Would you like to make a living as a pet sitter?

Linda Hume and I are standing outside the door of an apartment in Downtown Dubai. She's showing me the app she uses to manage her client bookings: it's got all the information she needs about them - from dietary needs to routines and more. She has a key to the apartment ("I've a large keyring with about 40 others from all my other customers at home!") and, when she opens the door, her first client of the day is already waiting to greet us. Azraq is a gorgeous Persian cat with long whiskers and yellow eyes and he wastes no time curling himself around our legs. "He's a real people person," she enthuses, as she sets her tote down to fuss over him. Azraq seems to enjoy the cooing and cuddling immensely, but is soon keener to sniff out whatever she's brought. I can't blame him - it's a most interesting bag.
As a full-time cat sitter and manager for The Dubai Cat Sitting Company, Linda's bag contains all the essentials that she could require on the job - think cat toys, treats, wipes, play spray with cat nip in it - but also far more, like a litter scooper, a roll of masking tape (to mark out new client keys) and even a little Hoover. "You won't believe how many people don't have cleaning supplies," she laughs, as she pulls out a dustpan and brush from the bag, which (no surprise) has a cat face on it.
Linda has known Azraq since June, so the two have developed a familiar routine. She'll measure out his food and refill his water bowl, which he'll fuel up on while she cleans out his litter. He loves to play, and she'll crack out a range of toys - from teaser rods with a mouse or fluffy tail at the end to LED laser light pens that she wiggles about while he tries to catch the bobbing 'object'. At one point, he'll make a dash for the washroom, where he loves jumping from tub to countertop, and waiting for her to catch up so that he can drink water straight from the tap. "You have to really love cats to do this," confesses the 50-year-old (who, honestly, doesn't look a day over 30). The truth of that statement is only too evident from her phone (which has cat ears), her cheerful disregard for getting cat hair all over her clothes, and the stories of visiting a cat sanctuary in Rome during her honeymoon with her husband, who is also a cat lover.
The American expat used to be a teacher up until last year, but having reached a point of burnout, she quit and took up cat sitting instead: a pursuit she finds incredibly fulfilling - not to mention, far less stressful. A regular day for her involves an average of 6-8 cat sits, and each session tends to last about 30-40 minutes. "The busier months - like during Christmas and Eid when everyone is on leave - is when it tends to get a bit crazy and go up to 10-15 appointments a day."
Linda says she'll probably return to teaching someday, but believes it's definitely feasible to take up pet sitting full-time, "depending on how many jobs you take on, of course, and what you're looking to make". But there's no question that demand for such services is on the climb. When the company was started four years ago, its founder was the only one taking requests; today, they have a team of almost 30 cat sitters on board. "It might have something to do with Dubai as well," she muses. "Back home, you just fell back on neighbours, if you needed someone to look after your pet. Here, however, everyone tends to go on leave at the same time, so these kinds of services are really beginning to flourish."
No two days are ever the same either. "You'd think it would get monotonous," she says. "But there are just so many cats and they all have their own personalities that it never gets boring." Linda is quick to bust the stereotype of cats being cold creatures. "They are pretty self-sufficient, but we're increasingly finding cats to be as needing of love and attention as dogs. They're, perhaps, not as effusive, but you can definitely see the difference between a cat that's given a lot of care and attention - and one left to its own devices."
It's not a job you can be detached from, and Linda admits it can sometimes be "devastating" for her when she has to bid any of her clients goodbye. Setting the record straight for anyone who might view pet sitting as a less-than-fulfilling vocation, she points out that it can be quite a challenge to gain a cat's trust sometimes. "A dog's trust can generally be won over rather quickly, while cats can take a bit longer to warm up to you," she says, recalling how it took her six months to befriend one feline client. "A lot of the ones we work with are rescues and we're very patient with them, as we don't know what they've been through. But most negative behaviour is because they're nervous or lonely or craving attention. So, when they finally do warm up to you, it's incredibly validating."
More than weekend warriors
Immense on-the-job satisfaction is a story you're likely to hear over and over in this profession. "It's not a job you can just get into and go through the motions," says Bernadine Muller, owner of pet sitting and grooming service Passion 4 Paws. "We're all passionate about animals and take our jobs seriously. These are parents with fur babies," she says, using terms of endearment commonly employed by animal lovers to describe their relationship with their pets. "And we're surrogate mums for when they're away."
Unlike some of their more specialised counterparts, the client base at this outfit runs the gamut. "Anything that's not human," quips Bernadine. Besides the regular requests for dogs, cats and birds, her team has also been called in to check in on rabbits, tortoises, fish, iguanas and hamsters. "It's just horses and camels that we haven't done yet, but it would be awesome to add those to our list soon!"
The South African expat, who recently qualified as a first aid pet instructor, started the company as a "bored housewife", first working at another pet sitting firm then breaking out on her own. Today, she has a team of about 14 staffers on the roster. "We're not just weekend warriors," she says, noting that it's working professionals who often call on them to "become the boredom breakers" for their pets while they're away during the day.
It's quite possible to do this full-time, she concedes - but don't expect to become a millionaire. "We're in this because of our love for animals, not because of the money. But, while it's not on the level that it is in the US, UK and Europe, pet sitting is coming up in a big way in the UAE."
Making a living
Dubai-based Jose (who declined to give his full name) worked as a structural engineer for 14 years before getting laid off last year. What may have been a distressing turn of events instead proved to be one of the best things that's happened to him, for Jose used his circumstances to start up a pet sitting and walking service of his own. "Growing up, I lived with five cats in the house and also had three dogs as pets - not to mention, birds and fish. I've never gone without pets and have a great love for them. So, when I lost my job, I decided to go with my passion and start something for pets."
One year on, he wonders why he didn't go down this path sooner. "I would've found happiness much earlier in my life had I done this before," he laughs. "It's so much less stressful, and I enjoy it so much that it doesn't feel like I'm working. My clients are four-legged ones, who can't wait for me to get into the house and are very happy to see me."
Though he's not "limiting his services" - he has, in the past, responded to a request for a rabbit and a fish - he says the market requirement is mostly for dogs and cats. Every session involves play time, brushing ("if the cat permits it!"), feeding, administering of medication (if needed), and a walk (if the client is a canine). Post each session, a report is generated for the pet's 'parents', complete with photos and videos - a practice that's par for the course in this field.
Here in the UAE, the profession seems to be mostly made up of women, so Jose agrees a lot of people are surprised when they find out it's a guy offering this service. "Not so much for dog walking, but definitely for cat sitting," he laughs. But everyone is usually happy after the first session and report, as evidenced by the notes of recommendations they leave behind.
For Jose, the greatest challenge lies in managing his calendar well, considering his day is usually booked out and clients may be as far apart as Motor City and Downtown Dubai. But even though his work can get tiring, Jose says he absolutely loves it and wouldn't have it any other way. "I never expected my life to take this direction, but I'm so happy it did," says the expat, who has no plans to return to the engineering life and is currently looking for investors and other sitters in earnest in order to register his service and grow it into a full-fledged company.
karen@khaleejtimes.com

Bernadine Muller, owner, Passion 4 Paws