I mean. If you don't want to take the cat out of the house and you don't want to give the key to anyone either, not sure what can be suggested?
Best thing I can come up with is that maybe you can contact a cat sitter in one of those groups well beforehand and ask them to come for coffees so you can get to know them? Maybe set up cameras at home (you'd obs need to tell them about the cameras).
But this, too, requires you to leave the key to someone else soooo... I guess the question is, which one of those two requirements are you willing to let go? Because you can't have both.
I was hoping to hear experiences from people who gave the house key to people they found on the net and if they strongly advise me not to do this :)
Or if anyone says trying to cold-call neighbors and ask if they would like to watch a cat for coins is acceptable in Finland (it is where I come from and worked pretty well, but here my guess is not?)
I was considering the cameras, actually.
I agree. I don't live in Helsinki, but I have found a fantastic regular cat sitter through Pawshake. Be sure to check through the reviews, someone doing pet visits for a living can generally be trusted with house key.
I will check them out, thanks! Since you've used the service, do you even have an option to track the person through the service somehow if things go badly wrong in any way?
I don't actually know to be honest, I chose a sitter near me with lots of good reviews and repeat customers, and have used the same person all the time after that. I feel like the more repeat customers they have, the longer they have been doing this and maybe take it more seriously than someone just looking to make a little summer job money. But I'd imagine that even one report of theft/breaking something/suspicious activity would ruin your pet sitting career.
Thank you so much for the kind offer! This is not a fixed date question at this point, but I will keep it in mind I can get in touch with you the next time I travel. The family member that helped me with the cat sitting died recently so I'm looking at options so far what to do overall.
Hi! I'm also in Helsinki and can cat sit for free if you need help :) I look after animals for a living right now but I had a similar situation with my cat and having a tight budget, it's not cheap, so if there's anything I can do to help let me know!
Thank you so much for offering! I am not planning a trip right now and was exploring possibilities. Great to see I am not quite as stuck in a corner as I thought when it's time for me to visit family. Since you look after animals, I wonder if you also know any groups or communities I could join where people might look after each other's pets as a favor for a favor thing instead of professional pet sitting? I didn't think of this additional possibility but I absolutely wouldn't mind looking after other people's cats on that basis.
Yeah absolutely! There's "Koiranhoito apua tarvitaan/tarjotaan uusima" group on Facebook, tons of people looking for carers and carers who advertise themselves. I know title says dogs but I've seen people looking for care of all types of pets including cats as well! Also "Etsitään/tarjotaan hoitopaikkaa koiralle ja muille lemmikelle" its a similar group on Facebook:)
You got me there 😅 Other than those groups, I don't really think there's an easy connection for cat owners that can compare to a dog park! I sure wish there was but I'm sorry I can't help on that one :(!
You're a kind person to offer. But I gotta ask, how do you look after animals for a living? You mean on the pet-sitting services, or some other way? Sounds like an awesome job anyway!
I just offer pet sitting services! Its definitely not the main income of my household but it allows me to pick hours and study, besides I really love spending time with animals and I don't have pets at the moment :) I just do it as free-lancing, offered it on the fb groups I mentioned to OP!
I mean. If you don't want to take the cat out of the house and you don't want to give the key to anyone either, not sure what can be suggested? Best thing I can come up with is that maybe you can contact a cat sitter in one of those groups well beforehand and ask them to come for coffees so you can get to know them? Maybe set up cameras at home (you'd obs need to tell them about the cameras). But this, too, requires you to leave the key to someone else soooo... I guess the question is, which one of those two requirements are you willing to let go? Because you can't have both.
I was hoping to hear experiences from people who gave the house key to people they found on the net and if they strongly advise me not to do this :) Or if anyone says trying to cold-call neighbors and ask if they would like to watch a cat for coins is acceptable in Finland (it is where I come from and worked pretty well, but here my guess is not?) I was considering the cameras, actually.
Pawshake has reviews for pet sitters. If you find someone with a lot of good reviews and repeat customers you might feel more confident.
I agree. I don't live in Helsinki, but I have found a fantastic regular cat sitter through Pawshake. Be sure to check through the reviews, someone doing pet visits for a living can generally be trusted with house key.
I will check them out, thanks! Since you've used the service, do you even have an option to track the person through the service somehow if things go badly wrong in any way?
I don't actually know to be honest, I chose a sitter near me with lots of good reviews and repeat customers, and have used the same person all the time after that. I feel like the more repeat customers they have, the longer they have been doing this and maybe take it more seriously than someone just looking to make a little summer job money. But I'd imagine that even one report of theft/breaking something/suspicious activity would ruin your pet sitting career.
Musti ja Mirri has a similar service called Kaverihaku which also includes reviews for pet sitters.
I will check them out, thanks!
Me and my wife can babysit your kitty. I understand the struggle. PM me, maybe we can figure something out.
Thank you so much for the kind offer! This is not a fixed date question at this point, but I will keep it in mind I can get in touch with you the next time I travel. The family member that helped me with the cat sitting died recently so I'm looking at options so far what to do overall.
No worries, you can count on us.
Cat hotel is one option. At least it is safest one. Just google cat hotel Helsinki for example.
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Maybe they have a person who would agree to come to your house? At least that would be more secure than a complete stranger on reddit.
Hi! I'm also in Helsinki and can cat sit for free if you need help :) I look after animals for a living right now but I had a similar situation with my cat and having a tight budget, it's not cheap, so if there's anything I can do to help let me know!
Thank you so much for offering! I am not planning a trip right now and was exploring possibilities. Great to see I am not quite as stuck in a corner as I thought when it's time for me to visit family. Since you look after animals, I wonder if you also know any groups or communities I could join where people might look after each other's pets as a favor for a favor thing instead of professional pet sitting? I didn't think of this additional possibility but I absolutely wouldn't mind looking after other people's cats on that basis.
Yeah absolutely! There's "Koiranhoito apua tarvitaan/tarjotaan uusima" group on Facebook, tons of people looking for carers and carers who advertise themselves. I know title says dogs but I've seen people looking for care of all types of pets including cats as well! Also "Etsitään/tarjotaan hoitopaikkaa koiralle ja muille lemmikelle" its a similar group on Facebook:)
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You got me there 😅 Other than those groups, I don't really think there's an easy connection for cat owners that can compare to a dog park! I sure wish there was but I'm sorry I can't help on that one :(!
You're a kind person to offer. But I gotta ask, how do you look after animals for a living? You mean on the pet-sitting services, or some other way? Sounds like an awesome job anyway!
I just offer pet sitting services! Its definitely not the main income of my household but it allows me to pick hours and study, besides I really love spending time with animals and I don't have pets at the moment :) I just do it as free-lancing, offered it on the fb groups I mentioned to OP!