Petme . Cairns

Earn as a pet sitter in Cairns

Keep up to 90% per booking. A$45-75 per night for boarding in Cairns. A$20,000 vet protection on every booking.

Earn flexibly with Petme in Cairns. Set your own rate in AUD, pick which dogs and cats to look after, and keep up to 90% of every booking. Petme charges pet owners 0%, which keeps repeat bookings sticky in Cairns.

Apply as a sitter

Up to 90%

Kept per booking

A$45-75

Typical boarding in Cairns

200K+

Pet owners on the platform

4.9 / 5

Average sitter rating

Local demand

Pet minding and dog walking demand in Cairns

Cairns runs on an outdoor, tropical lifestyle, and that keeps demand for pet minding and dog walking ticking over all year. Plenty of owners here work long shifts in tourism, hospitality and healthcare, or commute out to the hospital and CBD, which leaves dogs home alone through the day and creates steady bookings for midday walks and drop-ins. Leafy pockets like Edge Hill and Bayview Heights lean toward houses with yards and bigger dogs that need regular exercise, while unit-heavy areas such as Westcourt, Manunda and Mooroobool bring more cats, small breeds and owners who want reliable dog walking close to home. Dog walks, drop-in feeds and general pet minding are the requests you'll see most often.

Income here flexes with the seasons, and that works in a sitter's favour. The build-up to the wet season, the Christmas-New Year run and the Easter and school holidays send families away, so demand for house sitting and overnight dog minding spikes right when you can charge for it. Outside those peaks, weekday dog-walking rounds and regular drop-ins give you a dependable base you can grow booking by booking. On Petme you set your own rates and keep up to 90% of every booking with cashback, so a couple of standing walks in Trinity Beach or Edge Hill can turn into a repeat client list you scale up in the busy months and ease back when you want a quieter week.

Working locally, you decide the patch you cover, whether that's the beachside end around Trinity Beach and Bayview Heights or the inner suburbs like Manunda, Westcourt and Mooroobool. Most bookings start with a meet-and-greet so you and the owner can size up the dog, the routine and the house before anything's locked in. From there the work is a mix you choose: quick drop-in visits, daily walks, day minding and overnight stays for owners who are travelling. Every booking on Petme comes with A$20,000 vet protection in case something goes wrong on your watch, and payouts land fast once a job wraps, so the money follows the work without a long wait.

Earnings

What you can earn in Cairns

Sitters in Cairns set their own rates. The ranges below reflect typical Petme bookings in the city.

A$45-75

Dog boarding . per night

A$25-40

Dog walking . per 30-minute walk

A$40-65

Doggy daycare . per day

A$25-40

Drop-in visits . per visit

A$50-90

House sitting . per night

Why owners book on Petme

Why Cairns pet owners come back to the same sitter

0% owner fee builds repeats

Petme charges Cairns pet owners 0%. Owners feel less checkout friction and rebook the same sitter for weekly walks and recurring boarding.

A$20,000 vet protection

Every booking includes up to A$20,000 in emergency vet expenses. Owners book with more confidence, and you work with less worry.

Cashback for owners

Pet owners earn automatic cashback on every booking. That drives repeat bookings and grows your recurring schedule.

In-app chat

Meet and greets, key handover, photo updates: all in chat. No SMS, no WhatsApp, no scattered threads.

How it works

Apply, verify, go live

Apply

Tell us about yourself, your pets, and your experience. The application takes about 10 minutes.

Get verified

Identity check with a government-issued ID, so owners can trust your profile before they book.

Go live, start booking

Set your rates and availability in AUD. Owners in Cairns message you in chat. You decide which bookings to accept.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does a Petme sitter earn in Cairns?

Boarding in Cairns typically runs A$45-75 per night, walks A$25-40 per 30 minutes, daycare A$40-65 per day, drop-ins A$25-40 per visit, and house sits A$50-90 per night. You set your own rates. Petme charges pet owners 0%, so up to 90% lands with you.

Do I need an ABN to pet sit in Cairns?

Small-scale pet sitting is typically reported as personal income from self-employment, and standard Australian income-tax rules apply. Many self-employed sitters register for an ABN. Confirm with an accountant for your specific situation.

When is GST registration required?

GST registration becomes mandatory once your self-employed turnover passes A$75,000 in a 12-month period. Most sitters starting out operate well below that threshold. Check the ATO guidance or speak to an accountant if you are close to it.

Do Cairns sitters need to follow animal welfare laws?

Yes. Pet care in Australia is governed by state and territory animal welfare laws, which set minimum standards of care. Every Petme sitter is expected to meet those standards for the animals they look after.

When is peak demand in Cairns?

Mid-December through late January (Christmas and the summer holidays) is the largest demand window. Easter and the school holidays produce smaller spikes. Recurring weekday walks and drop-ins stay steady year-round.

How does Petme compare to other platforms in Cairns?

Petme charges pet owners 0% and you keep up to 90% of every booking. Other platforms commonly add a service fee on top of the sitter rate, which creates more checkout friction on repeat bookings. The Petme model means owners feel less price friction every time they rebook you.

Owners and sitters in Cairns

Find a pet sitter in Cairns Dog walking jobs in Cairns Cat sitting jobs in Cairns

Application takes 10 minutes

Once your identity verification is approved, your profile goes live and owners in your neighbourhood message you. You decide which bookings to accept.

Apply as a sitter