Pet Sitter Tipping

[MowMow]

So, I got home from vacation yesterday. The boys seemed great. I weighed them both last night and they both weigh exactly what they did when I left. They seem healthy. The litterboxes were super clean (a bit better than I leave them to be honest) and she took the trash out so it didn't stink of old dirty cat litter when I got home. She texted me every night (except one, she forgot) to let me know they were fine.

She's stopping by to get paid today. She gets paid 15.00 per trip X3 trips a day (except for the days I came and left). Should I tip on a 225.00 bill? If so, how much do you think is fair but not excessive? She did a great job.

I was thinking and even 250.00 (25.00) tip added to the 225.00 bill. Sound fair?

[doodlebug]

Does she own the business or is she working for someone? Personally, I don't tip owners other than a Christmas gift if I've been doing a lot of traveling through the year. She didn't do anything over and above (clean litter box and daily communication are par for the course)...now if she went into a house without power at night with a flashlight to find extra blankets so the kitties had something to burrow in...then she deserves a tip. (True story)

If she's working for someone else, then $25 seems reasonable since pet sitting isn't a tip driven industry like food service.

[marie73]

Kind of late to the thread, but I probably would have tipped the same amount as you.

[MowMow]

I wound up giving her 240, so her 225 bill and a 15.00 tip. She has a full time job and does this on the side for extra cash.

MowMow cracked me up when she came to get her $$ and to drop off the keys. Book ran straight to her and went belly up for pets. MowMow followed me to the door but stayed behind me. He was sitting quietly watching her from behind my legs and when she tried to pet him goodbye he scooted away. My loyal little man.

[spirite]

My petsitter owns her business, and she's great, but I don't normally tip. One time she washed my sheets after Celia pooped on them; I had her over for coffee and sent her home with tons of cake, croissants and cookies. Another time someone peed on the doormat and she tried to clean it. I paid her for an extra visit ($15).

My Christmas vacation bill came to $255, which I paid in advance, but I just sent her an extra check for $50, because I left in such a hurry that I didn't have time to prep anything. She had to cut up the 3 different kitty meds, deal with trying to get the stupid Pill Pockets wrapped around them, and follow the crazy prednisone dosing schedule for Celia. And then Margaux threw up a hairball and she walked in it...

I figured that alone deserved combat pay.

[Mitts & Tess]

I think if a pet sitter has a great relationship with your kitties and does an excellent job I would tip them to show your gratitude. I always go above and beyond when caring for cats and dogs. The parents of the animals have no idea. They only see the end result.

I dont think owning a business rule applies to cat/dog sitters. Most everyone I personally know that does it is needing extra cash and has a love for animals. Perfect fit.

I do know those who are offical cat dog businesses charge extra for administering meds. They have a list of "extra charges" like if you have more than two animals they charge more, grooming, sub Qing, stuff like that. Plus they wouldnt wash peed on items. Thats beyond a scope of what a business would do. Thats just being an extremely nice person.

I would tip 10-20%. I generously tipped my last cat sitter because she gave me peace of mind and let 6 cats sleep with her plus was willing to keep an eye on a foster recovering from surgery.