Cat Visits

My pet sitting service philosophy is to minimize stress for pet, owner, and pet sitter.

I have a special soft spot for shy cats and senior cats, and I have experience caring for cats that need special care and medication.

I am a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP) and a Certified Professional Pet Sitter (CPPS). I use many techniques to set cats at ease, ranging from the slow blink, the exaggerated yawn, to bioacoustic music specially composed and curated to calm cats, various forms of enrichment, and more. Each cat has different needs, and some take longer than others to acclimate to a cat sitter coming to visit. Sometimes, it takes as long as it takes.

Pet sitting visits must occur daily or twice daily.

Twice daily visits and special scheduling requests have limited availability and are only available within the regular service area. Special requests like those should be made as far in advance as possible.

Clients can mix different visit lengths for any pet sitting reservation. At minimum, it’s a good idea to start with a couple longer visits for the first reservation, as first impressions matter a lot to cats. We want the pet care experience to start positively.

For longer absences, I recommend grouping longer and more frequent visits after a certain period of time has passed to provide more companionship, as cats may become more lonely as more time passes. I have found that longer daily visits seem to be more beneficial than two shorter visits, for the purposes of socialization and for shy cats. Longer visits give the pet time to adjust, observe, calm down, and shy cats seem more likely to emerge somewhere around the one hour mark.

I can also visit simply for play time, feedings (e.g. midday feeding), brush out and nail trim, or litter box scooping. Pet visits are also available for small caged animals, like Guinea pigs, rabbits, hedgehogs, chinchillas, mice, and hamsters. Pricing is based on visit length and location.

 

Example of chores that might be included in cat visits, as time allows:

  • Clean water and food bowls

  • Feed cat

  • Scoop litter box, tidy litter box area, track litter box usage

  • Spot clean vomit, litter box accidents

  • Extended cat play and petting session

  • Brush out/coat maintenance, wipe eyes, nail trimming (depending on cat temperament). If using my tools, cleaning and disinfecting tools after use.

  • Daily email, text, WhatsApp reports with pictures

  • Short videos via WhatsApp
  • Fill bird feeders

  • Water houseplants

  • Collect mail, small packages, newspapers

  • Quick walk-through of interior
  • Move drapes
  • Turn lights on/off
  • Move waste bins
  • Empty dehumidifier
  • Fill humidifier
  • Disinfect frequently-touched hard surfaces on last visit before client return

  • No additional charge for extra cats or small furry animals

60-Minute Visit

For complicated set ups, many plants to water, or for a relaxed visit with lots of attention for the pets.

Visits longer than 60-minutes are also possible.

45-Minute Visit

A popular option, will fit most set ups and routines. Minimum recommended time for pet visits that include medication.

30-Minute Visit

Depending on the set-up, there may be time for only the most basic chores during a basic visit: food, water, scooping litter box, report.

Up to 20 Minutes – Express Visit

Barely enough time for food, water, scoop litter box, and brief report.

Restrictions will apply:

  • Only accepted on a rare case-by-case basis, like for feral cats or for certain cats with very simple set-ups that are unusually stressed by the pet sitter. Express visits will NOT be appropriate for the majority of pets because there is not enough time for socialization or handling unexpected issues like pet messes.
  • Must have completed one reservation prior
  • Intended as the second visit for twice daily visits for one simple task (ONLY scooping the litter box, ONLY feeding, ONLY play time).

 Express visits ARE NOT appropriate for:

  1. new clients
  2. the first or last visit of a pet sitting reservation
  3. visits including medication administration, nail trimming, water fountain or feeder cleaning, litter box washing
  4. special scheduling requests, like after-hours visits or visits scheduled within a specific time window

Brush Out/Nail Trimming Visit

Either as a once-off (for example, during shedding season), or as a regular standing arrangement.

Check out my YouTube video about my brush out and nail trimming services. I also regularly post nail trimming videos on YouTube and Facebook.

  • Estimated time: 30 minutes (recommend longer for fearful, anxious, or stressed cats)
  • Brush out fur using client’s or my own tools. Please note that I am unable to cut fur, shave fur, or remove matted fur. All of my tools are cleaned then disinfected with a cat-safe bacterial, fungicidal, virucidal, and tuberculocidal disinfectant after each client.
  • Trim nails using client’s or my own nail trimmers.
  • I am happy to demonstrate how I trim nails or brush fur
  • Because Fear Free methods are used, there is no guarantee that the nail trim or brush out with be completed.

Prices listed on Fees page.