Okay, so this is a rant but it’s my first time trying to book a cat sitter since the merger between Rover and Cat in a Flat, and it’s only because my usual sitter isn’t available (who I had found through Cat in a Flat). My usual sitter is amazing, she would come and hang out with my cat for at least 45 minutes to an hour, bring toys along to really tire him out and keep things interesting so my cat who is a grade A clinger would be stimulated and tired out in between visits. And because, he’s a grade A clinger, I would get her to come in twice a day.

But since the merger, there’s not a lot of local sitters around anymore. And the ones there are there, are prohibitively expensive. A 10 day trip (including travel days) will set me back an easy £500+ with the nonsense of additional fees for a 60 minute visit and the service charges. This is a 30-40% bump on costs of what I would pay my normal sitter or what sitters on Cat in a Flat would cost.

It’s my first break this year and I am genuinely bummed out. Can I afford to pay? Sure. But if a 10 day holiday costs this much, I dread that in future I would not be taking anything time off any longer than a week in total and just not go away much because it all adds up quite quickly. I also don’t know where to find a decent sitter anymore (I did try CatsOnly but not a lot of options there either). I don’t have friends and family either who would support cat sitting cause my cat does tend to get stressed out in unfamiliar locations and they don’t live close enough to just pop in.

Thanks Rover for ruining this platform - there’s a reason I didn’t use that site pre-merger and you have ruined a good thing.

Caution: this is an extremely frustrated rant.

If you don't care for that just have a look at the silly cat pictures and have a good night ✨

I didn't think I could get any more frustrated with this stupid merge from hell, but they still manage to surprise me after all these months!

For context: I live in germany and have been on CIAF for about five years. I have always been frustrated with the CIAF-App since my inbox glitched a lot! Messages didn't get send at all, others went out twice, no notifications for new messages. Then the Rover nation attacked.

The whole two-accounts-thing is so incredibly dumb, especially since we as sitters can't really use the CIAF-App anymore, even though our old messages were supposed to be accessible there! And the Rover app actually manages to be an even bigger mess than CIAF! You have 12.000 boxes to check, but all but three of them are dog-exclusive. And the ui is the worst thing I have experienced since 1999 edu pc games.

Customers have told me that their accounts were transfered to Rover... And suddenly - according to Rover - they had a dachshund instead of a cat! And that dog even had a completely new name! Where did that data come from? Is anyone missing Orlov the dachshund? We'd like to trade him for Kola the cat.

The whole pricing scheme is beyond rediculous! At first I was kinda happy because Rover "only" takes a 15% fine instead of CIAFs 19%. And then you try to put your prices in and nothing makes sense. Why would I charge extra for additional cats?! Easy: because Rover thinks that a "cat" is a breed of dog. Everything is a dog! I'm surprised the "can take care of reptiles" - option didn't somehow create the option to walk "scaly dogs".

Now. I have put my Account on inactive. I have two remaining bookings on this hellsite until I can ditch it completely. But those two...

Of course one is with the dachshund-lady. We sat down and tried to conquer the new booking system together. She clicked things, I clicked things. And suddenly - even though the bookings was still three months off at that point - she was charged the entire ammount immediately. About 350€ gone three months in advance! You can't do that! That's half my rent! You can't just take that and sit on it for months! What if something change or someone cancels? That's nuts!

Since that whole debacle about two months ago the app has done other "funny" things, some of which are:

- told me they deactivated my account for not filling out my profile and by that somehow REACTIVATED my inactive account (twice)

- activated different varieties of dog-related sitting services on my profile by itself (at least three times)

- sent emails to my customers claiming I have deleted my account (I wish, but no, not yet)

I am currently unsure if my account is frozen or inactive or active or how many dogs I am allegedly offering to walk. I hope someone documents this merge and uses it as an example on how to successfully run a working business into the ground.

Okay, rant over. Now you can look at the derpy kitties and be on your way, friend ✨

Hi all,

Has anyone else received this card recently? It looks like they have started noticing the lack of bookings and the impact the merger has had.

To put into perspective why I've probably had this, August 2025 I had 13 active bookings on the platform whereas August 2026 I had 2 active bookings on the platform (but 20 independent bookings not on CAIF using social media to advertise / existing clients who have gone off platform as well).

Card contents:

Dear

I noticed your bookings have dropped off since the move to Rover, and I wanted to reach out personally rather than let that go unnoticed. Sitters like you are a big part ot why so many cat owners trust Cat in a Flat.

We know the move from Cat in a Flat to Rover wasn't something everyone asked for and the transition hasn't been seamless for everyone. Whether it's your account, the new interface, or something else entirely, we'd like to help.

You've been part of our community, and that means a lot to us.

We`ve set up a dedicated inbox for Cat in a Flat customers at [catinaflat@rover.com](mailto:catinaflat@rover.com). If you're experiencing any issues or simply want to get in touch, just drop us a message.

With love from,

Team Cat in a Flat at Rover

We hadn’t planned a firm day or time. she said she would let me know this week

The owner sent me a message yesterday mid morning saying she was free after 1pm, but I didn't see it as I was putting out fires all day at work. I don't normally miss notifications but I didn't look at my phone all day and the owner discussed the meet and greet a week ago. She said “Maybe Wednesday, I’ll let you know closer to the time.” I finished work very late and the meet and greet possibly being today totally slipped my mind and I just went home from the office, completely forgetting that she has said “Maybe Wednesday.”

I had a message this morning at 11am from the owner saying she is cancelling the booking because I'm unreliable and doesn't trust me with her cat and she is getting a friend to do it for free. I felt awful. I have a star rating and am actually a little burnt out because I have cat sittings back to back each month. It's like I'm working a part time job outside my usually very busy job.

I wished the owner the best, apologised and just let her know she could have followed up with me to remind me about the meet and greet or to check if I had seen her message. I've missed meet and greets before, but the owners have always been super understanding. Up until yesterday, I was incredibly prompt with the owner, replying instantly.

It's the first time I've had someone cancel a booking on me.

edit* I’m not blaming Rover or the owner here. I feel bad that I messed up. But the owner wasn’t stood up. I realise my post was initially unclear. we hadn’t arranged a time and the day was “maybe Wednesday”. She messaged me on the day to say she was free but I didn’t see it until she said I was unreliable and she was cancelling.

Hey all!

I’ve just started a 7-day (2x 30 minute drop ins per day) for a pair of cats, and have found myself in a bit of a pickle with a very fear-reactive cat who doesn’t hide, but instead comes on the offensive slightly.

Meet and greet went well, though the owners had flagged that the cats need to be separated to eat which I didn’t think anything of. They then said that if I need to shut the male cat in his room for my whole visit that’s okay, which I am kicking myself for not asking any follow ups! I asked during the M&G how they were with strangers and they did say that the male can be a bit nervous. While I was there he was coming up and sniffing my bag and not hissing at all. Important additional context as well is that the owners have very recently moved into this new house, so still unfamiliar territory for him.

Since the job started this morning, he has spent most of both drop ins hissing and swatting, and was even growling this evening - but in a different way than I’m used to. While I still have a lot to learn, I am quite confident with cat body language and will usually give a cat space before it gets to the level of a hiss or swat. I wasn’t massively prepared for it this morning and got scratched, so admittedly this evening was more nervous which of course he picked up on and made him more nervous- I did end up closing the door to his room for most of the time as I needed to administer meds to the other cat. It’s only been one day (two visits) so hopefully it’ll naturally improve a bit over time - I’ve left a jumper there as well so he can sniff at it, and drenched myself in Feliway this evening.

I’ve been giving him treats and am taking some toys (owner approved) tomorrow, as they’re still not hugely unpacked and I thought some entertainment might help. The space is VERY difficult to manoeuvre while respecting the cat’s space, so I’m wondering if maybe I should just accept that I’ll have to just shut him in the room while I’m there to avoid undue stress, more scratches, and so I can give the other cat’s medicine safely. Ideally I would like to not have to do this the whole trip though, or at least reduce the hissing as soon as I step in the door!

The owners have been really helpful and I don’t want to let them down, but I also don’t want to stress him out (or get scratched again to be honest). I should know better and should have asked the follow up questions… I’ll be sure to next time !!

Any tips on what I can do for him and for myself to reduce stress and risk would be great, thank you!

TLDR: Cat is hissing and swatting, sometimes growling, as soon as I walk in the door. He is at the door when I get in and doesn’t really hide, instead instigates a little bit. Any tips on how I can build trust and reduce his fear (and ideally swatting/hissing) would be great, or how I can keep myself out of range in a hard to manoeuvre, quite small space.

Hi everyone! I’m very new to Rover and just got my first booking! I’ll be house sitting for two 1-year-old cats, and I’m meeting the owner tomorrow for the meet & greet.

Since this is my first house-sitting job, I want to make sure I’m prepared and don’t forget to ask anything important.

For those of you who have experience with Rover, what questions do you usually ask during the meet & greet?

I’m thinking about asking about:

• Feeding schedule and portions
• Litter box routine and where everything is
• Medications or any health concerns
• Where the cats usually sleep/hang out
• How long they can be left alone
• Their personalities and any behaviors I should know about
• Emergency vet information
• Owner’s contact information and backup emergency contact
• House rules and what areas I can/can’t use
• Wi-Fi, keys/locks, alarm system, etc.
• Plants/mail/packages or anything else they want me to take care of
• What to do if something goes wrong
• Check-in/photo expectations

One thing I’m also a little unsure about is what is considered normal to use in the owner’s home during a house sit. Since I’ll be staying there for a while, is it okay to ask if I can use things like the kitchen, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, TV, washer/dryer, etc.? Obviously I would only use what they’re comfortable with, but I don’t want to overstep or assume.

Is there anything you wish you had asked at your first meet & greet that I should add to my checklist?

Also, since it’s two young cats, are there any specific things I should pay extra attention to during an overnight house sit?

Would really appreciate any advice! 😊

I'm doing overnight stays looking after 4 cats over 3 nights. It's been fine but feels a bit strange and I've felt a bit anxious.

How is everyone else finding these?

We’ve told them so many times what we want and need from this app since the merge and we’ve had one measly update that didn’t really do much for us at all.

We want a notice board
We want to charge our own rates for 2 visits, not double 1 visit rate. I know we can amend the booking but that’s a hassle.
We want to be able to see an owners profile with reviews from past sitters.
We want to see the cats reviews from past sitters.
We want the user interface to reflect and act more like cat in a flat did. It was perfect.
We want payment taken just before a sit rather than when we book, which for cat sitters can be months in advance.
We don’t want to wait until after the sit has ended to be paid, some of us rely on the money to travel to sit.
We don’t want messages on the app and then text messages and then spam us if we havent replied quickly enough.
We want the app tailored to cat sitting and not just a dog app which primarily rover looks and acts like.
We don’t want rover cards. Most of us talk to our clients privately and send photos that way. I know we don’t have to use them but just remove them for cat sitters.

We have been saying ALL of these things since the merge. Why has more not been done. Why is it taking months to do the smallest adjustments. This is people’s livelihoods.

Feel free to add what else you would like from a future update.

I'm winding down my cat sitting business now (I now have a full time job and work 9-7:30 and I just couldn't physically do cat sitting anymore without burning myself into the ground so I've had to stop very sadly 😔😔 I did 30 minute visits and getting to and from houses, it was taking me over an hour basically per visit so I'd get home, eat and sleep, repeat 😔) but I'm still noticing Rover is so dog oriented, it's so frustrating! Like why do Rover cards need locations?! And why does it say walk when I'm looking after a cat??? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 The lack of cat inclusivity is irritating... The only thing I'm not sad to leave behind.

Hello, has anyone else just not been getting any catsitting requests in recent months?
The last time anyone booked me through CIAF/ Rover was June! Since then it’s just been regulars I’ve had bookings with who came directly to me.
I can see from insights my profile is getting some views each week, but since June I’ve only had one request and I never heard back from the owner when I replied.
I’m updating my calendar regularly etc, but just don’t seem to be having any luck and I’m getting a bit concerned!
The first couple of months after the merger I had a lot of requests and bookings but then it’s just quietened right down.

I saw this in the Rover sub. I didn’t know what the pricing tiers were, so I looked it up and apparently in some countries they take 30% from the sitter until the client reaches a certain spend threshold with you! Once they get above the threshold, Rover takes 15%, and then over the next threshold they take 10%. It’s absolutely ridiculous given my margins at 15% are already tight. I’d have to put my prices up if they take 30% and customers will just end up looking for local independent sitters on Facebook. If they do plan to bring this in, they’ll drive the (perfectly fine) former Cat in a Flat into the ground, and it’ll be the end of it here.

The “client relationship” is also wrong, because any bookings I had with a client pre-merger are showing in my “upcoming” section, even though they’re 2/3 years old. This is app is an absolute joke.

I’m not looking after a dog. This customer doesn’t even have a dog. Come on guys, you’ve had long enough to sort these things out.

Hi,just wondering if anyone else has noticed a change with payment reference when the money lands in your bank account.Since the takeover I've been doing majority of sits off the app & just using Rover in the hope of getting new jobs.In Monday,I completed my first sit via Rover in a couple of months and payment has gone in today with the reference 'A place for Rover'.Checked my stripe account and nothing has gone via them.So,my question is are Rover using our bank details directly without a 3rd party intermediary such as Stripe?Incidentally CIAF app stopped working for me 2 days ago so reluctantly downloaded Rover app.Thanks.

Has anyone in England done a cat first aid course they could recommend? I’ve had a look near me and a lot of the ‘small animal first aid’ courses say that they’re mainly focussed on dogs but useful for other animals. I only want to focus on cats really. There are some online courses but I can’t tell if they’re reputable or not. TIA

I live in a fairly big city (Vienna, Austria) and very recently made my profile. I've had three requests already this week, but had to turn two of them down because typically the Austrian paperwork allowing me to work as a catsitter was delayed! That would have been about 500eur in total though, and I was pretty shocked at how quickly they came in. Is that normal for a big city or is that being pushed as a new user?

Hi, I created a new Cat in a Flat account yesterday using “Sign in with Google” and completed my profile. I can now no longer access the account. Google authentication appears to succeed, but afterwards I am redirected to the logged-out Cat in a Flat homepage. This happens on desktop, mobile browser, and in the iOS app. I also tried “Forgot password” for the Gmail address associated with the account. The website says that a password-reset email has been sent, but I never receive one (including in spam).

Apparently, according to their FAQ, I can only see the button to contact customer help if I‘m logged in. So, I have no idea what to do. Has anyone experienced something similar?

This isn’t a massive issue but I wanted to see how common this is for other people. I’m drop in cat sitting and have been using the Rover card adding photos on there and sending a message via Rover with the update as not all owners see my updates when I add it to the notes section on the Rover card. This is the first time i’ve never had the owner reply, I don’t expect a reply to every update, just the occasional message acknowledging the update. They also have my number to reach out if they have been unable to access Rover. How often does this happen to you guys? Where the owner doesn’t reply for the whole stay. I’ve also had the message saying that the cat unfortunately pooped on their bed, so finding it odd to hear nothing back. Should I continue sending updates on Rover or should I message them on Whatsapp to ask if they’ve been getting the updates?

Sorry just a quick one can anyone remind me what the lowest price for house sits was on CIAF? They were rare for me but an old client reached out and I’m still trying to work out what my independent pricing will look like. I’ve always charged low and don’t want to be too jarring from that price

Hi there!
I recently booked a cat sitter and I have really mixed feelings on the outcome of the booking.
I have an alarm on the front door so I could see how long the cat sitter stayed for, which varied between 5-10 minutes per visit.
This upset me because they clearly didn’t give my cat and affection or attempt to play with him.
I know everyone has lives to be getting on with but I would at minimum expect some of the visits to be a little bit longer. Even to just talk to my cat for a few minutes?
I also put a bunch of treats on the side and no treats were given.
I’m a bit worried if they even bothered to scoop the litter tray each day within their 5 minutes.

Am I over reacting? I’d been keen to hear others thoughts.
Obviously at the end of the day I’d rather have someone stay with my cat full time, but that wasn’t possible for this short notice trip.

It literally worked this morning 😆 peak as we can't access all features through the website

My phone is from 2018 so not even super old and still works great 😐

Hi all. Would be grateful for some advice. Quite a few times now I've gone for a M&G/visit to learn about the cats and turns out they're not ready to hand the keys over. Once an owner offered to drop them through my letter box closer to the time, but normally, I seem to be expected to make another trip (unpaid) to go and pick up keys. What does everyone else do?

It was so nice (and very useful!) to receive these emails from Cat in a flat the day before the booking starts! They were so warm and nice, made me say 'aaaaw' ...

Does Rover have reminder emails? Maybe I need to activate something? I've never received them, please let me know!

Rover cat sitting bookings/ request ?? Is is all a prank ??
Recently , I keep
Getting Cat sitting request ( based in London , UK ) , either last minute ( within 3-4 days ) or 2 weeks in advance ..
Cat owners will
Contact me ( have over 50+ 5 star reviews ) and asked if I am available , when I replied yes , am available and asked for their post code to see if within my area I will covered , they will reply with post code .. I proposed a meet & greet , and some said ok , some will take awhile
To reply .. however , eventually , every single one will advised within 24 hrs from request , their PLANS has now changed and they don’t require a sitter anymore !!
Or some will totally ignore me !!
have anyone have similar experience , I found this is very odd !! As it keeps happening !!! Is it a prank ??