pet its medicines?
- Yes, as you and your vet write them on the care sheet, and each dose is logged when given. A sitter never changes a dose. Injections such as insulin need a sitter who has been shown how by a vet; special-needs care covers that.
Can the sitter bring guests into my home?
- No. A sitter uses your home only for the booking: no visitors, no parties and no going into rooms or cupboards you have not opened to them. Agree any off-limits rooms at the meet and greet.
What happens if my flight home is delayed?
- Tell the sitter as soon as you know, and leave a few days of extra food and medicines before you go so a delay is not a crisis. How extending a booking works on Petym will be explained when bookings open.
What if household help also comes to my home?
- Tell your cook, maid or driver the sitter's name and dates, and decide who feeds the pet, usually only the sitter, so meals are not doubled. Write their visit times on the care sheet so the sitter is not surprised at the door.
Emergencies and health
What does a Petym sitter do if my pet gets sick?
- The sitter calls you straight away and takes your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on Petym's list for your city. Your care sheet, with the vaccination record, medicines and your vet's details, goes with your pet so the vet has its history.
Which documents should my pet have before a booking?
- The vaccination record, current tick and flea prevention with the date given, and your city's dog licence where your city makes one mandatory. Keep your vet's number and any prescriptions with them, so the sitter can find everything quickly.
Does Petym list emergency vets?
- Yes. Petym publishes a list of 24-hour vets for each city it covers, with each clinic's details checked and dated. In an emergency during a booking, the sitter takes your pet to the nearest one on that list.
What if I cannot be reached during an emergency?
- The sitter calls the second emergency contact on your care sheet, so name someone in the city who can make decisions for you. Write down how you would pay an emergency vet, because Petym has not announced any vet-bill cover.
Is Petym's advice a substitute for my vet?
- No. Petym's guides are general information from veterinary and welfare bodies, and no vet has reviewed these pages. For your pet's health, ask your own vet, and in an emergency go to a vet straight away.
Can a pet with a medical condition use Petym?
- Yes, that is what special-needs care is for: pets on daily medicines, seniors and pets recovering from surgery. Tell Petym about the condition when you send your dates, and go through your vet's instructions with the sitter at the meet and greet.
Payment and prices
How much will a Petym sitter cost?
- Overnight sitting is Rs 2,199 a night in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru and Rs 1,799 elsewhere; drop-ins start at Rs 499 and walks at Rs 279. The Pricing page lists every service and extra.
Can I pay a Petym sitter in cash or by UPI?
- No. You book and pay through Petym, never the sitter directly, and the sitter is paid after the booking. Paying outside Petym takes the booking out of the record that the care plan, updates and review belong to.
When does a Petym sitter get paid?
- After the booking, through Petym. You pay Petym when you book, and the sitter is paid once the care has been given. The details of payout timing will be published for sitters before bookings open.
Does Petym have a cancellation policy?
- Not yet in force. A draft structure is being prepared for owner and lawyer review, and the final terms will be published before bookings open. Petym does not state any notice period, refund or charge until then.
Is there insurance on Petym bookings?
- Petym has not announced any insurance or vet-bill cover. If that changes, the Trust and safety page will say so. Until then, plan how you would pay an emergency vet bill before you travel.
Cities and opening
Which 14 cities are on Petym's launch list?
- Fourteen launch cities: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. All are in guide mode today, with free guides and no bookings yet.
When will Petym open in my city?
- When enough local sitters have passed Petym's checks. Petym does not announce dates it cannot keep. Join the waitlist for your city and you will get one email when bookings open there.
What does guide mode mean for a city?
- It means the city's pages are live as free guides: its 24-hour vets, licence rules, seasons and living with pets there. Bookings are not open yet. A city leaves guide mode when its sitters have passed Petym's checks.
Will Petym come to cities outside the launch list?
- Petym is registering its next cities, starting with Greater Noida. It opens city by city and will announce new cities on its Cities page. If your city is not listed, write to [email protected] to say you are interested.
Can I use Petym's guides if I live elsewhere in India?
- Yes. The care guides, pet travel pages and free tools are written for pet owners anywhere in India, and need no sign-up. Only the city pages and vet lists are specific to Petym's launch cities.
Becoming a sitter
How do I apply to sit for Petym?
- Fill in the application on the Become a sitter page with your city, the services you would like to offer and your experience with pets. Petym then takes you through its checks before listing you.
What does Petym check before a sitter can work?
- Identity verified with PAN and a named 24-hour vet within reach for everyone. If you would host pets, a video walk-through of your home, your housing society's permission for paid pet sitting and a pet limit. Then pet first-aid training before your first booking.
How much do Petym sitters earn?
- Petym cannot say yet: the sitter's payout share is not decided. What is decided: owners pay the rate card price through Petym, and sitters are paid after each booking. The payout terms will be in the sitter agreement.
Can I sit pets if I live in a flat?
- Yes. Overnight sitting, drop-in visits and walks happen in the owner's home or outdoors. To host pets in your own flat, for boarding or day care, Petym needs your housing society's permission for paid pet sitting before listing you.
Do I need my own pet to become a sitter?
- No. What matters is experience caring for animals, a calm and reliable manner, and passing Petym's checks. If you do have pets and want to host, Petym's walk-through and pet limit take your own animals into account.
Privacy and data
What does Petym keep about me today?
- Only what the waitlist asks for: your email, your name if you give it, your city, whether you joined as an owner or as a would-be sitter, the page you signed up on and when you agreed. It is used only to email you when Petym opens in your city.
How do I delete my details from Petym?
- Email [email protected] from the address you joined with and ask for your entry to be deleted. If you joined for more than one city, every entry is removed. The privacy policy explains what is kept, why and for how long.
Does Petym use cookies or tracking?
- Petym's privacy policy says the site sets no cookies and uses no analytics or tracking tools. If that ever changes, the privacy policy will change first, with a new date.
Which data law will apply to bookings?
- India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, alongside the Information Technology Act. When bookings open, details such as your address and your pet's health will be handled under that law, and the privacy policy will be updated before then.
Will my sitter see my phone number and address?
- A sitter needs your address and a way to reach you to do the job. How these are shared on the platform will be set out in the privacy policy before bookings open. A sitter does not share them or post them anywhere.
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 reading
Services that help
- Overnight pet sittingA sitter sleeps in your home and keeps your pet's routine going.
- Drop-in visits30 or 60 minute visits at home, one to three a day. Best for cats.
- Dog walking30 or 60 minute one-to-one walks, your dog only, at your dog's times.
- Pet boarding in a sitter's homeYour pet stays in a checked sitter's home, not a kennel.
- Doggy day care in a sitter's homeDaytime care for your dog in a sitter's home while you work.
- Special-needs pet carePuppies, seniors and pets on medicine, cared for to your vet's plan.
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources