How to Start a Cat-Sitting Business

A great small business that you can operate from your home is a cat-sitting business. You can take your love for cats and help pet owners take care of their cats when they are unable to do so. With over 76 million cats in U.S. households, this is a fast growing industry. Follow the steps below to start your cat-sitting business today.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Learn about cats and how to take care of them. Even if you own cats yourself, all cats have unique personalities and some have medical conditions with which you will need to become familiar. You can learn about cats by checking out and readying some books from your local library.

2. Analyze your local market to see if a cat-sitting business is a viable business choice. Look around your area and see if there is a need for a cat-sitting business. Check to see if there are already cat sitting businesses in the area and how busy they are. There is no sense opening a business that people aren't going to use, so make sure that there is a real need for your cat-sitting services.

3. Decide what types of services you are going to offer your clients. Some pet sitters only go to the pet owners' homes, while others prefer the pet owners to bring pets to them. Decide whether you want to offer vacation sitting, daily cat care and cat related errands.

4. Determine what type of rate you are going to charge for each type of service. You want to make sure you set the rate high enough to earn a profit, but low enough that you will attract business. If there are cat-sitting businesses already in your area, find out how much they are charging and use that as a guideline when setting your prices.

5. Consider joining a pet sitter association. These associations can lend you support and verify that you are a responsible pet sitter. Many pet owners use these sites when looking to hire a pet sitter. The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters is one association.

6. Market your services by creating fliers and placing classified ads in local newspapers. Make sure that you are easy to contact and are able to answer all the questions that pet owners may have. It's also a good idea to create a basic website where pet owners can go for more information.

Who Can Help:

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Resources

• National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

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on 10/7/2008 For more information on starting your own cat sitting business, visit http://www.startpetsittingbusiness.info