Cat sitting in the city | Emma's story

Just like the members of our pet-loving community, the TrustedHousesitters team is made up of both pet owners and pet sitters, dedicated to helping pets stay safe and happy at home. 

Emma, from our Membership Services team, helps our members each and every day in her role as Membership Services Executive. But in her spare time, she’s a full-time cat mum and a passionate pet sitter!

Here, she shares her own TrustedHousesitters story — all from the comfort of a cosy cat sit in central London...

“This sit is almost too amazing to put into words. I’m such a city girl, and having this sit right in the centre of London is amazing.”

Emma is currently working from ‘home’ on a house sit in London caring for three adorable cats, Millie, Kipper and Onion.

“We hit it off very quickly with the owners. After we’d connected with them on TrustedHousesitters, we ended up coming to London a few weeks before the sit and asked if they’d like to meet us for dinner. Since then, we’ve spoken every single day and myself and Kate have become very close. 

I have four cats myself — they’re my world, and Kate is the same so we just got each other. Everything she would say, I would reply, “I’m the same!” — I think we were separated at birth!”

In true pet-lover style, Emma describes how it was love at first sight with this trio of kitties...

“I fell in love with them immediately! They were quite shy at first, but Millie in particular is so affectionate. She now comes and lies with us at bedtime and follows us everywhere we go!

The cats make it special, and Kate and Neil are just the loveliest people — they’re friends for life.” 

Emma began her pet sitting journey two years ago and has since been on over 15 sits through TrustedHousesitters. And it all began with an owner listing shared on TrustedHousesitters’ Facebook page...

“I actually started working at TrustedHousesitters because I loved the concept so much. My husband and I saw an ad for a sit and his response was that it looks too good to be true. But after some digging around I still couldn’t find a catch, and within a week we’d booked our first sit in Chichester. We were hooked. I loved it so much, I ended up contacting TrustedHousesitters and having a job interview!

I’d never worked in an office before and Paul, our Head of Membership Services, asked me if I’d ever worked with internal systems before — firstly, I didn’t even know what a system was! But he could see how much the company and pet sitting meant to me, and I received a job offer on my way back home.”

Like much of Team Trusted, Emma is both an experienced sitter member and a pet owner, which means she’s in the perfect position to help guide and support our members through their own Trusted journey.

“Because I’m a pet owner, I know how big a leap of faith it is to leave your pets in the care of someone else for the first time. We hear it all the time: can I trust a stranger in my home?. When our members find out I’m a pet sitter myself, they feel really reassured. It’s that relatability, they can pick up on the fact that I really do understand because I’m the same as them.”

With bucketloads of pet sitting experience (and a heart full of pets!), Emma has a few tips and tricks up her sleeve when it comes to helping our members land their dream house sit...

“My top tip to any pet sitter would be: personalise your application message! The owner needs to know that you’re there for the right reasons — and the best way to have that come across is by showing them a genuine interest. Read their owner listing, personalise your application message, ask questions — and don’t copy and paste! 

I now actually write my application message to the pets, rather than the owners — “we could do this together” or, I’ve got this experience”. The owners really like that because it shows all of your focus is on the pets.

When I applied to my current London sit, Kate very quickly picked up that for me, it’s all about the cats. And I think it was that connection that made them realise we were right for their sit.”

And as a pet owner herself, Emma understands better than most the importance of needing to know her pets are in safe hands while she’s away. 

“As a pet owner, I need to know my cats are ok — they are Oriental and Siamese breeds, so they’re not like regular moggies and they’re very clingy. So I always tell sitters to give lots of updates and keep up communication with the owners — it’s something I always do and while I’ve been on this sit in London, I’ve been constantly sending Kate and Neil videos and updates of the cats.”

And good communication pays off! Emma has already been invited back to repeat sit for Kate and Neil later this year — in a month that is being to take a very pet-filled shape...

“I’m also doing a repeat sit at the start of August in Cobham. Because of Covid, we haven’t seen them in so long and we’ve really missed them and their dogs, Mabel and Harper. The last time we were there, the dogs came running up to us to greet us, and it was just the loveliest feeling! You can’t beat the feeling when you return to a sit, and the pets remember you.”

“There have been so many moments where I’ve been on house sit, looked around and felt so incredibly fortunate. Like this London sit — every time I look out at that view or get a bedtime cuddle with one of the cats, it blows me away, and it’s such incredible value for money.

I sometimes have to pinch myself that I get to do this and I actually feel like I’m boasting when I talk about my TrustedHousesitters membership and the incredible places I’ve visited. But it’s not — because (as long as you have a love of pets) anyone can do this. You could do this!”

Related article: London connections - Tom, Chloe & Cobweb's story

Vacation pet sitting, with love

Fancy following in Emma’s footsteps? Whether you’re an owner or a sitter, it’s true: a pet makes a house a home. Join our pet-loving community today and find a free verified and reviewed pet sitter from our pet-loving community, or stay free in pet owners' homes worldwide.

Have a question, or need some advice? Emma and the rest of our friendly Membership Services team are here to help — just get in touch or visit our Community Forum for more advice, tips and support from our pet-loving community.