Compare the cost of a pet sitter against boarding kennels for a trip.
Boarding cost rises with each pet while a sitter charges per visit regardless, so there is a pet count above which sitting is always cheaper. A sitter also covers the house, which has value not captured in the rate. For multiple pets the crossover often falls at two or three animals, which is why households with several pets rarely board them.
Pet Sitter/Boarding Cost
Boarding scales with pet count; a sitter is a flat daily rate regardless of pets
Boarding scales with pet count; a sitter is a flat daily rate regardless of pets Boarding cost rises with each pet while a sitter charges per visit regardless, so there is a pet count above which sitting is always cheaper. A sitter also covers the house, which has value not captured in the rate.
For multiple pets the crossover often falls at two or three animals, which is why households with several pets rarely board them.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Days of care, Number of pets, Boarding rate per pet per day, Sitter rate per day, Boarding discount for additional pets. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.