How visits work
Once you have become a new client with Austin Cat Sitters, set up an account in our software (Time to Pet) and had your on-boarding with a Manager, you are ready to request visits using Time to Pet desktop or app. For more info about joining us and on boarding, please review the New Client Intake page. Below is summary of how visits to your home work.
1. Sitters are assigned
During your zoom or phone call on-boarding with a Manager, they will help set up your Time to Pet (ttp) profile and account. At this time, they will also assign several sitters to your account based on geography of where they live in relation to your home. Depending on what days of the week you book visits, how many days in a row and if they are am (7am to 11am) pm (4pm to 8pm) or Once a day (OAD) will determine which sitters are assigned, to which visits.
Unlike asking a friend or working with a smaller sitting company that would need to cancel your visit if a sitter has an illness or emergency, Austin Cat Sitters will quickly reassign a sitter to ensure your visits are completed. Our sitters are experienced cat folks and have Manager support continuously every single day.
2. Visits are completed
Sitters are assigned visits 24 hours before they are scheduled and look through your profile to ensure they have all of the info they need. Once they arrive to your home, they start the timer in the app and proceed to follow all of your instructions (You can update your profile in real time 24/7) If a sitter needs any assistance or has any questions, they can text or call a Manager who will immediately be able to help.
Sitters are experienced in cat care and quickly recognize any issues. If your kitty looks to be lethargic, hasn’t used the litter box or eaten anything, the sitter will contact Manager immediately. They will also record their findings to you in the end of visit report.. This report includes lock-up photo’s, before and after pics of food, water & litter box. In the event of an emergency, the sitter will speak with a Manager who will help resolve the situation (all of our Managers are trained in first aid and cpr.) This could be taking a kitty to the emergency vet, sending an additional member of our team to assist or anything in between. With over 30,000 visits annually, we have pretty much seen it all!
3. End of visit reports & after care
The sitter will spend the last few minutes of each visit writing up a report to send directly to you (within ttp, Time to Pet) and will include a written description of the visit and photo’s to document. The reports serve a few different purposes. They of course allow you to know that both your kittie(s) and home are safe and secure.
Our Managers will read each report and check photos to make sure the home is secured and to see if they spot any issues. You will receive an identical report which is a secondary safety net and if you notice anything specific you can message the sitter and / or a Manager.
Another huge difference between Austin Cat Sitters and other sitting companies, is our sitters are employees. Since they are not contractors, they are not incentivized to do visits as quickly as possible without much accountability. Instead, their focus is on your kitty’s welfare, your home and your experience. In addition, we are able to offer training and feedback to make sure we are not only the biggest feline service in town, we are the best.