Have you ever tried to introduce 2 cats? Yeah, it’s a lot of yelling.
That’s just 1 reason many pet owners like hiring a pet sitter to watch their animals where they’re comfortable versus kenneling or boarding.
The pet-sitting industry is growing
The global market was worth an estimated $2.6B worldwide in 2019 and is expected to grow by 8.7% per year through 2027, per a report from Grand View Research.
That growth is due to:
- More households adopting pets, including ~23m additional US households since the pandemic.
- The return of holiday and leisure travel. A recent survey from Pet Sitters International found 44% of members were booking 2021 holiday sittings 6+ months in advance.
- An increased interest in pet-sitting among the retired, self-employed, and travel-inclined.
This is creating a range of business opportunities
For example, Trusted Housesitters: a UK-based pet-sitting network that, starting at $129/yr., offers pet owners unlimited sitting from vetted members looking to exchange care for lodging.
Or there’s Rover, the Seattle-based app that matches pet owners with its 500k+ caretakers, including dog walkers, sitters, and groomers.
Fun fact: Pet Sitters International successfully campaigned to have “pet sitting” added to the Random House Dictionary in 1997.
