- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Whether you’re leaving for a quick weekend trip or a longer cross-country adventure, you’ll need someone to keep an eye on your cat. Hiring a dedicated cat sitter can be the best way to keep your pet safe and happy, especially if you’ll be gone for a while or have a cat with special needs.
Rates for cat sitting can vary, depending on whether you want a sitter to drop in during the day, keep your cats at their house, or stay overnight in your house.
To help you plan your travel budget, we’ve rounded up the average cat sitting rates from across the country, based on real price data from Rover cat sitters!
Cat Sitting Costs By Service
There are three main types of cat sitting, each with their own time commitments and scope of work.
- Drop-ins: Cat drop-ins are 30 to 60-minute visits to your house during the day. The sitter will take care of essentials, like refilling food and water bowls and scooping litter, and can give your cat attention and play sessions. It’s typically the least expensive type of visit, with the shortest time commitment, and allows your cat to stay in their home territory.
- In-house sitting: The sitter will stay the night with your cats in your house. In-house sitting is best if your cats need more active supervision or you’d like someone to keep an eye on your property. Your sitter can keep up with your cat’s daily routine and make sure they get attention more than once a day!
- Overnight cat sitting: Your cats will stay overnight in the sitter’s house. This arrangement is ideal if you’d prefer not to have sitters in your own home but don’t want to put your cat through the stress and confined spaces of traditional boarding. However, leaving home can still cause stress for some cats, even if they’re going to a private location.
The rates for these services are based on national averages across the United States. Cat sitters may charge more or less in your city, depending on the cost of living. Some sitters might also offer nightly discounts for longer stays, like a week or more.
| Service | Rate | Cost per week | Cost per month |
| Drop-in visit | $22 per visit | $154 | $660 |
| House sitting in your home | $58.33 per night | $408.31 | $1,749.90 |
| Cat boarding in sitter’s home | $44.97 per night | $314.79 | $1,349.1 |
Is it standard to tip a cat sitter?
Tipping practices generally depend on whether your sitter is self-employed or employed by a pet sitting company.
If your sitter is employed by a service and makes a minimum tipped wage, they depend on tipping as part of their income.
On the other hand, self-employed cat sitters on platforms like Rover set their own rates. So, they can ensure they make a living wage without relying on tips—though they alway appreciate tips.
If you do leave your sitter a tip, between 10-20% of the overall fee is appropriate. You could also offer a flat tip depending on the length of their service. For example, you might tip $20 for a shorter stay and $100 for a longer one.
Factors That Increase Cat Sitting Rates
A professional cat sitter’s fee per visit or night is only their base rate. You can expect to pay a slightly higher rate if any of the following factors affect your situation.
- Experience: A professional cat sitter with years of experience will charge more than someone who sits as a hobby or new sitter building their client base.
- Certification: Cat sitters with certifications, including pet CPR, first aid, or the Fear Free Certificate, may charge more due to their training and background.
- Special needs: If your cat needs to take medications, has mobility issues, or otherwise needs special care or supervision, your sitter may charge more for the added time and attention on their end.
- Kittens and seniors: Young cats and kittens may be small, but they can be a handful to supervise, leading to higher cat sitting rates. Senior cats also tend to need more attention.
- House maintenance: If you’d like an in-house sitter to handle chores around your house, like getting the mail, cleaning, or watering houseplants, they may charge a higher rate.
- Location: Expect to pay more for a cat sitter in a large city, like Los Angeles or New York City, than in a small town in lower-cost-of-living states.
- Holidays: In-demand sitters will see an uptick in business during the holiday season, so expect to pay more around holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
- Last-minute: Most cat parents book a sitter at least 10 days in advance for drop-ins, and even longer for in-house sitting or boarding. Booking closer to your trip can result in last-minute fees.
Professional vs. hobby sitters
Of course, professional cat sitters aren’t your only option.
Hobbyist sitters, like friends, family, and neighbors, can be a great choice if your cats only need quick 10-15 minute drop-ins and you’ll only be gone for a day or two. For smaller sitting jobs, they might even cat sit for free or at a discounted rate. Of course, it never hurts to tip or bring back a gift as thanks!
You might want to opt for a professional sitter if you’re leaving for a longer trip, your cat has medical needs, or you just don’t feel comfortable asking someone you know. Most professional cat sitters also carry insurance, which can protect you if something goes wrong or your cat needs emergency medical care.
Average Cat Sitting Rates in the Top 25 Cities
Curious to know the going rate in your city? These are the average rates for drop-ins, house sitting, and boarding in your cat sitter’s home at 25 of the most popular cities across the US!
For more detailed price ranges and add-on costs in each city, click the links in the first column.
| City | 30-minute drop-in visit | House sitting | Cat boarding |
| New York, NY | $24.98 | $68.05 | $58.66 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $25.75 | $76.77 | $57.72 |
| Chicago, IL | $22.17 | $58.81 | $47.66 |
| Houston, TX | $21.27 | $53.20 | $38.59 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $21.50 | $53.23 | $37.53 |
| San Antonio, TX | $19.76 | $48.43 | $32.91 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $21.09 | $60.28 | $47.19 |
| San Diego, CA | $23.54 | $65.75 | $54.36 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $20.35 | $53.14 | $36.65 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $20.01 | $48.18 | $38.00 |
| Austin, TX | $21.66 | $57.00 | $42.62 |
| Columbus, OH | $19.39 | $50.18 | $38.38 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $19.05 | $46.73 | $38.01 |
| San Francisco, CA | $29.42 | $63.97 | $81.21 |
| Seattle, WA | $25.58 | $72.04 | $56.24 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $19.69 | $47.26 | $31.98 |
| Nashville, TN | $21.20 | $59.93 | $49.00 |
| Washington, DC | $22.25 | $58.86 | $48.50 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $21.46 | $54.83 | $38.42 |
| Boston, MA | $22.84 | $64.78 | $56.46 |
| Detroit, MI | $21.30 | $58.69 | $43.04 |
| Louisville, KY | $19.77 | $49.20 | $35.35 |
| Portland, OR | $21.38 | $57.52 | $47.02 |
| Memphis, TN | $57.52 | $48.78 | $36.52 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $21.27 | $51.36 | $36.71 |
How To Find a Reliable Cat Sitter on a Budget
You can find cat sitters through word of mouth from your friends and family, local social media pages like Facebook groups or Nextdoor, or a pet-sitting service like Rover.
Rover lets you browse cat sitters by their rates per visit or per night, so it’s easy to find options within your budget. Every sitter also goes through a third-party background check before they’re listed, and you can filter by options like distance, reviews, and specific services, like giving medication.
No matter where you find your sitter, it’s a good idea to meet them in person at a public location, just so you can gauge the vibe and brief them on your cat’s needs. Don’t be afraid to meet with multiple sitters until you feel comfortable and confident that your cats will be in good hands.
You can learn more about how to choose the right cat sitter on Rover’s blog and browse local cat sitters here!
Note: These prices are accurate as of September 2025, as pulled from Rover’s data.
