What is drop-in visit?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A drop-in visit is when a pet sitter comes to your home, once or more a day, to feed your pet, refresh water, clean the litter tray or take the dog out, give medicines and spend time with it, then leaves. It suits cats and independent pets that are happier at home. On Petym, drop-in visits are paid per visit.
Also called drop-in pet sitting, pet sitting visit, cat sitting visit, home visit pet care.
Key facts
- RSPCA Australia says a cat left at home should have its health and wellbeing checked daily while you are away. RSPCA Australia
- It describes a sitter who visits at least once or twice a day to feed the cat, change litter trays and give company and enrichment. RSPCA Australia
- Home-based care suits cats that prefer few changes and are stressed by unfamiliar animals or places. RSPCA Australia
- The RSPCA lists what to leave for whoever cares for your pet: its routine, food and feeding instructions, medicines, vet details and exercise needs. RSPCA
What happens during a drop-in visit?
The sitter does the jobs you would do at home, in the order and amounts your care sheet sets out, then locks up.
A typical visit covers fresh food and water, the litter tray or a toilet walk, any medicines, a quick health check (eating, drinking, toilet, mood), play or a cuddle, and tidying up after the pet. For a cat, RSPCA Australia lists feeding, changing litter and giving company and enrichment as the core of a sitter's visit. For a dog, the visit usually includes a walk, though a dog that cannot be left alone for long needs more than visits.
In Indian homes the visit also means small practical things: switching the fan or AC on for a cat in a hot flat, checking the inverter after a power cut, closing the balcony door before monsoon rain, and making sure the maid or the society watchman knows a sitter is coming.
Are drop-in visits right for your pet?
They work best for pets that are relaxed alone between visits. These are general guides; your own pet's needs come first.
If you have a healthy adult cat and a trip of a few days
Drop-in visits at least once or twice a day keep your cat at home with its routine and territory. Drop-in visits RSPCA Australia
If you have a dog that is fine alone for a few hours
Visits can cover walks and meals, but the RSPCA says never to leave a dog alone long enough to become distressed; consider several visits or a sitter who stays. Drop-in visits RSPCA
If your pet needs medicines at fixed times, is a puppy, a senior or anxious alone
A sitter who stays overnight in your home is usually the better fit. Overnight sitting
If you are going in peak summer to a city with long power cuts
Someone at home through the hottest hours may be safer than visits alone. Overnight sitting
What should you leave ready for drop-in visits?
From the RSPCA's list of what a carer needs, adapted to an Indian flat.
- Your pet's routine written down, with feeding times and amounts. RSPCA
- Enough food, treats and litter for the whole trip, plus spare. RSPCA
- Medicines with clear written instructions on how and when to give them. RSPCA
- Your contact details and your vet's, including the out-of-hours number. RSPCA
- Notes on behaviour, hiding places and anything the pet must not have. RSPCA
- Keys, and permission at the society gate for the sitter to enter. RSPCA
How will drop-in visits work on Petym?
Petym is pre-launch and not taking bookings in any city yet. When a city opens, a Petym sitter on drop-in visits will follow your pet's plan as you wrote it, log each feed, medicine and litter change as it happens, and send a daily photo update every day of the booking. You book and pay through Petym, and the sitter is paid after the booking.
If something goes wrong during a visit, the sitter calls you and takes your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list. Before the first booking you will have a free meet and greet with the sitter. A 30-minute visit costs Rs 599 in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru and Rs 499 in other cities.
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
How many drop-in visits a day does a cat need?
- RSPCA Australia describes a sitter visiting a cat at least once or twice a day, with its health and wellbeing checked daily. Two visits suit many cats, especially in hot weather or if the cat eats several small meals. A cat on medicine at fixed times may need more visits or a sitter who stays.
Are drop-in visits suitable for dogs?
- For a dog that is happy alone for a few hours, visits can cover walks, meals and company. The RSPCA says never to leave a dog alone long enough to become distressed, so a puppy, a senior dog or one with separation anxiety usually needs a sitter who stays overnight instead.
What does a pet sitter do on a drop-in visit?
- The sitter feeds your pet, refreshes water, cleans the litter tray or takes the dog out, gives any medicines, checks the pet is well and spends time with it. On Petym the sitter also logs each task and sends a daily photo update every day of the booking.
How much do drop-in visits cost on Petym?
- A 30-minute visit is Rs 599 in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru and Rs 499 in other cities; 60 minutes is Rs 999 or Rs 799. You book and pay through Petym, and the sitter is paid after the booking.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in services and booking
- Background checkA background check is what a pet care service verifies about a sitter before they care for your pet and enter your home. It can cover identity, police verification, references, training and the sitter's home. Services differ widely, so ask what was checked. Petym verifies identity with PAN; police verification is not one of its stated checks.
- Care sheetA care sheet is the written plan you leave for whoever looks after your pet: what and when it eats, walks and toilet routine, medicines and how to give them, habits and fears, and who to call, including your vet. Welfare bodies list these as the essentials. On Petym, the sitter follows your plan as written and logs each task.
- Daily photo updateA daily photo update is a photo of your pet, with a short note, that the sitter sends each day of a booking, so you can see your pet is fed, well and settled. The best updates are specific: food, walks, toilet, medicines and mood. On Petym, a daily photo update is sent every day of every booking.
- Doggy day careDoggy day care is daytime care for your dog while you work: you drop it off in the morning and collect it in the evening, with no overnight stay. The dog gets company, play, walks and rest instead of a long day alone. Good day care screens each dog first and keeps groups small.
- Group dog walkA group dog walk is when one walker takes several dogs from different homes out together, instead of a solo walk with one dog. It can give sociable dogs company and exercise, but more dogs means less control near traffic and street dogs. As a benchmark, England's licensing guidance caps a day care walker at 6 dogs at once.
- Home boardingHome boarding means your pet stays in a sitter's own home while you are away, living as part of the household rather than in a kennel run. It suits sociable dogs that settle well in new places. Good sitters take few pets, meet each one first and keep its records. On Petym, every sitter's home is checked by video first.
- House sittingHouse sitting means someone lives in your home while you are away, looking after the house and often the pets. The arrangement is built around the home: security, plants, post. Pet sitting is built around the animal: its meals, walks, medicines and company. Many pet owners want both, which is what an overnight pet sitter staying in your home provides.
- Key handoverA key handover is the agreed way a pet sitter gets into your home: a key handed over, one left with a trusted neighbour or the society office, or a digital lock code. In a flat it also means telling the watchman the sitter is expected. Done well, it is planned, written down and reversed when the booking ends.
- Meet and greetA meet and greet is a short visit before any booking where the owner, the pet and the sitter meet. You see how the sitter handles your pet and ask questions; your pet learns the sitter's face and smell. Welfare bodies advise meeting a sitter before hiring. On Petym, the meet and greet is free, before the first booking.
- Overnight pet sittingOvernight pet sitting means a sitter stays in your home, including overnight, while you are away, so your pet keeps its own home, routine and company. It suits dogs that cannot be left alone, senior pets, pets on medicine and anxious animals. It is Petym's main service: the sitter follows your pet's plan and is paid by the day.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources