How to become a pet sitter: a practical guide for the US

Pet sitting looks like an easy side gig: you like animals, you have some free time, you can drive across town. The sitters who last, though, treat it as a trust business. Every client hands you two things at once — the keys to their home and an animal they consider family — and that trust is earned with method, not enthusiasm.

This guide covers what pet sitting involves in the US, what the law does and doesn’t require, and the steps that keep a new business out of trouble. If you’re more interested in walks than home visits, see how to become a dog walker.

What does a pet sitter actually do?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes pet sitters simply: they look after animals while the owner is away, typically visiting the owner’s home each day to feed and exercise the pets, and experienced sitters may also bathe, groom or train them.

A typical drop-in visit includes:

• food and fresh water, following the owner’s feeding plan exactly;
• litter box or potty-area cleanup;
• play, brushing and, for dogs, a short walk if it’s in the agreement;
• medication already prescribed by the vet, with written permission;
• checking appetite, stool, urine and behavior;
• a photo update and short report for the owner.

Many sitters also offer overnight house sitting or boarding in their own home. These are different services with different risks and prices, and it pays to decide which you’ll offer before you advertise.

The big advantage of in-home care is continuity: the pet stays in its own territory with familiar smells and routines. That’s why demand is strong among owners of cats, senior pets and anxious animals that struggle with kennels.

Do you need a degree or license to be a pet sitter?

No degree is required. The BLS reports that animal care and service workers typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and learn the occupation on the job.

There is also no state professional license for pet sitting the way there is for veterinary technicians. But “no professional license” is not the same as “no paperwork.” The BLS notes that many states require self-employed animal care workers to have a business license, and cities and counties can add their own rules. If you plan to board animals in your home, zoning, HOA rules and kennel permits may apply. Call your city or county clerk before you take the first client.

Is certification worth it?

According to the BLS, certification is not required but may help workers establish credentials and enhance their skills. In pet sitting, the best-known option is the Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS) credential from Pet Sitters International, an educational organization for professional pet sitters that has operated since 1994.

Whether a credential is worth the cost depends on your market. What almost always pays off is:

Pet first aid and CPR. Recognizing choking, poisoning, heatstroke and bleeding, and knowing what to do on the way to the clinic. The pet first aid guide is a good starting point.

Animal behavior. Reading a stiff, staring dog or a cat hiding under the bed prevents most bites and escapes.

Species-specific care. Cats aren’t small dogs, and birds, rabbits and small mammals have their own needs for temperature, diet and handling. Only accept species you genuinely know.

What can a pet sitter do — and not do — about a pet’s health?

You can	You can’t
Give prescribed medication, with written consent	Pick a drug or give “something to help”
Follow the feeding plan and schedule	Change the diet on your own
Observe and report symptoms	Diagnose or decide “it’s nothing”
Take the pet to the vet of record	Delay the vet to save the owner money
Give first aid until care is reached	Replace veterinary care

When in doubt, the protocol is always the same: call the owner and go to the vet.

What should your contract and pet profile include?

A written service agreement replaces the institutional guarantee that a licensing board would provide. Include at least:

1. Owner details and emergency contacts, including a backup person if the owner can’t be reached.
2. Keys and access: how you receive them, where you store them, how you return them; alarm codes, building access.
3. Schedule: visits per day, length, approximate times.
4. Health: prescribed medications, doses, allergies, relevant history.
5. Vet of record and authorization to seek care, with a spending limit.
6. Rates, payment, deposits and cancellation.
7. What’s not included.

The pet profile adds what only the owner knows: where the cat hides, whether the dog bolts for the door, what noises scare it, which treat works.

How do taxes work for a self-employed pet sitter?

Most pet sitters work for themselves — the BLS reports that self-employed workers account for about a quarter of animal caretaker jobs. That means taxes are your job too.

The IRS requires you to file Schedule SE and pay self-employment tax if your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more. The rate is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Because no employer withholds anything, you may also need to make quarterly estimated tax payments.

Practical habits:

• open a separate bank account for the business;
• log every payment and every expense (mileage, supplies, insurance, training);
• set aside a fixed share of each payment for taxes;
• talk to a tax professional about deductions and your state’s rules.

Do you need insurance?

Insurance is not universally required by law, but general liability coverage designed for pet care businesses protects you if a pet is injured or something in the client’s home is damaged during a visit. Many sitters also carry bonding, which reassures clients about key access. If you hire other sitters, workers’ compensation and other employer obligations may apply.

How much should you charge?

There is no official rate table. For context, the BLS reports a median annual wage of $35,360 for animal caretakers in May 2025 — a broad category that includes pet sitters, kennel staff and groomers. Self-employed sitters set their own rates, and what you can charge depends on the service, visit length, number of pets, travel distance and local cost of living.

The honest method is to calculate your time (including driving), costs and taxes, add a margin, and compare with established sitters in your area. The full walkthrough is in how much to charge for dog sitting.

How do you get your first clients?

Most new sitters start with their own network: neighbors, coworkers, local community groups. Veterinary clinics, groomers and pet stores refer too, once they know you.

• Meet-and-greet before the first booking, to meet the pet and walk through the house.
• Photo updates after every visit.
• Reliability: confirm bookings, arrive on time, warn about delays.
• Reviews: ask every happy client, starting with the first.

Booking apps give visibility but take a commission and put you next to many competitors. A base of repeat clients is what makes the business stable.

How should you handle keys and scheduling?

Keys are the most sensitive part of the job. Store them without address labels — use a code only you understand — and keep a log of which keys you hold and for how long. Return them when a contract ends unless the client asks you to keep them for recurring visits.

Treat every visit as a fixed appointment with buffer time for traffic. Group clients by area, because driving is time nobody pays for. Keep a log for each pet — what it ate, stool and urine, medication given, anything unusual. That record protects you and helps the vet if the pet needs care. And check doors and windows both when you arrive and when you leave: most escapes happen at those two moments.

What mistakes do new pet sitters make?

• Accepting every animal. A large reactive dog needs different skills.
• Skipping the meet-and-greet. That’s when you find the sticky lock and the escape-artist cat.
• Overbooking. Back-to-back visits turn into late visits.
• Treating symptoms yourself. The most expensive mistake there is.
• No backup plan. If you get sick, who covers the visit? Arrange it in advance with a trusted colleague.
• Vague updates. “All good!” tells the owner nothing. A photo, what the pet ate, bathroom notes and anything unusual show that you were really paying attention.
• No written records. If a pet falls ill after a booking, your visit log is the evidence that you followed the plan.

Is pet sitting a good career?

It suits people who like responsible routines and can manage logistics. The BLS projects employment of animal care and service workers to grow 11 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. Income depends on volume, efficient routes and repeat clients: holidays and summer bring peaks, and steady weekday clients carry the quiet months.

Pet sitting is also a doorway into other animal careers such as dog walking, grooming and training. Compare paths in how to become a certified dog trainer and the full pet sitting guide.