

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
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
PAPERWORK & PAYMENT
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.
