Cat sitter whilst I'm away - live in, or pop in?

[CheeriosOrFrosties]

DCat is about 18 months old. He is an anxious little thing, not particularly keen on new people (quite possibly because he very rarely meets any!) and any contact needs to be very much on his terms.

He has been to the cattery a couple of times, but hates it in the car and twice has peed in his carrier on the way back from the cattery (it's about a 30 min drive and there isn't one closer).

So I thought that for when I go away this time, I would try to arrange it for him to stay at home, and either get someone to stay in the house, or for someone to pop in twice a day to feed him.

He has never been left overnight before, and I don't know what the better option is. Two people have been recommended to me, but I don't personally know either of them, so I've also got to bear in mind someone staying in/coming into the house who I don't know!

WWYD? Have someone live in, or just come in twice a day to feed him?

(In case I sound anxious, I am - I have OCD and anxiety and overthink everything, but I'm trying to go away for a few days with my kids over the summer and expand my life a bit. I have had cats in the past and have never had anyone to stay in the house before, I've always just had people pop in, but somehow I'm doubting myself massively over what the best thing to do is here)

I’ve got a Little Elf camera, it’s about £21. It sends an alert every time it senses movement and takes a picture, and you can also watch live. No subscription needed. I’ve found it reassuring, because the pop in cat sitter will take a picture during her daily visit and it’s invariably of DCat cowering under the bed looking terrified. On the camera though I can see that 2 minutes after the sitter leaves, she is casually mooching around looking relaxed.

For more than 4 nights I get a live-in sitter. It’s a balance between what would cause her stress / being lonely. It takes her a few days to warm to people so less than 4 days she would just be warily hiding from a live-in sitter, so pointless.

If we’re only going away for one or two nights, we have a neighbour pop in. Any longer and we get people to come and stay as our boy is a social little thing and really misses us. Do you have any friends/neighbours with trustworthy late teens/early twenties kids who might enjoy a few nights in a house of their own?