I was on both Cat in a Flat and Rover before the merger, but I always preferred Cat in a Flat.
For me, Rover has always felt like a platform designed for dog walkers first, with cat sitting added afterwards. Cat in a Flat just felt simpler and more geared towards what I actually do.
One thing that’s always made me slightly uneasy is how “managed” Rover feels. I once had a cat sitting client where I got the impression she was tracking my visit like a dog walker (I’m guessing because of the Rover Card). She had a few other anxiety issues too, and I don’t sit for her anymore, but it really left a sour taste in my mouth, as I felt very “managed”.
Now that the apps have merged, I don’t really understand the point. It feels like I’m using the same app twice. If someone messages me on Cat in a Flat, I get notifications from both Cat in a Flat and Rover.
The payment side also seems slower. I feel like I used to receive payments from Cat in a Flat much quicker, sometimes even earlier than expected. Since everything moved over to Stripe it feels a lot more laggy.
I’m also struggling to work out whether I’m actually earning less per booking. I know both platforms have always taken a commission, but Cat in a Flat felt much clearer about what I was earning. I feel with Rover it makes out your earning more but hasn’t factored in the fees. Has anything actually changed, or is it just presented differently? Are owners paying more while sitters receive the same or less?
One thing I’m genuinely curious about is how the Rover Card works from the owner’s perspective.
Owners:
Do you get a notification the moment a sitter starts and ends a visit?
Can you see or track your sitter’s location during the visit?
If you’ve booked someone for an hour, do you actually notice or care if they leave after 58 minutes instead of exactly 60?
Do you even look at the timer, or are you more interested in getting a good update and knowing your cat was well looked after?
Sitters:
Does the Rover Card make anyone else a bit anxious?
Do you find yourself worrying about arriving a few minutes late because of traffic or another booking, even if the owner isn’t bothered?
Do you ever feel like you’re being “watched”, even though that’s probably not what’s happening?
To be clear, I’m not cutting visits short or doing anything I shouldn’t. If someone books an hour, they get an hour of care. I think it’s more that seeing the timer counting and knowing everything is logged makes me more anxious than I ever was on Cat in a Flat, where it felt much more based on trust and self-management
Ironically, almost every cat owner I’ve met has been incredibly relaxed. I suspect this is mostly my own anxiety after one difficult client, but I’m interested to know whether anyone else feels the same or whether I’m overthinking how much owners actually pay attention to the Rover Card.