Catcher to pet sitter
A catcher already meets 16% of what the pet sitter role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
83.4/ 100
1 How much of what a pet sitter is expected to do is already part of a catcher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the pet sitter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A pet sitter role treats 4 of its required skills as things a catcher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
- control animal movement
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 4 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pet sitter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a catcher background worth leading with.
- already held control animal movement handling and moving
- already held animal welfare agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held apply animal hygiene practices handling and moving
- already held animal welfare legislation business, administration and law
All 4 carried skills, including the 4 the pet sitter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist in transportation of animals required
- still to learn implement exercise activities for animals required
- still to learn manage animal welfare required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn provide first aid to animals required
- still to learn provide nutrition to animals required
- still to learn handle veterinary emergencies required
- optional, not held follow client animal handling programme optional
- optional, not held breed reptiles optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held provide dog walking services optional
- optional, not held provide home pet sitting services optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held understand the needs of animals optional
- still to learn animal behaviour required
- still to learn biosecurity related to animals required
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- still to learn signs of animal illness required
- optional, not held physiology of animals optional
- still to learn manage animal biosecurity required
- still to learn monitor the welfare of animals required
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a pet sitter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 animal behaviour study this
- 02 assist in transportation of animals practise this
- 03 biosecurity related to animals study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 4 skills that carry over
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held control animal movement skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held anatomy of animals optional
- optional, not held animal species optional
- optional, not held deal with challenging people optional
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held follow client animal handling programme optional
- optional, not held anatomy of animals optional
- optional, not held assess animal's condition optional
- optional, not held breed reptiles optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held physiology of animals optional
- optional, not held provide dog walking services optional
- optional, not held provide home pet sitting services optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held understand the needs of animals optional
- optional, not held animal species optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held deal with challenging people optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
7 held skills the pet sitter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist with vaccination procedures skill
- not needed by the target role breed ducks skill
- not needed by the target role handle poultry skill
- not needed by the target role livestock farming systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role livestock species knowledge
- not needed by the target role load animals for transportation skill
- not needed by the target role raise hens skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn animal behaviour required
- still to learn biosecurity related to animals required
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- still to learn signs of animal illness required
- optional, not held anatomy of animals optional
- optional, not held physiology of animals optional
- optional, not held animal species optional
Common questions about this move
Can a catcher become a pet sitter?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A catcher already covers 16% of what a pet sitter is expected to do: 4 skills carry over, 4 of which the pet sitter role treats as required.
What skills does a catcher need to become a pet sitter?
14 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is animal behaviour.
How hard is the move from catcher to pet sitter?
Its learning distance is 83.4 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.