Covid-19: Social Distancing & Hygiene Guidelines
Given the current situation with the pandemic, 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 'for the times', we have put together some new guidelines for the tasks we do in our jobs, to keep ourselves and our clients safe and reassured. We have also passed the following course in 'Preventing Covid-19' to give you that extra peace of mind that we are following all the right information to protect your homes and your cats.
CAN YOU VISIT IF I HAVE TO GO TO HOSPITAL?
Yes we can! Please make sure you let us know at the first instance whether or not your trip is Covid related, or if you have symptoms. We can still visit if you have, but may need to alter precautions if so. You should:
Make our first visit the day after you leave for hospital (unless you are leaving prior to 9am or there is time specific medication involved for the first evening) so that it makes it safer for us and also to adhere to social distancing incase of cross overs!
Sanitise light switches and the main door handle we will initially use as you leave. We will sanitise regularly throughout visits as usual, including any surfaces we come into contact with
When you know you are coming home it is vital that you let us know in advance, or immediately on return. It is easiest to do this via text message, WhatsApp or email, as we are more likely to see it quicker, or you can leave us a voicemail.
Be aware we preferably still need to do a meet & greet and collect a key. If you have Covid symptoms we cannot do this face to face. You could ask a friend or relative to meet us to go through things, or we are doing video call meet and greets too so you can see us while we go through information. We would then arrange to collect the key with no contact unless you want to leave it in a safe place or key safe box. We understand some hospital visits are urgent and you may not have time for this, or don't have a family member to do it for you. We can send across our insurance details and even put you in contact with a couple of existing clients if this is the case, and you can leave the key in a safe place for us to collect.
We would discuss payment with you on enquiry, but depending on how long your stay is and your circumstances with being able to pay from hospital, we would generally invoice on your return.
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, and use our own bin bags so we are not touching your household bin at all. If you require us to pull wheelie bins in and out, we will sanitise the handles before moving them each time.
To protect ourselves, we are asking we are the only ones entering your home when you are away. If for some reason there is someone else visiting (eg. Cleaner), please let us know in advance the dates and times that they will be there so we can avoid these and sanitise surfaces we use.
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 if you wish.
- We will be asking that the 2m rule is adhered to, 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 you wipe down your front door handle when we leave just as an extra 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 to 'meet' the kitties we will be looking after, and their favourite spots so we know where to look! 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
We generally ask for subsequent bookings AFTER our first meet & greet, or if you can't give us a key on first meeting, that you drop your keys through our letterbox at a convenient time for you. Due to current social distancing guidelines, to limit the amount of different people we are seeing, we are making this standard. We would also recommend if you go away alot or at short notice, that you ask us to hold a key for future bookings to save unnecessary trips where possible. Your keys are marked only with your name or your cats names and stored in a locked safe in our homes. You are also welcome to specify a safe place for leaving your key before/after a booking. There has never been any problems with this method, but please be aware that If you opt for this we cannot be held responsible for anything that happens to them before us getting to them, or leaving them.
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.
