Pet Care Blog, Tips & Guides for Australian Pet Owners
Expert guides, industry news, and stories for Australia's pet-loving community.
The Best House and Pet Sitting Websites in Australia, Compared (2026)
Eight Australian platforms, two incompatible models, and the fees four of them will not show you before you commit. Every published figure read from the platform's own pages on 22 August 2026, by a site that is one of the eight.
Bushfire Season and House Sitting: What Both Sides Should Plan For
Four things settled before you fly out: whether the address is bush fire prone, which fire danger rating is the trigger to leave, where the animals go and who drives them, and how your sitter gets warnings for that address.
Cat Sitting in Australia: What Cats Need When You're Away
No Australian authority publishes a maximum number of days a cat can be left on visits alone. RSPCA guidance sets a daily floor, and eight things about your own cat decide whether someone needs to be sleeping in the house.
Cat Sitter or Cattery in Australia? Why Territory Changes the Answer
A cat's sense of safety is anchored to its own territory, which is why most cats do better with someone staying in the house than in a cattery. RSPCA and Australian Veterinary Association guidance, published Australian prices with the date each was read, and an honest account of the cats a cattery suits better.
Christmas Boarding Surcharges: What Australian Kennels Charge in Peak Season
Ten Australian kennels and catteries publish what they charge over Christmas. The loadings run from $2 to $60 per pet a day, one facility charges nothing extra at all, and at four of them the minimum stay costs more than the surcharge does.
When to Book a Pet Sitter for Christmas: Australia's 2026-27 Holiday Calendar
Queensland and South Australian schools break up on 11 December 2026, a week before Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania, and Tasmanian students do not go back until 4 February 2027. The dated calendar, taken from each education department, and the booking timeline that follows from it.
Do You Pay a House Sitter in Australia? What Actually Changes Hands
You usually pay an Australian house sitter nothing, because the accommodation is the exchange. The four arrangements Australians actually meet, what changes hands in each, and the situations where money really does move.
Someone to Look After Your Dog at Home While You're Away
Four kinds of people can look after your dog in your own house while you travel, and the industry uses several different names for them. Here is what each one actually is, what it costs, and which suits which dog.
Dog Sitting in Australia: What In-Home Care Actually Involves
In-home dog sitting means someone keeps your dog's ordinary day running in your own house. Here is that day hour by hour, the part of it Australian law governs, what a heatwave changes, and the five things owners leave out of the handover.
The 2027 Easter Split: Why Your State's Autumn Break Is Not When You Think
In 2027 the April school holidays split into two waves a fortnight apart, and only Queensland and Victoria get Easter inside theirs. The verified dates for every state and territory we could confirm at the source, and what the split means for arranging pet care or finding a sit.
Farm and Acreage Sitting in Australia
A farm sit adds four things a suburban sit does not have: stock to check daily, a water system that can fail, gates that decide whether animals stay in, and machinery. Here is what each one actually asks of you.
How to Get Your First House Sit in Australia When You Have No Reviews
The cold-start problem has a calendar answer. Australian homeowners travel in a handful of tightly defined windows, and those are the weeks a sitter with no history actually gets chosen.
Does Your Home Insurance Still Cover You With a House Sitter Staying?
The clause homeowners are actually worried about is the unoccupancy clause. Most Australian policies start counting at 60 continuous days with nobody sleeping in the home, and three insurers publish that a sitter resets the count.
Pool Care, Gardens and Bins: The House Sit Extras Nobody Agrees On
Bins, mail and a modest garden are standard. A pool, a big lawn or an irrigation system are extras, and an extra is only the sitter's job if the listing named it. The Australian rules on pool gates, watering days, mowing hours and bin night, in one place.
Your House Sitter Cancelled and You Fly Out Friday: What to Do Now
A cancellation is a logistics problem with a deadline. The order to work in, what every Australian platform's terms actually promise you, and what to do if you are the one left without a bed.
What Happens If Something Breaks or the Pet Gets Sick On Your Watch
There is no rule that automatically makes a sitter pay for a cracked cooktop. What decides it is which of three things happened, what the owner's policy covers, and what the two of you agreed before the keys changed hands.
The Australian House Sitting Agreement: What to Put in Writing
Two Australian platforms point readers at a written agreement and hand over nothing you can open, a 404 and a member-gated PDF, checked on 22 August 2026. Here is the page, twelve clauses with the wording to copy, including the vet spending ceiling and what happens above it.
House Sitting Between Rentals: Can You Actually Live Rent-Free in Australia?
House sitting works as a costed bridge between rentals, not as a replacement for a lease. The sits are the easy part. The weeks between them are what decides whether the plan holds.
Cameras, Police Checks and Privacy in an Australian House Sit
Cameras and police checks are the two trust conversations an Australian sit skips until it is too late to have them. What to disclose, what a sitter can ask, and what a police check costs and proves.
House Sitting for Grey Nomads: Sitting Your Way Around Australia
The caravan is what makes continuous sitting survivable, because it covers the nights between sits. Where the van parks, how much slack to leave, and what a rural sit really asks of you.
How to Write a House Sitting Profile That Gets Replies
A sitter profile is filtered before it is read. Here are the fields an Australian homeowner can search on, what your card actually shows them, and the same bio written badly and then well.
House Sitting References: What Australian Homeowners Actually Ask For
Australian consumer guidance asks for referees a homeowner can ring, not just a letter. Who can vouch for you before you have sat for anybody, what a useful reference actually says, and the message to send when you ask for one.
House Sitting and Tax in Australia: What the ATO Actually Says
The ATO has published no ruling on house sitting, so the answer comes from its general material on non-cash benefits, business activity, ABNs and GST. Here is what that material says, and why the conclusion belongs to you and a registered tax agent rather than to a blog.
Why Australian Sitters Miss the Best Listings, and What to Do About It
Australian sitters say the good listings are gone by breakfast because overseas applicants saw them overnight. Here is the real arithmetic between Sydney, Perth, London and New York, and the workarounds that matter more than being first.
House Sitting vs Boarding vs Cattery vs Drop-In Visits: What Suits Your Pet
House sitting keeps your pet at home, boarding moves it to staffed premises, and drop-in visits leave it alone in between. A comparison with published Australian guide prices, RSPCA guidance, and an honest account of when a boarding facility is the better choice.
House Sitting With Multiple Pets: What Both Sides Should Agree First
A multi-pet house sit is judged by how many separate care operations happen each day, not by how many animals live there. A workload table both sides can fill in before anyone commits, and the point at which Australians do pay.
How Much Can You Save House Sitting in Australia? $470 to $1,010 a Week
House sitting replaces rent, not income. On the latest state government bond data that is worth $470 a week in regional Victoria and $1,010 a week in Waverley, for every night you are actually in a sit. Here is the arithmetic, and the gap weeks that decide whether it works.
How Much Do House Sitters Get Paid in Australia, and When Do They Charge?
Most Australian house sitters are paid nothing, because the accommodation is the payment. What a sitter actually receives, the circumstances where charging a fee is normal and accepted, and what changes the moment money is involved.
How Often Should a House Sitter Send Updates? Once a Day, Agreed Before the Owner Leaves
One message on arrival, then one short update a day, settled before the owner leaves. The rhythms that suit medication, anxious pets, month-long sits and properties with no mobile signal, and the escalation to use when either side goes quiet.
How to Vet a House Sitter in Australia When References Aren't Enough
Check references and meet in person is the advice every Australian page gives, and it is half a screening process. Here is the full sequence, what each verification badge actually proves, and what to do when everything checks out and you are still unsure.
How to Write a House Sitting Listing That Gets Applications
Listings that attract nobody describe the house and skip the routine. What the fields on a Sitterly listing tell a sitter, and two listings for the same house, the same dogs and the same trip, with every difference annotated.
Is House Sitting Free in Australia? How the Non-Monetary Exchange Works
In a non-monetary house sit, no fee passes in either direction. The sitter stays free and cares for the pets, the homeowner pays nothing for the care, and the accommodation is the whole of the exchange. What that does and does not cover.
Is House Sitting Safe? What Australian Platforms Do and Don't Check
On the platforms where a sitter stays in your home free, screening is optional and several say so in their own terms. What each one published on 22 August 2026, what it disclaims when a sit goes wrong, and the checking left to you.
Going Away for a Month or More: Pet Care on Long Service Leave
Long service leave, a sabbatical or three months overseas puts a different job in front of a sitter. Four things change at about the four week mark, and settling them before you go is what makes a three month absence as simple to arrange as a long weekend.
Handing Over Medication, Mobility and Post-Surgery Pet Care
A sitter can give medication. Whether this sitter should take this animal is a capability conversation, not a warning label. The questions that settle it, and the one page record that keeps everyone honest.
Off-Peak House Sitting: The Australian Months Nobody Competes For
Australian house sitting demand swings by close to half between February and December. Here is where the quiet stretches fall, what still empties a house inside them, and how to sit through months most sitters write off.
Paid Pet Sitting vs Free House Sitting: Australia's Two Colliding Markets
Paid pet sitting and non-monetary house sitting are two Australian markets sharing one set of words. What each charges, why working sitters say the free market is taking their bookings, and how to tell which one your trip needs.
What Pet Care Actually Costs in Australia in 2026, and the Option That Costs $0 for the Sit
Australian platforms publish overnight pet sitting rates spanning about $15 to $100 a night, no official source publishes a boarding average, and a non-monetary house sit costs nothing for the sit itself. Every figure here carries its publisher and the date it was read.
Pet Care Handover Notes: The Template Australian Homeowners Need
Most care notes are organised for the person writing them. A sitter reads them at twenty to seven in the morning with a dog at their knee. Here is the same information written by the hour, as a template you can copy and fill in.
Pet Minding, Pet Sitting, House Sitting: What Australians Actually Mean
Pet minding, pet sitting and house sitting are used interchangeably in Australia and cover several quite different arrangements at very different prices. Two questions sort them out: where your pet sleeps, and whether money changes hands.
Pet Sitting Insurance in Australia: What You Need, and What You Don't
The policies sold as pet sitting insurance are built for paid work. Here is how to tell whether you need one, what public liability leaves out, and whose policy really matters on a non-monetary sit.
Regional and Remote House Sitting in Australia
A regional sit is a suburban sit with four distances added to it. What to settle about coverage, the nearest vet, fuel and supplies before you accept.
Rover Bought Mad Paws. What Actually Changed for Australian Pet Owners
Rover completed its acquisition of Mad Paws on 11 November 2025. Here is what the announcements actually said, what Mad Paws charges today, and which parts of the change matter to an Australian booking a sitter.
School Holiday Pet Care in Australia, State by State
Queensland and Victorian schools break on Friday 26 March 2027, a full fortnight before the other five jurisdictions we could verify. The state-by-state dates, and the lead time that follows from them.
Australia's Seven-Week Summer: Pet Care from 12 December to 3 February
Australia's summer school break opens on Saturday 12 December 2026 in Queensland and South Australia and does not close until Wednesday 3 February 2027 in Tasmania and western New South Wales. The dated calendar, read from each education department, and what the staggered edges mean for anyone arranging or offering pet care.
Leaving an Anxious Dog With a Sitter
Staying home removes the strange place, not the missing person. What actually makes a sit work for a dog with separation-related anxiety, and the cases where a sitter is the wrong answer.
Arranging Care for a Senior Pet While You Travel
Whether an old animal does better with a sitter living in the house or in a boarding facility turns on the individual pet, because a move takes away the routine and the familiar floor plan they lean on hardest. Routine, mobility, continence and cognitive decline are the four variables that decide it, with RSPCA and Australian Veterinary Association guidance on each.
Is TrustedHousesitters Worth It in Australia? An Honest 2026 Verdict
Nine Australian prices, one booking fee the pricing page will not show you, and the three situations where paying three to five times the Australian rate is the right call. Written by a platform that competes with it.
What a House Sitter Is Actually Responsible For, and What Is Not Your Job
A house sitter is responsible for what both sides wrote down before the sit was confirmed, and for nothing added afterwards. A three-way scope table for Australian sits, plus the wording that declines an extra without losing the sit.
What to Leave for a House Sitter Before You Go
Three short documents, the stay plus three days of supplies, and the six Australian details that only exist in your head. A homeowner checklist written for this country rather than translated from an American one.
Who Authorises and Pays an Emergency Vet Bill During a Pet Sit in Australia
The owner pays and the owner consents, which leaves a sitter at the counter with no authority unless you wrote one. A one page template, what the clinic will actually ask for, and who decides while your phone is off.
Why House Sitters Don't Get Picked, and How to Fix Your Application
Rejection almost never comes with a reason attached. Here is the homeowner's side of the shortlist, the filters that remove an application before anyone reads it, and the same message rewritten so it survives them.
Going Overseas: What to Do With Your Pets
Nobody arranges pet care and then books a trip. The trip comes first. Here are the four realistic options for an overseas trip from Australia, and the one that runs on deadlines measured in months rather than weeks.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Your Pet While Someone Else Is Caring for Them?
Most Australian pet insurance follows the animal rather than the person holding the lead, but the wording is what governs and the practical failure is usually about payment, not cover. What to check before you travel.
Overnight Pet Sitting in Australia: How It Works
Overnight is the word most owners reach for when what they actually want is someone in the house at night. What that should mean in practice, who needs it, and why the word itself needs pinning down in writing.
House Sitting vs Boarding: What Each Really Costs
Pet hotel is largely a marketing word for boarding with better facilities. What the nightly rate does and does not include, the questions that change the price, and when boarding is genuinely the right call.
How to Find a Pet Sitter Near You
Near me means something different depending on whether someone is visiting your house or staying in it. Where Australians actually find sitters, and how to judge one when there are few reviews to go on.
House Sitting With a Puppy: What to Arrange First
Puppies are the most demanding animal to leave with a sitter, and the least suited to being alone. What honest preparation looks like.
Bird Sitting in Australia: What Owners and Sitters Should Know
Birds are widely kept in Australia and poorly served by pet care content. What makes bird care different, and what a sitter genuinely needs to know.
Rabbit and Guinea Pig Sitting in Australia
Small herbivores are less forgiving than most people expect. A day without eating is an emergency, and few sitters know it.
Fish and Reptile Sitting: Equipment, Not Just Animals
With tanks and enclosures, the sitter is looking after machinery as much as an animal. What can fail, and what to leave written down.
What to Do If a Pet Escapes During a House Sit
The situation every sitter dreads. What to do in the first hour, what owners should prepare in advance, and how Australian microchip registries work.
Asking Family or Friends vs Finding a House Sitter
The free option that is not always the easy option. An honest look at when to ask someone you know and when not to.
Your First House Sit in Australia: What to Expect
The practical realities nobody tells first-time sitters, from what to pack to how the first evening usually goes.
How to Say No to a House Sit Without Burning the Bridge
Declining well is a skill. How to withdraw from a conversation, or turn down a sit, in a way that keeps the door open.
What to Do If a Pet Will Not Eat During a Sit
One of the most common worries a sitter reports, and the answer differs enormously depending on the animal.
Pawshake vs Mad Paws in Australia: An Honest Comparison
Two of Australia's best-known pet care platforms, now in a market reshaped by Rover's acquisition of Mad Paws. How the models differ, what each costs, and which suits which situation.
Pet Sitting at the Sitter's Home vs Your Home: Which Is Right?
Australians search for both, often without realising they are two completely different services. Here is how boarding, in-home sitting and house sitting differ, and which suits which pet.
Who Pays for What on an Australian House Sit
Food, power, petrol, vet bills and the internet. The costs nobody discusses until they become awkward, and the split most Australian sits settle on.
How to Find House Sitting Jobs Near You in Australia
Searches for house sitting jobs near me are rising across Australia. Where the opportunities actually are, how to get chosen, and what to check before you accept.
What Condition Should a Home Be Left In? House Sitting Standards
It cuts both ways. Sitters arrive to homes they did not expect, and homeowners return to homes they did not expect. What is reasonable in each direction.
Why House Sits Go Wrong: 7 Problems to Settle Before You Confirm
The same issues surface in public house-sitting reviews again and again: unanswered messages, stale availability, changing duties and cancellations. Here is a practical way for both sides to prevent them.
Cat Urinary Problems: When Crystals, Cystitis or a UTI Need Urgent Help
Straining, frequent litter-box trips or peeing outside the tray are not problems to guess at. Learn the urgent signs, the questions to ask a vet and the prevention steps supported by feline veterinary guidance.
When to See a Vet: Urgent Warning Signs in Dogs and Cats
A practical guide to recognising pet-health warning signs, deciding when a problem needs urgent care and preparing useful information for your veterinarian.
Dog Itchy Ears and Skin: What to Check Before Choosing a Product
Head shaking, scratching and a strong ear smell are common concerns. Learn why the cause matters before trying another cleaner, food or supplement.
Pet Dental Products: How to Assess Chews, Water Additives and Toothpaste
Pet owners see endless dental-product claims. Here is a practical way to compare them without assuming a treat or powder replaces veterinary dental care.
Dog Toy and Chew Safety: A Better Way to Choose Enrichment
Tough is not always safe. Use this practical guide to choose dog toys and chews with the right size, supervision and replacement plan.
Raw and Grain-Free Pet Food: Questions to Ask Before Changing Diet
Raw and grain-free diets are heavily discussed online. Learn how to assess claims, food safety and nutritional suitability with your veterinarian.
How to Write a Useful House-Sitting Review
The best review tells future homeowners and sitters what actually happened. Be specific, fair and focused on the completed sit.
House-Sitting Meet and Greet Checklist for Sitters
A good sitter checks the home, the pet routine and the expectations before agreeing to stay. Here is what to ask without making the meeting awkward.
House-Sitting Meet and Greet Checklist for Homeowners
A meet and greet is where you learn whether a sitter is a practical fit for your pets and home, not where you rush into a booking.
Is a House Sitter Really Available? 6 Things to Confirm Before You Apply
An availability calendar is helpful, but it is not a commitment. Here is how homeowners and sitters can confirm dates without wasting each other's time.
What Pet Sitter Verification Actually Means in Australia
A badge tells you who someone is, not how they will behave. What email, ID and police checks each prove in Australia, what a police check leaves out, and how to do the checking yourself.
When a Pet Sit Goes Wrong in Australia: What a Platform Can and Cannot Do
No pet-sitting platform in Australia is a party to your arrangement or will settle a damage claim. What a report can actually achieve, who to escalate to, and what to set up before a sit.
Pawshake vs Mad Paws in Australia: How to Compare Pet Care Options
A practical, fair way to compare paid pet-care platforms in Australia: service type, local availability, total price, meet-and-greet, cancellation terms and cover.
House Sitter Insurance in Australia: What You Need to Know in 2026
Sitterly does not provide insurance. Here's what house sitters in Australia should actually think about before a sit, what your homeowner's policy covers, what your travel insurance might cover, and where the gaps usually are.
10 Pet Sitter Red Flags Every Australian Owner Should Know Before Booking
Most pet sitters are genuinely wonderful people. But knowing the warning signs of a bad match, before it becomes your problem, is the most important research you will ever do for your pet.
How to Become a Pet Sitter in Australia: Your Complete 2026 Guide
There are two paths in Australia: paid pet sitting on commission marketplaces, and non-monetary house sitting where accommodation is the exchange. Here is how each works, what experience actually counts, and what your first three months realistically look like.
15 Questions Every Australian Homeowner Should Ask Before Confirming a Pet Sitter
The difference between a sit that goes smoothly and one that doesn't often comes down to what was discussed beforehand. These 15 questions will tell you what you need to know.
House Sitting in Australia: How to Travel the Country and Live Well Without Paying for Accommodation
With accommodation costs soaring across Australia, house sitting has become one of the smartest ways to explore the country, and one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as an animal lover.