The one change that worked: I quit my job, became a cat-sitter – and found new friends

Cat-sitting can only be relied upon for pocket money, but it has enriched me in other ways. The most unexpected benefit has been finally meeting my neighbours

I

am a crazy cat lady, except for one small obstacle: I do not own a cat. Though my boyfriend and I discuss names for cats, like other couples do for children, renting in London has put a stop to adding one to our family. So I had pushed dreams of filling the cat-sized hole in my life to one side, only allowing myself momentary relapses when friendly cats crossed my path in the street. That was until I stumbled across the best solution to being reluctantly feline free: becoming a cat-sitter.

It started when I decided to quit my job. Faced with the daunting prospect of living without a guaranteed salary, I was lured in by social media videos promising that any number of “simple” side hustles would make me happier, richer and freer.

Initially, I spent five days and £60 setting up an Etsy shop. Four months later, I had made two sales (one from my brother) and a net loss. Next, I had a brief dalliance with “affiliate marketing”. No, I’m not sure what that is either. In a last-ditch attempt, I spent hours uploading my camera roll to sell on a stock photography website – the vast majority of which did not meet the minimum quality threshold.