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Alerts And Advisories
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- For the key exchange or in-person Meet & Greet, it is encouraged that both parties wear a face mask.
- 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.
- 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.
The Vet Release Form is an optional, but highly recommended, section of your Account to complete before you travel. The form will authorize your sitter to take your kitties to your designated vet in the event of an emergency. Without the form being complete, we cannot take your cat into an emergency hospital or vet clinic.
If you have not established care with a primary vet yet, please do a quick Google search to see where you would want your sitter to take your kitties if a medical emergency occurs. This can save crucial time if a life-threatening cat emergency occurs - it's always best to be prepared as a cat parent!
If an emergency arises and your Meowtel Sitter needs to take your cat(s) to the vet, your sitter will need to be compensated for the extra time invested. We can collect that payment from your payment method on file, or you can add it as a tip at the end of the reservation.
We recommend that clients compensate sitters according to the following:
- For emergency vet visits* that are between 30-60 mins, sitters should be compensated for a visit at their 60 min rate.
- For emergency vet visits* that are longer than an hour, sitters should be compensated using their 20 min rate multiplied by each 20 min increment of time spent on the emergency vet visit. For example, if a sitter spends 2 hours (120 minutes) on an emergency vet visit and their 20 min rate is $25, fair compensation would be (120 minutes / 20 min) = 6 x $25 = $150.
*Emergency vet visits include the commute time to and from each veterinary clinic, the wait time at the clinic, the checkup time at the clinic, and the time it takes to get discharged.