We arrange a free ‘Meet and Greet’ visit for all new clients before your cat-sitting begins so that you can meet your cat-sitter and ask them any questions. You can tell us about your cat’s personality, their food and where they eat, portion sizes, litter changing and any concerns you may have.
We will collect information about regular habits, medication and where in your home the cats are safe to go.
We will collect house keys and learn about secure access plus any alarm systems we need to be aware of.
We make sure to collect all your contact information before you leave, plus an emergency local contact just in case.
We also collect your vet details. In the event that urgent care is needed, we will take your cat to your vet or an emergency vet if it's out of hours.
On arrival we make sure doors are safely closed before checking on your cat. They can sometimes be waiting on the other side of the door so it’s important that we also check carefully before opening the door to avoid escapees!
Some of our cats rush to meet us, others run and hide. All are different and our experienced cat-sitters know the best ways to greet their cats. For those that like a fuss we spend some time stroking, cuddling and chatting with them. They are likely to have been alone for several hours and may need some human contact straight away.
For those that are more shy or timid, we take their lead and let them do whatever makes them feel safe. Some spend our whole visit under (or in!) the bed, and that’s fine. Many cats are too nervous to approach a stranger at all and for these cats we simply put out everything they need, clean their trays and quietly leave to minimise the time that they feel stress. They can then come out of hiding and enjoy a peaceful dinner in their own time.
We take this opportunity to give your cat a quick check over to make sure they are well and healthy, particularly for cats that go outdoors. Occasionally they may have picked up a scratch or bump so we give them a quick once-over to check, and take any action necessary to ensure their wellbeing.
For many cats, we are strongly associated with their food so after greetings are over, we move straight on to feeding. We wash their bowls and put out a fresh portion of their usual food as per your instructions.
During the visit we keep a check on how much they have eaten and report back to you, so you can tell if they are eating less or more than usual. In multi-cat households we keep an eye on them while they eat to make sure there isn’t any squabbling or food-stealing!
Most of our customers have a litter tray for their cats, even if they go outdoors. We follow your instructions on how often to change litter, where to put the contents (poop bags, outdoor bins etc) and we check the trays at every visit. We also carry our own kit bags so we are always armed with scoops, bin bags, wipes and cloths in case of any excess mess. We always clean up any accidents that may occur outside the tray or elsewhere in the house.
Some cats like to visit their litter trays straight after eating so we may do a second ‘scoop’ so that the tray is still clean for them when we leave.
The best part!
Now is the time we can sit and have a play with your cats (but only if they want to). We give them lots of attention and strokes, talk to them and let them play with their favourite toys. Laser pointers are a favourite for many, and this gives them some exercise as they rush around chasing the red dot!
We brush them if they enjoy it, and finally take some photos or video to send in our daily updates. Sometimes photos aren’t possible for cats who are shy, so we don’t disturb them and simply send you message updates instead.
As well as visiting your cats we can also do some basic home security tasks such as closing curtains, switching lamps and lights on, watering plants and putting bins out. If you would like us to do this please let us know at your Meet & Greet visit. We don’t display brand advertising on our vehicles so we won't draw any attention to you being away from home.
We can make your home look ‘lived in’ thereby reducing the risk of burglary or other anti-social behaviour.
We are also on hand for any emergencies such as leaks, faulty alarms etc. and can inform you as soon as possible if we notice anything unusual.
For outdoor cats, we check cat-flaps are working and ensure timers are set where necessary. Finally, we check all external windows and doors are secure, before saying our goodbyes and leaving your cats for a well-earned snooze.
During our time with your cat(s), we will send you reports for each visit. We use the Time to Pet app, click here to read more about this.
We will send you a custom message, letting you know what your cat has been up to during the visit, including photos or videos.
The report also features a checklist of the steps we took during the visit, from fresh food put out, litter tray cleaned to plants watered or bins put out.
