How a Petym booking works
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
You tell Petym your city, dates and pets, then meet the sitter free before the first booking. You book and pay through Petym, never the sitter directly, and the sitter is paid after the booking. Every day you get a photo update, with feeding and medicines logged as they happen. Afterwards you review the booking.
Petym is not taking bookings yet. It opens city by city, once local sitters have passed its checks. This page describes how every booking will run when your city opens.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
How do you book a Petym sitter?
Tell us your dates and pets
Your city, the days you are away, your pets and what each needs: feeding, walks, medicines and quirks. The more you write here, the better the match and the shorter the meet and greet.
Meet your sitter, free
A meet and greet before the first booking, so your pet and the sitter know each other before you leave. You see how your pet reacts, walk the sitter through the routine and agree the details.
Book and pay through Petym
You pay Petym, never the sitter directly. The sitter is paid after the booking. Nothing changes hands in cash at your door.
A photo update every day
From your sitter, every day you are away, with feeding and medicines logged as they happen. You do not have to ask for it or chase it.
Review the booking
Afterwards you write a review of a booking that really happened. Petym shows no reviews until then, so every review on the site will come from a real booking.
What is Petym, in one paragraph?
A pet sitting marketplace for Indian cities: local sitters, checked before they are listed, paid by the day, per visit or per walk.
Petym connects pet owners with sitters who live in the same city. The main service is pet boarding: you drop your dog or cat at a checked sitter's home, a real home with a limit on pets, not a kennel. Alongside it are doggy day care, and for pets happier at home, overnight sitting in your home, drop-in visits and dog walking, plus special-needs care for pets on medicines or recovering from illness.
Every booking follows the same five steps, whatever the service. What changes from service to service is how long the sitter spends with your pet and where your pet sleeps. The steps above are the part you can rely on: a free meeting first, payment only through Petym, a daily update and a review written by you.
Petym is pre-launch. No city is taking bookings yet. A city opens when its sitters have passed Petym's checks, and until then the care guides, city pages and tools are free to read.
Which service fits your trip?
Pick by how long you are away and how your pet copes alone. Each service follows the same booking steps.
| Where your pet is | Who it suits | |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight pet sitting | At home; the sitter sleeps there | Dogs that cannot be alone overnight, cats that hate travel, older pets, homes with several pets |
| Drop-in visits | At home; the sitter visits | Most cats, and calm adult dogs for a gap in the day |
| Dog walking | Out with the walker, then home | Dogs whose owners work long days |
| Pet boarding | In the sitter's home | Sociable dogs used to new places; dogs first, cat stays later |
| Doggy day care | In the sitter's home, daytime only | Young or social dogs who should not spend the day alone |
| Special-needs care | At home or with the sitter, as agreed | Pets on medicines, seniors, pets after surgery |
Each service page sets out what is included and what is not.
What does a booking look like from start to finish?
Before, during and after: here is the order things happen in, for a typical week away.
Two to three weeks before
You send your city, dates, pets and their needs. Festival weeks such as Diwali and the summer holidays fill up first, so ask early.
One to two weeks before
The free meet and greet, at your home for sitting and visits, or at the sitter's home for boarding and day care. You agree the routine, keys and the emergency plan.
After the meet and greet
You book and pay through Petym. You fill in the care sheet: food, walks, medicines, vet, quirks.
The day before you leave
Keys handed over in person, the security desk told, food and medicines counted out and labelled.
Every day you are away
A photo update from the sitter, with meals, walks, toilet and medicines logged as they happen.
The day you return
Keys back, a short handover of how the days went, anything that ran low or needs your vet.
After the booking
The sitter is paid through Petym, and you write a review of the booking.
What should you cover at the meet and greet?
The meeting is free and comes before the first booking. Use it to see the sitter with your pet, and to settle the details you will not want to explain by phone from an airport.
- How your pet reacts to the sitter in the first ten minutes, and after twenty. A slow warm-up is normal, especially for cats and rescued Indie dogs.
- The daily routine, in order: wake-up, toilet, walks, meals, play, quiet time, bedtime.
- Food: the brand or recipe, the amount, the times, and what your pet must never eat. If you cook rice and chicken or curd rice, show the sitter how.
- Medicines: each one, the dose your vet set, the time, and how your pet takes it. The sitter follows your vet's instructions and never changes a dose.
- The vaccination record and tick prevention: where the card is and when the last treatment was given. Animal Welfare Board of India
- Your vet's name and number, and the nearest 24-hour vet on Petym's list for your city.
- Keys, the lock's quirks, the security desk or visitor app, and who else comes in: cook, maid, driver, family.
- Walk routes, lift and lead rules in your society, and where waste goes. Animal Welfare Board of India
- No-go rooms, furniture rules, windows and balcony doors that must stay shut.
- Fears and triggers: fireworks, thunder, the pressure cooker whistle, other dogs, a particular neighbour.
- Power cuts and heat: where the inverter switch is, which room stays coolest, and that walks move to early morning and late evening in summer.
- How you want the daily update: which app, which time of day, and what you most want to hear about.
What goes on the care sheet?
The care sheet is the written plan the sitter follows. You write it; the sitter keeps to it and logs what happens.
- Pet details
- Name, age, breed or Indie, weight, and a recent photo, so anyone can recognise your pet if it slips out.
- Feeding
- What, how much and when, for every meal and treat. Write the amount in cups, grams or rotis, whichever you use.
- Medicines
- Each medicine, the dose your vet prescribed, the time, and how to give it. Leave enough for the whole trip, plus a few days extra.
- Walks and toilet
- Times, length, route, and anything your dog reacts to on the way. For cats: litter type and how often it is scooped.
- Health papers
- The vaccination record, the date of the last tick and flea treatment, and your city's dog licence where it is mandatory.
- Vets
- Your own vet's name, clinic and number, and the 24-hour vet on Petym's list for your city.
- Emergency contacts
- You, a second person in the city who can decide if you cannot be reached, and the neighbour with the spare key.
- Home notes
- Keys, locks, inverter, water purifier, plants, the visitor app, who else comes in and when.
- Behaviour
- Fears, hiding spots, guarding of food or toys, and what calms your pet down.
What does the daily photo update include?
One update every day of the booking, from the sitter, without you having to ask.
The update is a few photos of your pet and a short note: what it ate, its walks or litter, toilet, any medicines given and at what time, and how it seemed. The plan you wrote is logged as it happens, so if a meal is skipped or a tablet spat out, you hear about it the same day rather than when you get home.
For an overnight booking you can expect the update to describe the evening and the morning. For drop-in visits and walks it covers each visit. If your pet does something unusual, such as not eating for a day, hiding more than usual or drinking far more water, the sitter tells you straight away instead of waiting for the evening note.
The update is not a substitute for calling. If you want to speak to the sitter, agree a good time at the meet and greet. Many pets settle faster when the sitter is not on the phone during their walk.
What happens if your pet falls ill during a booking?
Every booking has the same emergency plan, agreed before you leave. Every sitter does pet first-aid training before their first booking.
If Your pet is hurt or suddenly unwell
The sitter calls you straight away. Merck Veterinary Manual
If It needs a vet now
The sitter takes your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on Petym's list for your city, calling ahead where possible so the clinic is ready. Merck Veterinary Manual
If The vet asks for history
Your care sheet travels with your pet: the vaccination record, medicines and your vet's details.
If First aid is needed on the way
The sitter gives first aid and gets your pet to a vet as soon as possible afterwards. First aid is never a replacement for a vet. RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026)study
If You cannot be reached
The sitter calls the second emergency contact on your care sheet, so write one down before you leave.
What helps a booking go well?
Most problems in pet sitting start with something nobody wrote down.
Do
- Book early for Diwali, Christmas to New Year and the summer holidays.
- Leave food and medicines for the whole trip, plus a few days extra in case your return is delayed.
- Tell your security desk and household help the sitter's name and dates.
- Keep the vaccination record where the sitter can find it in a hurry. Animal Welfare Board of India
- Write a second emergency contact on the care sheet.
Don’t
- Do not pay a sitter in cash or by UPI outside Petym: the booking and payment go through Petym.
- Do not change your pet's food the week before you leave.
- Do not leave keys under the mat or with an unnamed guard.
- Do not assume the sitter knows your pet's fears: write them down.
What do people get wrong about booking a sitter?
You may have read
A meet and greet is a formality.
Myth
What the sources say
It is the most useful hour of the booking. It is where the sitter learns your pet's routine and you see how your pet reacts to them.
You may have read
Paying the sitter directly is simpler.
Myth
What the sources say
On Petym you pay Petym, and the sitter is paid after the booking. That keeps the booking, the plan and the record in one place.
You may have read
No news is good news.
Myth
What the sources say
On Petym the sitter sends a photo update every day, so you are not left wondering.
You may have read
Reviews on a new platform must be made up.
Myth
What the sources say
Petym shows no reviews until bookings have happened, and only owners who had a real booking can write one.
What does Petym not do yet?
Petym is pre-launch, so here is plainly what it does not do today.
What you can use today: the care guides, the city pages with their 24-hour vet lists, the pet travel pages and the free tools. When your city opens, the steps on this page are how every booking will work.
- Take bookings: no city has opened yet.
- Show reviews or ratings: there have been no bookings to review.
- Take payments: the rate card is set, and you pay through Petym once your city opens for bookings.
- State cancellation terms or any cover for vet bills: these are not decided yet, and the pages will say so when they are.
- Home boarding for cats: stays open for dogs first; cats have drop-in visits and a guide to boarding a cat anywhere.
- Sell pet supplies: a pet shop follows later.
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
Do I have to meet the sitter before booking on Petym?
- Yes, before the first booking. The meet and greet is free and lets your pet and the sitter get to know each other, and gives you the chance to walk the sitter through the routine, the keys and the emergency plan before you leave.
Who do I pay for a Petym booking?
- You pay Petym, never the sitter directly. The sitter is paid after the booking. You pay the price on Petym's rate card, with no booking fee on top, so you know it before you book.
Will I get updates while I am away?
- Yes. Your sitter sends a photo update every day of the booking, with meals, walks, toilet and medicines logged as they happen. If something unusual happens, such as your pet not eating, the sitter tells you straight away.
What is a care sheet on Petym?
- It is the written plan for your pet: food, amounts and times, medicines and doses as your vet set them, walks, health papers, your vet and a second emergency contact. You write it, the sitter follows it and logs what happens.
Can I book a Petym sitter today?
- Not yet. Petym is opening city by city, and a city opens when its sitters have passed Petym's checks. Until then you can read the guides and city pages, use the free tools, and join the waitlist for your city.
Who writes the reviews on Petym?
- Owners who had a real booking, after it has finished. Petym shows no reviews until bookings have happened, and it does not add reviews of its own or copy them from elsewhere.
What if my pet does not take to the sitter at the meet and greet?
- Then do not book that sitter. The meeting is free precisely so you can see how your pet reacts first. Some pets, especially cats and rescued dogs, need a slow first meeting; a nervous start is common, but steady fear is a reason to look again.
Does every Petym service follow the same steps?
- Yes. Overnight sitting, drop-in visits, dog walking, boarding, day care and special-needs care all start with your dates and pets, a free meet and greet, payment through Petym, a daily photo update and a review after the booking.
Keep reading
- Trust and safetyThe checks every sitter passes, and what Petym does not claim.
- Meet and greet checklist
- What to leave for your pet sitter
- Handing over house keys safely
- How pricing will work
- Overnight pet sitting
- Pet sitting FAQ
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.
Free tools for this
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: What to do in a dog or cat emergency (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Circular and guidelines for pet owners (1 June 2020) (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)
- RECOVER Initiative (Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2026): RECOVER guidelines: first aid for dogs and cats, clinical guidelines (opens in a new tab)