Can I book a specific time slot for you to come?
Paws At Home Limited do not book your cat in for a particular time slot and our visits are not timed. We vary the arrival time of our visit within our morning and evening rounds. This way nobody sees someone visiting your house at the same time each day, which could highlight the fact that you are not there.
How long are your visits?
While some companies charge ‘x’ amount for fifteen or thirty minutes we only charge per visit. The duration of each visit will depend purely on what you as owners would like us to do and the requirements of the cat. Along with the practical aspects of maintaining food, water and clean litter trays, socialising including playtime with their favourite toy and fuss with your cat are an important part of our visits. Experience tells us that visits of about twenty minutes usually enable us to cater for all your cats needs.
There is another cat sitting service in your area that appears to be cheaper?
When comparing different cat care services it is important to ensure that you are actually comparing like for like. The cheapest option may not always the most suitable for you and your cats needs. Rather than just being a ‘pop in’ or ‘cat feeding’ service, Paws At Home Limited believe the well being of your cat is more than just the practicalities of cat care. We offer a comprehensive service that caters for your cats specific requirements including playtime with their favourite toy and lots of loves and fuss.
I have never used a pet sitting service before and am wary of giving my keys over and allowing strangers into my home, what security measures do you have in place?
It is understandable that you maybe apprehensive about using a pet sitting service for the first time. At Paws At Home Limited we take the responsibility of looking after your cats and your home seriously. We are a family run business; the only people who will have access to your home are the three people on our team Hilary, Don and Geoff. We all have current clean DBS checks and can provide relevant paperwork and identification for you upon our initial meeting. We deliberately do not turn up in vehicles branded with our company information, nor do we wear a uniform, we remain inconspicuous so as not to draw attention to your absence from the property. Your house keys will be locked in our secure key safe and only taken out when we are paying a visit to your property and will then be returned to the safe, they will not remain on our person for any longer than is necessary. Your keys will be identified only by your cats name all other information about you will be held separately. As part of our standard services we will remove visible post, and for those who have booked the two visits per day we can also open and close curtains, turn lights on/off as requested and put your bins out for the weekly collection giving your home the lived in look.
What is the booking process?
Paws At Home Limited booking process is easy;
1. Please complete the booking form on our website which details the dates you require.
2. We will send you a quote for our service based upon your requirments. (We aim to reply within forty eight hours.)
3. If you would like to proceed then we ask you to confirm by email.
4. Once we have received this email we will send you an invoice for the booking. At this time a deposit of twenty five percent of the overall bill (subject to a minimum deposit of £20) is due to be paid via internet banking. We cannot guarantee your booking until we have received your deposit.
5. Upon receipt of the deposit a registration pack will then be emailed to you which will include the forms that need to be printed and completed.
A week before you go away we will arrange a meeting where we will come to your house meet your cats, collect your keys and go through the relevant paperwork. The remainder of the invoice is to be settled via internet banking forty eight hours before we commence our service.
If you are an existing client then within the week before you go away we will arrange to collect your keys, a small charge to cover time and petrol applies. The remainder of your bill is to be settled via internet banking forty eight hours before we commence our service.
We aim to return clients keys to you within fourty eight hours of you confirming you have returned home.
Instead of daily visit I would like you to go every other day can you do that?
At Paws At Home Limited the duty of care we undertake for your cats health and welfare is of paramount importance therefore we do not offer alternate day visits under any circumstances. In order to be able to maintain the welfare of your cat it is our policy to make at least one visit per day for the duration that you are away.
Do you have insurance?
Paws At Home have public liability insurance which is held with Pet Business Insurance.
What if I am delayed coming home can you still look after my cat?
We appreciate that due to unforeseen circumstances people can experience delays upon returning home, for this reason we retain your keys until you confirm you are safely home as opposed to posting them through your letterbox after their final visit. If you are delayed please contact us at your earliest convenience and we will continue to look after your cat for those extra few days. Payments for these extra visits is to be made no later than the day you return home.
How much notice do you require for bookings?
Whilst it is helpful for us to have as much notice as possible especially during our peak times of summer and Christmas, we are able to undertake booking with short notice as long as we have availability. For your first booking ideally we require a minimum of a week to enable us to arrange our initial meeting at a time convenient to both parties.
My cat is used to going out, will you be able to let them out whilst we are away or do they have to remain inside?
At Paws At Home Limited either your cat will remain inside whilst you are away or it has twenty four hour access to outside via a cat flap.
If you do not currently have a cat flap your cat will need to remain inside. We are unable to let your cat in and out due to the uncertainty of how long the cat is likely to want to stay out and when it might choose to return. Experience tells us that often cats do not necessarily come in when called especially if called by strangers. If your cat is to remain inside for the duration of your absence we are confident that they would prefer to remain at home surrounded by familiar sights and smells, still being able to curl up in their favourite spot as opposed to in a cattery with unfamiliar sight, sounds, smells and lots of other cats.
Do you pass any of my details onto a third party?
Paws At Home Limited fully comply with all GDPR legislation and our policy has always been that your details remain in the strictest of confidence and will never be passed on to any third party without your written permission.
Can you give my cat it’s medication?
We are happy to administer any oral medication your cat may require however at this time we are unable to administer injections.
What happens if my cat becomes ill whilst I am away?
If we feel that there is a problem with your cats health we will make every endeavour to contact you immediately. If we are not able to contact you, we will then endeavour to liaise with the emergency contact you have provided. If necessary we will take your cat to the vets, where possible this will be your own local vet as specified on your cats veterinary release form. However if for any reason we are unable to use your vets we will take your cat to our vets which is The Barn Animal Hospital. We will follow all instructions the vet recommends and keep you fully informed of the situation. You are liable for all veterinary costs and we will liaise with you regarding this. There will be a charge of £10 for any vet visit up to an hour, additional time will incur additional cost, plus 45p per mile for additoinal travel cost.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellations 28 days or more before the start date of our services will receive a full deposit refund. However if you cancel within 28 days of your start date you will only receive 50% refund of your deposit.
If we arrive home early can we get a refund?
Yes you will get a full refund of any full day that we are no longer attending. This will be paid via internet banking.
We have decided to stay away another week, can you continue to look after our cat ?
Yes but we will require you to let us know at the earliest convenience and payment will be required upon confirmation of this extension.
What happens if whilst we are away there is a break in at our house?
We will report this to the police and contact your "in case of emergency" contact immediately and follow all advice given.
What other services do you provide?
Paws At Home Limited standard service includes looking after your cat as required, post being brought in, watering of house plants, your bins being put out and the opening and closing of curtains and lights being turned on and off (two visits per day only) as required. We also offer additional services to cater for your needs whilst away we are happy if needed to water gardens and greenhouses for a small additional fee dependant upon size prices to be confirmed upon booking.
If we are already looking after your cat and you have other small animals that you would like us to look after also we will be happy to consider undertaking this at an additional cost please see our pricing tariff. At Paws At Home Limited our primary service is the welfare of cats and we only undertake looking after other animals if we are already contracted to provide care for your cat.
Some other pet sitting service charge extra for weekends and peak holiday times, and then double for bank holidays and Christmas do you?
Paws At Home Limited do not charge extra for weekends or peak holiday times like july/august, after all this is when our services are in highest demand. However for bank holidays we charge time and a half your daily rate and Christmas Day, New Years Day and Easter Sunday is charged at double your daily rate.