COVID-19 Social Distancing & Hygiene Guidelines

Given the recent situation, we are lucky that our profession is one that is quite socially distant in itself (we can go days only talking to cats!), as well as already having the need for good hygiene. However, following on from current Government information and keeping things current for the times, we have put together some new guidelines for our general activities Post-Lockdown, to keep ourselves and our clients safe and reassured. Remember that we don't just cater to holidays, we can also do lunchtime visits so if you are working longer hours, or are returning to work after lockdown and wish for your cat to have some company to break up their day, or to keep their usual feeding pattern! Following Lockdown guidelines loosening, we have decided to halt our Pet to Vet taxi service after a successful few months due to being increasingly busier with cat visits. If you need help with getting your cat to the Vet please send us an enquiry and we will do our best to help where possible.

ON VISITS
We will carry hand sanitiser at all times. We will be sanitising our hands each time we leave our car, and will wash our hands frequently throughout each visit, before/after touching your pets, and also when leaving your home. We will sanitise all keys and door handles before and after use, and wipe down any work surfaces that we have touched, including the door handle as we leave. We will use gloves to tend to any litter trays.

MEET & GREETS
In the month run up to any new client booking, we do a free meet and greet to go through everything we need for our visits and to answer any questions, as well as meet your precious kitties and collect a key. We are still happy to visit you in your home as normal for meet and greets. However, we are also launching Video Call Meet & Greets for those of you who would prefer it. Obviously this isn’t how we would normally do things but feel it is right to adapt in this direction for now, to keep things as streamlined as possible. This is the part of booking which might seem a bit more complicated now, but it needn't be with our new adaptations. Our procedures for each choice are as follows;

FACE TO FACE MEET & GREETS

We will wash our hands prior to leaving our homes or the visit beforehand, and then hand sanitiser will be used on leaving our cars when we arrive at your house. We can wear a mask and gloves should you wish.

We will be asking that social distancing is followed, and therefore would ask that it be only the person who made the booking showing us round (especially if the communal areas in your house are small) but if necessary, no more than 2 people. We can even go through things in your garden if you’d prefer it.

We would usually use this meeting to make our introductions and a fuss of your cat(s), if they’re willing, but we will have plenty of time for that on our visits so if you would prefer us not to on this occasion that’s perfectly fine!

We will need to collect a spare key, so would ask that this key is placed in an envelope or small food bag prior to us arriving, and then placed on a surface for us to pick up when signalled by you. This is the only time in the meeting we will touch anything in your home.

We won’t be able to accept cups of tea or coffee at this moment in time (although we very much appreciate the generosity and I’m sure we will be pining for one!). Sorry but we will also not be able to shake hands.

We would ask that your wipe down your front door handle when we leave just we a precaution for you.

VIDEO CALL MEET & GREETS

This would be at a set time in the few weeks run up to your dates the same as a normal meeting, and can be done via FaceTime, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp Video Call.

In the call, we will go through all the usual information we need and answer any questions, and also ask that you show us where things are kept if they aren’t going to be in a specific place.

We will also ask if you can show us the kitties we will be looking after, and their favourite spots so we know who we are looking after! We quite often go to meetings where the cats are outside, so in this instance sending us a photo would suffice. You might even get to meet our own kitties if they decide they would like to be part of the meeting!

We can also discuss how we will pick up the key - keys can be dropped through our home letterboxes if you are happy with that, or we can do a ‘drive by’ key collection where we would knock on your door at an arranged time, stand well back for you to put the key on your doorstep for us to get when you have closed your door. This way you can see us in the flesh too!

As normal, our insurance and DBS certificates can be supplied at any time for peace of mind.

KEY DROPS & KEY RETURNS
When dropping a key off for us through our letterboxes, rest assured the flaps will be disinfected at regular intervals throughout the day when we are home. Please put the key in an envelope with ONLY YOUR CATS NAME or YOUR SURNAME on when you drop them off. This is so we know who’s is who’s but also to protect you. We will supply full address details and our doors are quite obvious so you know you’re in the right place. When we are returning keys, we will wipe the key down with sanitiser before putting in a envelope. If we are dropping it through your door, we will sanitise our hands before dropping it off. Remember that we also hold keys for future bookings so if you would like us to do this, even just until things are moving forward, please let us know. They are stored in locked safes at our homes.

PAPERWORK & PAYMENT
All of our paperwork is done electronically, including invoicing, so you have no need to worry about touching a pen or paper. We would ask at this time that payment is done by BACS transfer, and no cash left for safety reasons. This can be done anytime up to 48 hours of your return home.

We hope this is all reassuring and if you have any special requests yourself, or any questions please drop us message as we are very accommodating and flexible. You can write any extra information on the contact form and we will get back to you ASAP.

How Much Does It Cost?

Our standard rates for main areas of Norwich are as follows:

NR1/NR2/NR3/NR4: £7.50-£8 PER VISIT

NR5/NR6/NR7/Thorpe End: £8-£8.50 PER VISIT - NR8: £9 PER VISIT

Trowse: £8-8.50 PER VISIT - Rackheath/Salhouse/Spixworth/Little Plumstead: £8.50 PER VISIT

Please click here to view our full price list, and send us an enquiry if we don't list your area as we may still be able to help. Please note prices depend on your full postcode.

How Long Are Your Visits & What Happens While You Are There?

Please note, due to current circumstances, we have an updated set of guidelines surrounding hygiene that we follow on visits which we will discuss with you when you book.

We tailor each visit to suit the needs of every individual cat, as we understand that all cats are very different and like to be around people in different ways. We take a great deal of time really getting to know each cat that we look after to ensure they have the best possible care. This includes taking all the notes we need on our initial meeting, and taking our first few visits with your cat slowly so they get to know us and us them.

There is no set visit time because as we mentioned above, every cat is different and we judge the visits on each cat's personality, so durations can vary depending on this. If your cat is particularly playful, we can have fun with toys and games! Some cats just love to be brushed and stroked so if this is your cat – leave out the brush! Or if your cat is more of the independent type and simply wants to be fed and let out or left alone to snooze, then that’s fine too! For very nervous cats and cats that find visits from strangers particularly stressful, our approach would be to ensure they have everything they need to be safe, well, fed and watered on a daily basis and leave them to relax quietly in their 'safe place' without any further disruption or anxiety. Despite being anxious, these types of cats are still much better off with a sitter in their own home, with their own smells and routine, than in a cattery.

We can discuss what type of visit you think your cat will want at the time of booking, and will use this information on our first few visits to really tailor our service to the needs of your cat!

As well as plenty of fuss and play for cats who love company, and the obvious feeding and watering, we offer the following as standard on each visit:

- Clean feeding areas, wash food bowls on every visit and clean up any mess made throughout the booking.
- Clean, change and empty litter trays as directed and change bedding of small animals when instructed.
- Small household chores such as watering of plants, gathering mail, turning on lights, radios and opening/closing of curtains. (Please note for big gardens we may add an extra charge)
- Making sure we have seen your cat when possible, especially if they prefer the less-is-more approach and tend to be out and about watching the day go by when we visit!

How Many Visits Does My Cat Need & What Time Will You Visit?

For visit amount, ultimately it's up to you, but when you're choosing how many visits to book in, have a think about your cats normal routine. Do they tend to just graze on a dry food diet? Do they go in and out as they please and possibly may not be around when we visit? Are they on a second meal which could be set in a timer bowl? Are they more aloof with strangers than with you? If so, your cat will likely be fine with a once daily visit.

If your cat craves human attention, has twice daily medications, needs their cat flap locked overnight, or you have multiple cats free-feeding on wet food meals then you may need twice daily visits. We would also suggest twice daily visits as standard for kittens and elderly cats, and we can cater to three visits a day for them too depending on availability.

If you are wanting twice daily visits, please take into consideration our visit time slots (listed on the contact form) when booking our starting and finishing visits, depending on the time you are leaving and arriving back home.  There may also be selected days where we offer a limited service of once daily visits (unless for medication), due to working 7 days a week.  We will always mention this on booking and can loan out food timers for those days if needed.

Our time slots are generally the following, but can extend either side depending on volume of bookings: 

AM/Mornings: 830AM - 12 NOON

Lunch: 11.30AM-330PM

PM/Evenings: 3.30pm - 730pm

We work to a route depending on our schedules for each day so due to that reason unfortunately we cannot offer specific times for visits, but will guarantee the visit will fall into the time of day you have requested. For once daily visits, please specify a slot on the contact form if your cat isn't OK with a flexible time. If you choose a flexible timed visit, it will usually be sometime between 9am-6pm depending on when we are in the area.

For cats on time-specific medications (e.g. Insulin injections) please let us know on the initial booking so we can plan our routes accordingly to space out the doses as much as possible.

Can You Administer Medication? What Happens If My Pet Becomes Ill While I'm Away?

Yes!

We have plenty of experience with most forms of medicine; tablets, injections, liquids, inhalers and creams. Please state in your first message if your cat will need medication and if they are time-specific and we will do our best to accommodate this.

If your cat becomes unwell or is injured while you are away, with your permission we will take them to a vet and bring them home again when they have been assessed. We will give any aftercare advised by the vet while you're still away. If we can't contact you or your emergency contact given on our meeting, we will use our own judgement before making a decision as a duty of care. Before going away, please check with your vet on their procedure for cat sitters in case the need arises!

It's handy for us to have an emergency contact number, someone local, in case anything happens to you while you're away, or we need help with vet visits, so please think ahead about who this could be and give it to us on meeting, or leave it out for our first visit.

Will You Send Me Updates?

If you would like us to, we will keep you updated throughout the booking with messages, pictures and videos so you can feel confident that your lovely cat is OK while you are away from home. Please note it isn't always possible for us to take photos/videos at every visit, but rest assured we will send them when we get them! Updates can be sent by text, WhatsApp or email either daily or sporadically throughout your booking, or if you prefer the no-news-is-good-news approach, then you can opt for us to only contact you in an emergency. The frequency of updates can be discussed in our initial meeting. Please note that photos and videos can only be sent via WhatsApp or Email.

How Do I Make A Booking & What Happens Next?

Simply fill out our contact form below! Click here to scroll down to it. After you have made your booking and we have confirmed it, we will be in touch closer to the time to arrange coming to meet you all and collect a key.  Once we've made contact, you can then text or email us personally for future bookings going forward as well.

Once you have made your booking and had it confirmed, we will contact you in the month run up to your start date to arrange a suitable time to meet you and your cat/s. This meeting will usually be in the few weeks before your starting date, so that the information is fresh for us. Due to current circumstances, we can also offer Video Call Meet & Greets, if you would prefer it. We have an updated set of guidelines surrounding social distancing in meetings and hygiene on visits which you can read above in the red section at the top of this FAQ.

Please note that we both cover separate areas of the city, so the sitter for your area will reply to your query personally. We have assistants helping us in our local areas, who are also fully insured and DBS checked and will use all the same information we collect on our initial meeting.  We will always tell you if one of our assistants is working any of your dates.

We will also need to collect a spare key, so please make sure you have one ready for us when we come. During the meeting, we will spend some time getting to know your cat/s and taking notes on all the important information including vet registration, general daily routine and feeding instructions, medication requirements, all their quirky likes and dislikes and much more!

What Happens To My Keys When You Have Collected Them & How Do You Return Them?

Your keys are stored in a locked safe at our homes and only used when on a booking with your cat. None of your personal information is given to any other party other than the sitter on your booking, unless we are told to by you. Key return will vary depending on who your sitter is, your preference and whether you have any other key holders, and will be discussed with you on meeting. Due to current circumstances, we have an updated set of guidelines surrounding social distancing and hygiene for key drops, collections and key returns which we will discuss with you when you book.

Do You Hold Keys For Future Bookings?

Yes! Holding your key can save a lot of time out of your busy life to drop us a key, or be at home for a key collection, and it helps to ensure our availability for your bookings.  We still need notice for bookings from key holders, especially at peak times, but it definitely helps to streamline things.

All keys held are all marked with a clear identity tag (with no address or surname!) in a securely locked location at each of our homes and can be returned to you if needed at your request, when we are next able.

Some benefits of this free-of-charge extra are as follows:
- Flexibility for short notice requests, emergency visits and if you go away a lot throughout peak times.
- Avoids the need for arranging keys at an anti-social or inconvenient time in the run up to your booking.
- Ensures we still have a key after the last visit is completed just in case any delays occur or you decide to extend your trip last minute.
- There will be someone within city centre reach with a key to your property should it be needed. Please note that as we work long hours we would need notice for returning keys, as we do not carry them unless we are on a booking with your cat and may not be in your area. Therefore, if you lock yourself out please be prepared for us to not be available and be ready to call a locksmith just incase.

Please mention if you would like us to hold a key when booking, and have a spare key available on the date we arrange. There is also the option of leaving a key in a safe place, or we are well versed in all types of key safe so are happy to use one of these if you have one.

Do You Have A Cancellation Policy?

Yes, we do have a cancellation policy, which will vary depending on your sitter, and outlined by them on their invoice or terms and conditions. This is generally 50% within 72 hours of your booking start date (this varies over the festive period), and then a full charge if cancelled during your booking. Please click here to view our terms and conditions. Please note, we are NOT extending our cancellation policy beyond these terms in light of Covid-19 as of 1/4/2020. We value your custom and support at such a difficult time.

Do You Work Over Christmas & New Year?

We do!

However, there is a limited service, and visits tend to be shorter than normal periods due to volume (especially Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day). We work very long hours over the festive season, and book up extremely quickly as it is our busiest time of year, so its best to book in advance (we fill up as far in advance as October).  The service for the festive season is as follows;

Christmas Day & Boxing Day - Once a day visits only, unless for medication.  Please take into consideration that the visit can be anytime from 8am to 6pm, so have a think about when you're leaving or getting home on those days if necessary, as we can always leave extra food out the visit before.  These days are also a double visit charge (so £15-£16 per visit if you are our local areas).

New Years Day - we offer twice on this day depending on availability, but is a visit and a half charge per visit (so £11-12 per visit if you are our local areas)

Please note that our cancellation policies are extended for bookings in the festive period, with 50% of your invoice being due if cancelled 7 working days before your booking start date.  This is because we turn away even more work over these periods, alot earlier in the year, and its harder for us to fill the spaces up the closer it gets to Christmas and New Year due to the amount of holiday days which take away days for us to fit in meetings.  If you think a friend may end up being able to do any of your visits please firm these up before booking, to minimize risk of cancellation fees.

In the same way, we also work all bank holidays, which also incur a slightly higher fee per visit (A visit charge, and a half, so £11-12 a visit for local areas for example).

Extra Services

PET TO VET TAXI SERVICE

This service proved very popular over the lockdown period, but since restrictions have eased we have become increasingly busier with cat visits so have made the decision to halt this service. If you need your cat taken to the vet please contact us and we will do our best to help.

HOUSE SITTING POP INS

For house sitting, where there are no pets present, we run a sister company called Check On My House, offering pop-in visits to water plants, take in mail and create a lived-in feel while you're away.  To visit the website please click here. House sitting pop-ins start at £5 per visit depending on your postcode.