Earn your place in the Meowtel Cat Sitter Community

Last updated: June 15, 2023 at 11:00am PST

In order to keep our community safe and be able to continue offering our services during COVID-19, we have developed a 5-step checklist for our customers.

Our recommended safety plan while conducting reservations is as follows:

1. Prior to setting up the Meet & Greet, please disclose your vaccination status to your sitter as that may affect whether or not you proceed with an in-person or virtual Meet & Greet.
2. Conduct Meet & Greets with your sitter via FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype if you have keyless entry. In-person Meet & Greets may be conducted if both parties are comfortable doing so.
3. For the key exchange or in-person Meet & Greet, it is encouraged that both parties wear a face mask.
4. Sitters are not required to wear a face mask while making visits in the client's home, regardless of their vaccination status. Face masks do not need to be worn during overnight reservations.
5. For the key drop-off, do the same as step 3.

If a sitter starts to feel ill while conducting a reservation and they are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, they should let you know immediately.

Please chat with your sitter before making a reservation to ensure both parties' expectations can be met and the reservation can be conducted safely. If you have any questions or need assistance with a safety plan for your home and for your kitties, please call or email The Bellhop.

Go to Account > My Cats and Click on Add More Cats.

If your reservation qualifies for the Meowtel Promise, only the cats listed on the reservation are insured and guaranteed care, so it is important to accurately list all of the cats in your home in your account and ensure they are included on the reservation. If a sitter encounters a household that did not accurately report the number of cats, the sitter will contact us to update the reservation, and you will be charged accordingly.

Your cats’ profiles are also where you will list their vaccination dates, medications, feeding instructions, likes and dislikes, etc. The more detailed you are when completing these sections the better equipped your sitter will be to provide the specific care you would like your cat(s) to receive while you’re away.

In preparation for your reservation, it is also important to complete the Vet Release Form. In the event of a medical emergency where your sitter cannot contact you to authorize care immediately and directly, your sitter will use this form to obtain veterinary care for your kitty. A copy of this form will be supplied to your primary vet, by your sitter, to authorize any emergency care needed. It is also recommended that you supply this completed form to your primary vet in advance, along with a copy of an authorized credit card to be kept on file. Without this completed form, Meowtel sitters are not legally authorized to transport your cat(s) to seek medical attention.

We understand if you don't have your cat's vaccination records available right now. Just do your best to fill out the information as thoroughly as possible. You can always update this section later to ensure your sitter can provide the best care.

Please visit your Reservations screen in your Account Dashboard to review, modify, or cancel a reservation.

While logged into your Meowtel account, you may update your home address on the My Information screen. 

Please be sure to check that your address, phone number, and email address are up to date each time you make a new Meowtel reservation. Your email address and phone number need to be accurate in order to access your account and contact your sitter. And your home address, of course, must be correct so that your sitter is able to find your home and provide service.

Please visit your Payment Methods screen in your Account Dashboard to add, edit, or remove a payment method.

We’re sad to see you leave! However, if you wish to deactivate your account, please visit your Account page. Scroll to the bottom, and click on Deactivate account. 

Please note: This process is for cat parent accounts only. If you’re a Meowtel cat sitter wishing to deactivate your account, please visit this page for more details, and/or send us an email at sitters@meowtel.com.

The Vet Release Form is an optional but highly recommended section of your account to complete before you travel. This form authorizes your sitter to take your cat(s) to your designated vet in the event of an emergency. Without this completed form, we cannot take your cat to an emergency hospital or vet clinic.

If you haven’t yet established care with a primary vet, we suggest doing a quick Google search to identify a local vet clinic where your sitter can take your cat(s) in case of an emergency. This step can save valuable time in a life-threatening situation—it's always best to be prepared as a cat parent!

In the event of an emergency, if your Meowtel sitter needs to take your cat(s) to the vet, they will need to be compensated for the additional time spent. Payment can be collected from your payment method on file, or you can choose to add it as a tip at the end of your reservation.

Recommended Compensation Guidelines:

1. For emergency vet visits* that last between 30-60 minutes, we recommend compensating the sitter at their 60-minute rate.
2. For emergency vet visits* that exceed one hour, compensation should be based on the sitter’s 20-minute rate, multiplied by each 20-minute increment of time spent on the visit. For example, if a sitter spends 2 hours (120 minutes) at the vet and their 20-minute rate is $25, the fair compensation would be: (120 minutes ÷ 20 minutes) = 6 x $25 = $150.

*Emergency vet visits include the commute time to and from the clinic, wait time, checkup time, and discharge time.