Autumn 2026 In Vancouver, Canada - dates flexible! Plant Savvy Cat & Fish Sitter Needed for 4-6ish weeks

About this assignment

Hey there! We are a married couple in our 40s who has used this site many times to take care of other people's animals around the world. We've had a great experience with also having housesitters in our own home and now we're looking for someone to stay with our beloved Marjorie for about 3-4 weeks. Ideally we'd like to go away this autumn but we need the sitter first, so our dates are to be determined and somewhat flexible.

The right person will be focused on taking care of Marjorie and be kind, mellow and be okay with spending each night here and living in the house, playing with Marj once or twice a day and giving her lots of love. She's probably about 6 years old, and likes to play, but she has had trauma in her past and takes time to warm up to you! A patient and experienced sitter is needed. Once she's used to you, you won't be able to get rid of her. If you know anything about plants, that would be great too, as you'll need to water them, so knowing WHEN a plant needs water, as well as the difference between a succulent and a plant that needs regular watering is very useful, as well as someone who can bring in the mail, etc. (not necessary for short stays). We also have a small number of rice fish in a patio pond that may be inside or outside on the balcony that need daily feeding and water top-ups as necessary (they are very easy and self-sufficient - can teach the right person!)

You must be a non-smoker, reliable, be willing to give frequent updates on WhatsAPp, and be 100 percent committed not to back out once confirmed. This role best suites someone who works from home.

Above all, Marj is our number one priority, but we are also looking for someone who is reliable and honest (if you break something, you replace it) and a good problem solver and mature. We're definitely not neat freaks but if you could keep the place in the same condition as you found it, we'd appreciate it. Unfortunately, we cannot accept children or other guests because of the other elderly residents and many home care workers in the building.

Just treat the place like it's your own and tell us a bit about yourself and what attracts you to this cat/house sit! You'll need to have testimonials on this site or TrustedHousesitter or another valid site! Thanks so much :)

What responsibilities are required of the house sitter

The right housesitter will feed Marjorie regular meals and learn about her weird eating habits (she loves being pet while eating, hates stale/old food), give her clean water daily, clean her litter box every day, play with her daily and spend time in the house (you obviously don't have to spend all day here, but someone who works from home online is perfect, or a homebody. Still, Vancouver has a lot to explore and we don't expect anyone to be indoors all day!

We also more recently have a heated aquarium with a small number of fish and aquatic tropical frogs - some aquarium experience is helpful but not mandatory.

Daily updates would be nice! Photos are extra appreciated! No guests over at the house. Be mindful of electricity.

What are the good features of the property and location

We live in a top floor, south-facing, one-bedroom flat in south Vancouver with a sunny balcony. You can get downtown by one bus or a 25 minute walk to the skytrain and we are 1 block from a supermarket, and tonnes of restaurants and shops.

Our neighbourhood is ethnically diverse with lots of good food, safe and we're close to vibrant main street and the airport, as well. Good area for walking and about a 25 minute walk to the nearest skytrain station but buses to everywhere in the city surround us.

The building has coin laundry and the apartment has a cozy vibe with Netflix, IPTV, wifi, lots of cookbooks, and everything that someone who loves to cook would need!

Vancouver has mild weather, similar to the UK, although its a bit up and down now with climate change and all over the place. Summers have been hot recently with periods of heat waves. Because of this, we have an air conditioner in the bedroom and fans elsewhere.

What does the house sitter need to consider before applying for this assignment

Please consider that you can't back out once you confirm, and can't have guests over or children. Please do not ask about this - we've had people ask despite what it says here and we are firm on this.

This is an old building with lots of elderly residents and care aids who work hard and are very quiet. We aren't wholly against couples staying but we need someone who will respect that we have a skittish cat that takes a few days to warm up to people and hates loud noise and is particularly scared of men, at first. So again, unfortunately, we can't accept sitters with children or allow guests during the sitter's stay.

It's important that you know also that Marjorie will come into the bedroom in the morning to see if you're still alive and sometimes meow - often this is early in the morning - she usually goes away after she's confirmed you are okay, but this can be annoying if you're not a morning person. You are welcome to shut the bedroom door, but she'll likely meow at the door. She will often sleep on the bed once she's used to you. But just being transparent here, she is a great alarm clock or if you're a sound sleeper or can fall back asleep right away, it's no big deal! We're used to it and our previous sitters have not had an issue with this.

Can I bring my own pets?

No, sorry.

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