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Original poster

Cat and Air bnb

37 replies

Pramconfused · 18/06/2025 11:25

Hi
I"m considering trying to put our house on air bnb to earn a bit of money.
But we have 2 cats!
I can say we have two cats that will require a cat sitter to visit the property once a day.
Has anyone got experience of being an air bnb host with cats in situe?

Best wishes + thanks in advance

OP posts:
MrsSkylerWhite · 18/06/2025 11:27

No but I’d be delighted to look after AirBnb cats, would see it as a plus! Especially if you gave me a bit of a discount 😁

sesquipedalian · 18/06/2025 11:28

I once rented an Airbnb in London for a weekend that had a cat - feeding the cat was part of the deal. It didn’t bother me at all, and they made it clear up front. Cat seemed happy enough!

Walkingthedog46 · 18/06/2025 11:30

I’d love to stay somewhere with a resident cat! Always miss mine when I’m away.

Florally · 18/06/2025 11:33

That would massively put me off but I’m probably in the minority because I hate cats.

Do they have a litter tray? (Which stinks)
Or do they go outside and the person who stays has to worry about getting them in?

Or are they self sufficient and come and go as they please?

poopinschool2000 · 18/06/2025 12:57

I've seen few airbnbs recently where feeding and looking after the cats is part of the deal. I wanted to book one but unfortunately it wasn't available when I wanted to go.

I don't know how Airbnb guests would feel about a petsitter coming in once a day. You might be better trying to get guests who would be prepared to feed the cats. But then it's a question of whether you'd trust a random stranger with your cats.

rookiemere · 18/06/2025 13:13

I think you would be better off on Trusted Housesitters where people get free lodging in return for looking after pets, rather than attempting to charge for in on Airbnb. As others have said even if folks are ok with cats being there, they aren’t going to want someone coming into the house with their things.

ThatCatWitch · 18/06/2025 14:43

There is no way I would trust absolute strangers in my house alone with my cats.
Some people like to hurt animals for fun and I just wouldn't risk it.

GolfSurfing · 18/06/2025 14:50

I don’t recommend it at all, we stayed in an Air BnB with a resident cat and we had to leave. The cat was not at all impressed with strangers in the property and was hissing and trying to bite us when we went to put it outside.
We laugh about it now but we had to leave as we had young children and the cat was not at all friendly despite what the owners had said. (They had not declared it so we were able to get our money back).

Snoken · 18/06/2025 14:56

I wouldn't trust randomers with my pets. Not everyone is kind to animals unfortunately.

GreenEggsIAm · 18/06/2025 15:02

Sorry to be a pessimist but there are some absolutely sick people in this world and I wouldn’t trust a stranger around my cats.

Kath89 · 18/06/2025 15:03

Could think of nothing worse tbh

GuestWW · 18/06/2025 15:07

I stayed in an AirBnB with a cat, it was part of the deal upfront. Required feeding but no litter tray. I would do it again.

Jungfraujoch · 18/06/2025 15:08

The cats are the least of your concerns. All holiday lets need to comply now as detailed below. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678a25129752f24aa1573571/Making_your_small_paying-guest-accommodation_safe_from_fire.pdf

LuvACustardCream · 18/06/2025 15:09

As some who lives next to an Airbnb, I'd say find another income source. Not fair on your neighbours or pets.

kurotora · 18/06/2025 15:13

No way would I trust random strangers with my cats. There are too many freaks and sickos. That’s in addition to general neglect. I’m shocked that you would even consider it, and shocked that other people do this. Cats are not objects!

Dailymash · 18/06/2025 15:20

So you want to charge people to live in your house and you expect them to look after your pets while they are there? Organise their break around coming back and feeding some random cats?

I say this as a cat lover!

ThatLemonBear · 18/06/2025 15:23

Dailymash · 18/06/2025 15:20

So you want to charge people to live in your house and you expect them to look after your pets while they are there? Organise their break around coming back and feeding some random cats?

I say this as a cat lover!

I think OP is suggesting letting the property on the condition they allow a cat sitter to visit daily, which is arguably worse! Imagine you’re eating dinner or in the shower or even still in bed when the cat sitter lets themself in and potters round for 30 mins!

MissDoubleU · 18/06/2025 15:32

I wouldn’t want to pay to stay somewhere where a cat sitter was going to show up. I’m on holiday, I don’t want someone there or popping in. I would absolutely book somewhere with a resident cat and would be happy to feed the cat. This responsibility should be reflected in the price and made extremely clear at all stages of the booking.

Agree with others that if there are litter responsibilities this gets a lot messier. Less like a holiday, much less fun. Expecting paying guests to clean and change litter as well as feed your cat is a bit much. People pay house sitters to come live in their home and do this. You’d have to rent it out quite cheap to reflect this

MakingPlans2025 · 18/06/2025 15:40

As a cat sitter tbh I would not like this much either. You meet the owner before you take the booking then expect no one to be there when you visit. Cringy at best but potentially unsafe to let yourself into a property where there may or may not be some random people there who you’ve never met while you go and visit the cats.

honeylulu · 18/06/2025 15:42

I think you could do that if you made things very clear and I think it would be a lot better if the guests fed and looked after the cat (fee adjusted appropriately) rather than a cat sitter rocking up twice a day.

But are you sure your cat would be OK with this? One of my colleagues just got back from a home swap in France where there were two "friendly" indoor cats. Colleague was fine with this. However the cats did not feel friendly when they turned up and made clear their views on the matter by weeing on the beds and pooing on the carpet. I'm a cat lover but this would not make it an enjoyable stay for me.

IHateWasps · 18/06/2025 15:43

ThatCatWitch · 18/06/2025 14:43

There is no way I would trust absolute strangers in my house alone with my cats.
Some people like to hurt animals for fun and I just wouldn't risk it.

Exactly this. I’d love it but any pet owner who allows this is crazy imo. You have no idea what they’d do to your cats, not to mention that it’d be stressful for the cats but you could be exposing your cats to people who are willing to injure them or worse.

carly2803 · 18/06/2025 15:49

terrible idea

i love cats but i sure as hell would not want to look after anyone elses!

Lucytheloose · 18/06/2025 16:00

I think the best thing for you and your cats would be to book them into a cattery-assuming that you can't take them wherever you are going while the house is let.

largeknitter · 18/06/2025 16:10

I don’t think that would work tbh.
Firstly most people wouldn’t want a random person entering the property they’re staying in (they could have expensive belongings, be in the shower, asleep, etc etc)
Secondly people want an air bnb to be spotlessly clean, which it can’t really be with two resident cats wandering around.
It would be different if you were still in situ and just renting out one room which could be kept free of cats.

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 18/06/2025 16:22

Hell no. I couldn’t trust that my cats would be safe with all manner of random strangers coming and going all the time!

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