Question 1

What actually happens during a visit?

Accepted Answer

We let ourselves in, say hello, and feed your cat the way you feed her. We change the water rather than topping it up, clean the litter tray, give any medication, and take the waste out with us. Then we stay a while. Depending on the cat that means brushing, playing, or sitting quietly in the same room while she pretends not to care. Before we leave we check the house, post, bins, curtains, heating, nothing leaking, and we send you a photo and a few lines about how it went. A visit takes around half an hour. We're not in and out in ninety seconds.

Question 2

How many visits a day does my cat need?

Accepted Answer

One visit a day is enough for a lot of confident, healthy adult cats on dry food who are used to their own company. Two visits a day is the better choice if your cat has wet food, needs medication, is very young, very old, unwell, anxious, or simply hates being on her own. It also doubles the chance of actually laying eyes on an outdoor cat, and it halves the gap between meals. If you're not sure, ring us and describe your cat. We'll tell you which one she needs, and it isn't always the more expensive one.

Question 3

Do you look after dogs or other pets?

Accepted Answer

No. We only look after cats. Cats are the species that suffers most from being moved somewhere unfamiliar, and the species whose discomfort is hardest to spot. Doing one thing means we're not fitting your visit around a dog walk on the other side of Witney, and it means the person coming into your house looks at cats all day, every day.

Question 4

What is the Visit Note?

Accepted Answer

It's a photo of your cat and a few lines about the visit, sent the same day by text or WhatsApp, whichever you prefer. Not a template, and not always good news. If she didn't eat, we say so. If she stayed under the bed the whole time, we say that too. You can't relax on a beach unless you believe what you're being told. If you'd like it sent to a second person as well, a partner, a parent, a house-sitter, just say so when we collect the keys.

Question 5

Do you look after the house as well?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it's included rather than an extra. We bring the post in and stack it somewhere sensible, put the bins out and back on the right day, open and close curtains so the place looks lived in, water the plants, and keep an eye out for anything obviously wrong, a flashing boiler, an open window in the rain, a freezer door that hasn't shut. We're happy to do the odd small job too. Ask when we collect the keys. If it's small and it's sensible, the answer is nearly always yes.

Question 6

Do you visit at set times?

Accepted Answer

Roughly, yes. Morning visits happen in the morning and evening visits happen in the evening, and we'll keep to your cat's usual mealtimes as closely as a round allows. We won't promise 7:15am on the dot, because that's a promise nobody can keep in a Cotswold winter. If your cat is on time-critical medication, insulin for example, tell us early and we'll build the round around it.

Question 7

What if my cat hides the whole time?

Accepted Answer

Plenty do, especially for the first couple of days. It's normal and it isn't a problem. We won't drag anyone out from under a bed. We'll check that food has gone, check the tray, have a quiet look in the usual spots, leave her be, and tell you in the Visit Note that she stayed put. Most cats come round by about day three, and the photo you get on that day is generally worth the wait.

Question 8

My cat goes outside. Is that a problem?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. Most of the cats we look after come and go as they please. For outdoor cats we'd usually suggest two visits a day, because it doubles the chance of seeing them and shortens the gap between meals. We'll leave food safely, check whether it's gone, and look in the usual hiding places. If we haven't seen your cat, we'll say so in the Visit Note rather than sending a photo of an empty sofa. If she hasn't been seen across several visits, we'll ring you.

Question 9

Can you give medication?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and there's no extra charge for it. Tablets, liquids, ear and eye drops, and injections including insulin. Show us how you do it when we collect the keys. Every cat has its own particular method, and yours will have opinions. For anything time-critical, tell us at the booking stage so we can schedule around it properly.

Question 10

What if my cat becomes ill while I'm away?

Accepted Answer

We ring you first. If we can't reach you, we ring the emergency contact you've given us. If it's urgent and we still can't reach anyone, we take your cat to your own vet, which is why we ask for your vet's details and your permission in writing before you travel. You stay responsible for veterinary fees, so it's worth checking your pet insurance covers treatment authorised by a carer. We'll keep you updated the whole way through.

Question 11

Isn't a cattery safer?

Accepted Answer

A good cattery is a perfectly safe place, and it has one advantage over us: there are people on site around the clock. We visit once or twice a day, and we won't pretend otherwise. What a cattery can't avoid is the rest of it, the carrier, the car, the unfamiliar building, the smell and sound of other cats through a wall, and a second round trip on the day you get home. For most cats that's the stressful part, not the being alone. Which matters more depends entirely on your cat, and we're happy to talk it through even if the answer is that a cattery suits you better.

Question 12

How do you get into my house?

Accepted Answer

Before you travel we arrange a time to come round and collect your keys in person. It takes about twenty minutes and it's when we go through everything, where the food is, which cat is which, the alarm code, the quirk with the back door, your vet's details. Keys are kept securely and are never labelled with your name or address. When you're home you can have them straight back, or we can hold them for next time, whichever you prefer, and we'll confirm it in writing either way.

Question 13

Can I meet you before I book?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The key collection visit is exactly that, and there's no charge for it. Plenty of people use it to decide whether they're comfortable, which is entirely fair. You're about to give a stranger your front door key. If you'd rather meet before committing to dates, ring us and we'll sort something out.

Question 14

How far in advance should I book?

Accepted Answer

A couple of weeks is plenty for most of the year, and we can often manage a few days' notice, sometimes same-day if you're close to Witney. Christmas, Easter and the summer school holidays fill up early, so if you already know your dates, tell us now. Bookings from Carterton and Brize Norton around deployments are a special case: get in touch as soon as you have an idea, even a vague one, and we'll work with it.

Question 15

What if my flight is delayed and I get home late?

Accepted Answer

Ring or message us and we'll add a visit. It happens constantly and we'd far rather add one than have you racing back from Heathrow worrying about a cat. Extra visits are charged at the normal daily rate and we'll invoice for them separately when you're home. If you get back early instead, tell us and we'll refund the days we didn't use.

Question 16

Which areas do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Witney and roughly eight miles around it. That includes Carterton, Brize Norton, Eynsham, Ducklington, Curbridge, Standlake, Stanton Harcourt, Minster Lovell, North Leigh, Long Hanborough, Freeland, Bampton, Woodstock and Burford, along with the villages in between. There's no travel supplement anywhere in that area, the price is the price. If you're just outside it, ring us anyway. The map isn't a wall.

Question 17

What does it cost?

Accepted Answer

£13 a day for one visit, or £24 a day for two. That covers up to three cats, because the second and third are mostly just extra bowls. Four or more cats is £2 per extra cat per day. Medication is included. Home care, post, bins, curtains, plants, is included. There is no travel supplement anywhere in our area, and no booking fee.

Question 18

Do you charge extra on bank holidays?

Accepted Answer

Only on four days a year: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Easter Sunday, which are charged at one and a half times the normal rate. Every other bank holiday is charged at the standard rate.

Question 19

How and when do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Payment is by bank transfer, in full, before you travel. Once we've confirmed your dates we'll send you an invoice with our details on it, and we ask for it to be settled before your first visit. It means there's no admin waiting for you when you land, and nothing outstanding while you're away. If your trip gets extended, we'll invoice for the extra days separately when you're home. If you come back early, we'll refund the days we didn't use.

Question 20

What if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

Cancel more than seven days before the first visit and you get a full refund. Inside seven days, we refund half. If you cancel on the day the booking was due to start, we're not able to refund it. Plans change and we're reasonable people. If something has gone badly wrong, talk to us.

Question 21

Are you insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We carry public liability insurance covering the care of animals in clients' homes. If you'd like to see the certificate, ask and we'll email it over before you book. Please do ask, of us and of anyone else you're considering. Anyone reputable will send it without blinking.

Question 22

Are you DBS checked?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We're DBS checked, and we'll email you a copy of the certificate alongside the insurance if you'd like to see it before you book.

Question 23

What happens to my keys and my data?

Accepted Answer

Keys are stored securely, never labelled with your name or address, and returned or retained at your instruction, confirmed in writing either way. Your details are used to look after your cat and to invoice you, and nothing else. We don't sell data, we don't share it, and we don't send marketing you haven't asked for. The full detail is in our privacy policy.

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