What to Do If You Get Sick During a House Sit

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A house sit does not pause because you have a headache. The cat still needs feeding at 6am. The chickens still need letting out. The dog still needs its walk. Getting sick during a sit is not a crisis and it is not unusual, but it does require a different approach from getting sick at home, because the pets are depending on you regardless of how you feel. Here is how Caro and I handle it, what to do if you are sitting solo, and when it becomes serious enough to involve the homeowner.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries over three years. We have both been unwell during sits, never anything serious and never both at the same time, but enough to know what it feels like to be responsible for animals when you would rather be in bed. If you are not yet on TrustedHouseSitters, a 25% discount on membership is available here.

It Is Not That Different From Being Sick at Home

This is the first thing worth saying because it reframes the whole situation. A house sit is not a high-stakes operation. It is looking after a home and some pets. Homeowners get sick too. They get colds, they get stomach bugs, they have days where they are not at their best. When that happens, they do a reduced version of the routine and recover. The pets survive. Life continues.

The same applies to a sitter. If you wake up with a cold or a headache or a stomach bug, you do not need to panic about the sit. You do not need to call the homeowner in distress. You need to do the essentials, feeding, letting the pet out, making sure water is topped up, and then go back to bed. The dog does not need a two-hour walk today. It needs food, water, a short toilet break outside, and it will be completely fine. The cat needs even less, just food and a clean litter tray if it is indoors.

Most sitters who worry about getting sick during a sit are imagining a scenario that is far more dramatic than the reality. The reality is usually: you feel rough for a day or two, you do the minimum that the pets need, you recover, and you return to the full routine. The pets barely notice the difference.

What We Actually Do When One of Us Is Sick

The most recent time either of us was unwell during a sit was at our current six-month Portugal sit. Caro and I went for a massage to celebrate our three-year anniversary. Afterwards, the muscles in my neck loosened up in a way that triggered severe migraines. I was not steady on my feet, the pain was significant, and I could not sleep properly.

Caro took over everything. She fed the cat, managed the chickens, and made food for me. I stayed in bed, rested, and recovered. By the next day the worst had passed and I was back to contributing.

That is the practical advantage of sitting as a couple that nobody really talks about until something goes wrong. One person can step in fully while the other recovers. The pets do not experience any disruption because from their perspective, one of their two regular humans is still doing everything the same way.

We have had other moments across our sits, colds, headaches, a day where one of us just did not feel right, and the pattern has always been the same. One person rests, the other covers, and within a day or two everything is back to normal.

What to Do If You Are Sitting Solo

For solo sitters, getting sick is a more practical challenge because there is nobody to hand over to. The approach needs to be simple and focused on essentials.

The pets need three things from you every day regardless of how you feel: food, water, and a way to go to the toilet. For a cat, that is filling a bowl and cleaning a litter tray. For a dog, that is filling a bowl and opening the back door or doing a very short walk to the nearest patch of grass. For chickens, it is scattering feed and checking water. None of these tasks takes more than ten minutes total. Even when you feel terrible, ten minutes is manageable.

Everything beyond those essentials, the longer walks, the play sessions, the grooming, the garden watering, can wait until you feel better. A dog that misses one long walk is not going to develop behavioural problems. A garden that goes unwatered for two days in anything other than extreme heat will survive. Your job when you are sick is to keep the animals safe, fed, and hydrated. Everything else is a bonus that can resume when you recover.

If you have been fasting, as I have done during a sit for four days, the same principle applies. You adjust the routine to match your energy levels. The pets still get fed on schedule. The walks might be shorter. The cleaning might happen later in the day. You are not operating at full capacity and that is fine. The sit does not require full capacity every single day. It requires consistency on the basics.

When to Tell the Homeowner

This is simpler than most people make it. If you can still manage the basic feeding and toilet routine for the pets, there is no need to complicate things by telling the homeowner you have a cold. Everyone gets sick from time to time. It is not newsworthy and messaging the homeowner about it adds an unnecessary layer of concern to their trip.

The point at which you should contact the homeowner is when you genuinely cannot manage the basics. If you are so unwell that getting out of bed to fill a food bowl is beyond you, if the illness has lasted several days with no improvement, if you need medical attention that will take you out of the house for an extended period, that is when the homeowner needs to know.

The message should be factual and include a practical question: "I have been unwell for a couple of days and I am struggling to manage the pet care routine at the level it needs to be. Is there someone local, a friend, a neighbour, another sitter, who could help with the pets for a day or two while I recover?"

Most homeowners have a neighbour, a friend, or a local contact who can step in for short-term help. Some have emergency contacts listed in the welcome guide specifically for situations like this.

Healthcare in a Foreign Country

Caro and I are both EU citizens, which gives us access to healthcare across European countries through the European Health Insurance Card system. On top of that, Caro has separate travel insurance and I have my own coverage. We have not needed to visit a doctor during any of our sits, but the safety net is there if we do.

For sitters from outside the EU, travel insurance with medical coverage is something we would consider non-negotiable before any international sit. A doctor's visit, a prescription, or an emergency room visit in a country where you are not covered by the public health system can be expensive. Our house sitting insurance guide covers what the major platforms do and do not cover, but platform coverage is for property and liability, not for your personal health. That is on you to arrange.

If you do need medical attention during a sit in a country where you do not speak the language well, pharmacies are often the fastest and most accessible first step. Pharmacists across Europe can advise on common illnesses, recommend over-the-counter medication, and help you determine whether you need to see a doctor. In many European countries, pharmacies can handle far more than their equivalents in the UK or US.

When the Home Itself Is Making You Sick

This is a different category entirely from catching a cold or a stomach bug, and it is worth separating clearly because the response is different.

If you arrive at a sit and notice symptoms that seem connected to the environment, persistent headaches, respiratory irritation, congestion that clears up when you leave the house and returns when you come back, the home itself may be the problem rather than a passing illness.

When Caro and I moved into our apartment in Bochum (before our house sitting life began), the humidity inside was averaging around 85% day and night. That is exceptionally high and it affected me within the first couple of days, to the point where I had to buy a dehumidifier immediately. If I had not addressed it, I am not sure we could have stayed.

Black mould is serious. It can affect your respiratory system, your energy levels, and your long-term health. No free accommodation is worth that. If you arrive at a sit and suspect mould, excessive damp, or air quality issues, raise it with the homeowner and with platform support immediately. If the issue cannot be resolved quickly, this is a situation where leaving early is genuinely the right call.

Our article on what to do if the home is filthy when you arrive covers the broader situation of arriving to conditions that are worse than described. The mould and air quality issue is a specific subset that has health implications beyond just being unpleasant.

Prevention Is Better Than Recovery

The best approach to getting sick during a sit is not getting sick in the first place, and while that is obviously not fully within your control, there is a lot you can do to reduce the likelihood.

Caro and I prioritise this actively. We eat as healthily as possible, focusing on whole food, fresh vegetables, and cooking from scratch rather than relying on processed food or eating out constantly. We take supplements daily: electrolytes, vitamin C, iron, and zinc. We exercise regularly, spend time outdoors in the sun, and make a point of staying hydrated, especially in hotter climates like Portugal where dehydration can creep up without you noticing.

The transition between sits is where people are most vulnerable. You are driving, sleeping in the van, eating less consistently, dealing with the physical and mental fatigue of constant movement. By the time you arrive at a sit, your immune system may already be running on empty. Our article on the physical toll of constant travel covers this in detail. The first few days of a new sit are worth treating as a recovery period rather than launching straight into exploration.

Mindset matters too, and I say this not as vague wellness advice but as something I have observed directly over three years. When Caro and I are stressed, anxious about the next sit, or running ourselves into the ground trying to produce content, we are more likely to feel run down. When we are settled, enjoying the sit, and not pressuring ourselves, we stay healthier. The correlation is consistent enough across 20 sits that I take it seriously, even if it sounds like the kind of thing you read on an inspirational poster.

Conclusion

Getting sick during a house sit is not an emergency. It is an inconvenience that requires a temporary adjustment to how you manage the routine. Feed the pets, keep them safe and hydrated, do the minimum that the situation requires, and rest until you recover. For couples, one person covers while the other rests. For solo sitters, reducing the routine to essentials for a day or two is perfectly fine and the pets will not suffer for it.

Tell the homeowner only when you genuinely cannot manage the basics. Leave the sit only if the home itself is making you sick in a way that will not resolve on its own. And invest in prevention, healthy food, supplements, hydration, rest during transitions, because not getting sick in the first place is always easier than managing it when it arrives.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries, driven 19,000km across Europe in our 1998 VW T4, and saved over $26,500 in accommodation costs over three years of house sitting. If you have questions about handling a difficult moment during a sit, send us a message on Instagram, we read every DM.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What should I do if I get sick during a house sit?

  Focus on the essentials: feed the pets, make sure they have water, and give them a way to go to the toilet (a short walk for dogs, a clean litter tray for cats). Everything beyond that, longer walks, play sessions, garden work, can wait until you recover. Most illnesses resolve within a day or two and the pets will be fine with a reduced routine during that time.

• Should I tell the homeowner if I am sick during a sit?

  Only if you genuinely cannot manage the basic pet care routine. A cold or a headache that slows you down but still allows you to feed the animals and let them out does not need to be reported. If you are so unwell that you cannot get out of bed, or if the illness lasts several days with no improvement, contact the homeowner and ask whether there is someone local who could help with the pets while you recover.

• What if I am sitting solo and get sick?

  Reduce the routine to the absolute minimum the pets need: food, water, and toilet access. These tasks take ten minutes total even on your worst day. Skip the longer walks and the extras until you are feeling better. If you are too unwell to manage even the basics, contact the homeowner and platform support to arrange temporary help.

• What should I pack for health emergencies during house sitting?

  Electrolyte sachets, vitamin C, zinc, paracetamol or ibuprofen, rehydration salts for stomach issues, antihistamines for new environments, and a basic first aid kit. Keep your health insurance card or policy details accessible on your phone rather than buried in luggage.

• What if the house itself is making me sick?

  If you notice symptoms that clear up when you leave the property and return when you come back, the home may have mould, excessive humidity, or air quality issues. Raise it with the homeowner and platform support immediately. Black mould and persistent damp are serious health risks that no free accommodation is worth enduring. If the issue cannot be resolved quickly, leaving the sit early is the right decision.

• How do I prevent getting sick during a house sit?

  Eat well, stay hydrated, take basic supplements (vitamin C, zinc, electrolytes), exercise regularly, and treat the first few days of each new sit as a recovery period rather than launching into exploration immediately. The transition between sits, especially for van lifers, is when the immune system is most vulnerable. Arriving rested rather than exhausted makes a meaningful difference.

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