Catster have talked to an international catsitter, Laurel Steele, who has the coolest job in the world- catsitting abroad in exchange for free accommodations.
Laurel told the Catster: "The general idea behind international catsitting is that I care for a person's cat(s), in exchange for a free home in an exciting foreign destination. I got started by registering with a petsitting website and was soon contacted by an English woman living in Turkey who invited me to care for her cats for two weeks in a remote mountain village. I had an unbelievable time enjoying the local nature and spending my evenings curled up in front of a fire surrounded by four purring kitties. After that, I was hooked".
She was staying in major cities like Amsterdam, Basel and Barcelona. Currently she enjoys 7 weeks rent free in a quaint Italian hamlet in the heart of Tuscany.
In London, she spent three months (again, rent free!) watching two twin kitties, Lottie and Lucy. Everything was going well, until she came down with a case of severe bronchitis. What could have been a depressing time, was made much easier by having two cats to care of her. As she moved around the house with my box of tissues, Lottie and Lucy followed her. The pair of them snuggled with her whenever possible. She swear that their purrs (and radiating body heat) made that time bearable.
"It has taken me to places I didn't even know existed and connected me with amazing people — and pets. I feel like I'm simultaneously at home and exploring the world. After a long day of sightseeing, I get to come home and veg out on the couch with a cat or several. It's the perfect balance of adventure and comfort"' she told Catster.
There are three major petsitting websites: Trusted Housesitters, Mind My House and Nomador. The first two primarily feature listings in the UK, while the third mostly offers petsits in France. However, you will find assignments all around the world through each of these sites. Each site charges an annual membership fee, but it's a fraction of the cost of what you'd spend on hotels wherever you go on vacation.
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