In order to give you flexibility and control over your cat sitting business, Service Zones allow you to select the exact zip codes for where you want to visit clients!

How do I set up or change a Service Zone?

1) Click/tap "Home" in your sitter dashboard menu (all Service Zones defaulted to the name Home, but you can rename this to anything you wish!)

2) Click/tap the map areas under the heading "Zip Codes Covered" areas that are blue on the map indicate your currently selected service area.

3) Click/tap blue areas if you wish to deselect them and exclude them from your Service Zone. You can also tap the little red "x" next to each zip code below the map to remove by listed zip code.

NOTE: If you are making adjustments in the Meowtel App, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to tap the SAVE button after any changes are made!

You may select as many zip codes as you would like to service and at least 1 is always required. You may adjust your Service Zone whenever needed. You are only visible in client searches for the zip codes you have selected in blue.

What is a Second Service Zone?

A second Service Zone is great for sitters who would like to sit close to home on some days and closer to a work or school location on other days when they will be spending more time there. It can also be very useful for sitters who live near bridges or toll roads and would like to have higher rates for those areas where traveling back and forth is more expensive or time consuming.

Setting up a second Service Zone will be especially helpful for those sitters who have a second home where they live for part of the year in another city or state, or if they travel back and forth between two specific locations quite often to spend time at a vacation home, family member's home, etc. It will no longer be necessary to have a separate sitter listing in order to serve clients in that second location!

How do I set up a Second Service Zone?

A second Service Zone works just like the first one. You'll be able to customize your second Service Zone just with its own zip codes, visit types and durations, rates, and calendar availability. Each Service Zone will be set up separately and the second Service Zone is completely optional, so if you decide that you'd rather not set it up right now, that is perfectly fine.

To set up a Second Service Zone, start by selecting "Add New Service Zone" to the right of "Home" in the Service Zone screen. Follow the same steps to select the zip codes by tapping on the map area. Please note that there is a separate Availability Calendar and Separate Rates to maintain for your Second Service Zone!

Additionally, there are a few extra steps to setting up a second Service Zone in a second city:

- Set up your first Service Zone

- Change the zip code in your account to the second city you want to include

- Set up your second Service Zone

- Change the zip code in your account back to your main home address

Yes!

If you know a friend (or a few friends) who you think would make purrfect Meowtel sitters, you can invite them by sharing this link: apply to become a Meowtel sitter!

You'll earn a $50 bonus which will be deposited into your Meowtel Payouts & Earnings whenever one of your referred friends successfully completes their first Meowtel reservation as a sitter with a client who is not the original referrer.

Simply advise your referred friend to share your name in their interview and your referral will be activated!

It is important to note that Meowtel Insurance will be completely void on a reservation that includes any indoor/outdoor cat, outdoor cats, or feral cats. We do not guarantee the safety or well-being of any cat that is allowed outside the home, nor should any indoor cat be allowed outside under the care of a Meowtel sitter. Our recommendation is to politely let your client know that unfortunately, we cannot allow their kitty outside during the reservation as it is a safety concern.

If the client has any concerns about this policy, they are welcome to contact us at [email protected].

We have a 4-tiered approach to sitter commissions. Sitters who consistently provide excellent service and win over more repeat clients will benefit most.

For sitters in California, please see this article.

Our commission structure is based on your total reservation earnings with each client:

Tier 1: 30% commission for any client from whom you have earned $0-$299.
Tier 2: 25% commission for any client from whom you have earned between $300-$999.
Tier 3: 20% commission for any client from whom you have earned between $1,000-$2,999.
Tier 4: 15% commission for any client from whom you have earned over $3,000.

These commission tiers apply to a sitter's base rate and holiday surcharge. For example, if your 20-minute rate is $30 and your holiday surcharge is set at 30%, a 20-minute visit on December 25th with a brand new client will result in you taking home $27.30:

Base rate: $30.00
Holiday surcharge: 30% x $30 = $9.00
Total price: $39.00

Meowtel's commission @ Tier 1: 30%

Your Earnings: $39.00 - ($39.00 x 30%) = $39.00 - $11.70 = $27.30.

Tiers and commissions are calculated using earning data from all past/completed reservations. The moment a sitter accepts a reservation request, including any reservation modification requests, is when the tiers and earnings calculations take place for the new reservation. Any other reservation taking place with the same client before, during, or after this reservation does not impact the original calculation.

Here’s an example of what this could look like:

- On Dec 1st, client places Reservation #1 starting on Feb 1st, with planned earnings of $100 in Tier 1

- On Dec 20th, client places Reservation #2, starting on Jan 1st for 10 days, with planned earnings of $300 in Tier 1

- Reservation #2 is ending before Reservation #1 started and the sitter is now in Tier 2

- Reservation #1 will still be in Tier 1, as it was accepted on Dec 1st, when the sitter was in Tier 1

Tips are not counted towards client earning calculations since they are already commission-free. You can always check up on your commission tier progress with each client by taking the following steps:

1. Visit your Clients screen on Meowtel.com or in the mobile app

2. In the upper right corner, sort by Earnings or double click on the Earnings column to re-sort the table

3. Your clients will be sorted from highest to lowest earnings

Accepting payments outside of Meowtel (e.g., cash, check, Venmo) for cat sitting services goes against our Terms of Service. Reservations made outside of the platform are not covered by Meowtel’s insurance.

One of the most common ways this happens is when a client wants to add extra visits to an existing reservation. In these cases, they will need to either modify the existing reservation or book a new one. You can find more details on modifying a reservation here.

Tips given outside the Meowtel platform are allowed. Only tips sent through Meowtel’s payment system will be reported in your annual earnings summary. More information on tipping can be found here.

If we identify that a sitter and client have arranged payment outside of Meowtel, their accounts may be suspended or removed from the platform. You will always receive an email notification regarding any changes to your account status.

If a client requests to pay outside of Meowtel, please let us know by emailing [email protected] or calling/texting 1-844-MEOWTEL.

As a Meowtel cat sitter, you always have full control over which clients you choose to accept. If, after the Meet & Greet, you feel the booking isn’t the right fit, you are always welcome to decline.

Some reasons you might decide not to move forward with a client include:

You disagree with their approach to cat care.
You believe the cats need more frequent visits than the client is requesting (e.g., they want visits every four days, but you believe the cats need visits every two days).
You feel uncomfortable in their home due to safety or cleanliness concerns (please refer to our Fit for Service Home Environments policy for details.)

If you choose not to proceed, we ask that you:

Kindly let the client know that it’s not the right fit. You can suggest they continue their search on Meowtel or reach out to the Bellhop Team for assistance with rebooking.
Ensure you do not take their key(s) home with you at the end of the Meet & Greet.

If your reason for canceling was due to a safety concern or if you’d like guidance on how to navigate the situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re happy to assist.