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During Reservation
Reservation requests are always initiated by the client and you'll receive a push notification through the Meowtel app, an email, and an SMS regarding the reservation request.
- Sitters have 24 hours to take action on each request. You will have 24 hours to either accept or decline the request. If no action is taken on the request, it will auto-cancel. We cannot reinstate the request for you if it auto-cancels; you will have to chat with the client that you let the request lapse and they will need to book you again.
- If you let two requests auto-cancel, your sitter listing will be suspended. We will always notify you via email if the status of your sitter listing changes.
- On your third suspension due to auto-canceled requests, your sitter account will be permanently terminated. Quick communication is critical for Meowtel clients and failing to follow up with them in a timely manner is unacceptable. You will be given two chances to improve your track record of responding to requests within 24 hours. On your third suspension, we will email you to inform you of your account's deactivation.
Even if you have questions for the client before confirming a request, the best course of action is to confirm it. If for some reason expectations don't align once you have had a chance to discuss care logistics with the client, please contact us and we will cancel the reservation without any penalties.
Clients expect you to stay for the full duration of each visit or overnight, even if you finish all of the required tasks. If you finish your tasks early, you should use the remaining time left in your scheduled visit to keep the kitties company. For shy kitties who may be hiding, it is still expected that you remain in the home for the full duration of the visit to help them warm up to you.
The most common tool customers use to check up on their cats and verify they're receiving the service they paid for are in-home cameras. It is best practice to assume every client has a camera in their home, so always be on your best behavior!
Drop-In Visits (20/45/60 minutes)
As a Meowtel sitter, clients expect you to perform each of these tasks during a drop-in visit:
- Feed the cats and check auto-feeder food levels
- Refresh all water bowls and check water fountain levels
- Scoop every litter box and sweep/vacuum the litter areas
- Provide snuggles & playtime
- If applicable: provide treats, catnip, supplements, and medications
- Send at least one photo or video from the visit
- Send a text summary of what occurred during the visit and how the cats are doing
If a client makes us aware that any of these tasks were not performed, or that you did not stay for the full duration of the visit, we will adjust your earnings and credit the customer for a visit that is considered incomplete.
Acceptable Visitation Hours
- Morning Visits: 6am - 12pm
- Midday Visits: 11am - 4pm
- Evening Visits: 4pm - 10pm
- Anytime Visits: 6am - 10pm
We understand that kitties with special needs might require visits outside of these hours for medication purposes. Always check with the cat parent to see what type of visitation schedule they are expecting.
Overnight Visits (At least 12 hours overnight in the client's home)
As a Meowtel sitter, clients expect you to perform each of these tasks during an overnight visit:
- Feed the cats and check auto-feeder food levels
- Refresh all water bowls and check water fountain levels
- Scoop every litter box and sweep/vacuum the litter areas
- Provide snuggles & playtime
- If applicable: provide treats, catnip, supplements, and medications
- Send at least one photo or video in the evening and at least one photo or video in the morning
- Send a text summary of what occurred during and how the cats are doing in the evening and the morning
- Leave the client's home in the same state or better than when you arrived: tidy up, wash your dishes, make the bed, etc.
Should you have any questions about visit expectations, please email [email protected].
If you're looking for examples of purrfect updates to send your clients, check out this article.
Photo, video, and text updates are usually the highlight of the Meowtel experience for our customers! Purrfect updates will take you from being an average sitter to a top-rated sitter in no time. Here are some examples of how to create the purrfect updates:
Messages
For new clients, show them you're diligent and made it a-okay into their home by letting them know when you arrived:
Hi Becky! I just arrived with Timon and Pumba and they were so happy to see me! I will send a visit summary in just a bit.
At the end of the visit, it's time to send your recap! Here are some examples of what that could look like:
Good morning Becky! It has been day 2 of witnessing Pumba do her sunbathing nap by the window and asking me for a full-body massage (too cute!!) while Timon tried to impress me with somersaults haha!
We did some extra crunchies today and Timon is already finding the ones that were supposed to be for later upstairs. I got some litter added to the litter robot and it got a little stuck on the cycle but after a quick troubleshoot, the blue light is back on :)
As always, I love seeing these babies and getting all the slow blinks from them! I hope your trip has been furrabulous! PS- the home temp has felt good despite the warm weather, the fans are very helpful!
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Hi Jen! Well…Tiger apparently had a rager last night and didn’t invite me! Haha 😹 the cookie bag ended up in the bathroom, TJ’s coffee bag knocked on the floor, the frame near the plant knocked over, and your earrings in the bedroom on the ground. But he said it was totally worth it!
I helped him get some zoomies out with lots of wand chasing and saw him doing backflips off the bed 🤣🤣🤣 he has been cracking me up this morning! Breakfast was served, water refreshed, and he had two nice #2s that got scooped. Both keys will be under the mat and I hope you gals are having a great weekend together! Thanks so much for letting me hang with him again💗
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Good morning☀️The babies have been super sweet this morning, especially Lucy - I got the rollover belly exposure hello from her so I think she was excited to have her food policewoman here! Lol ☺️
They both did great with food (Lucy nearly mewed for more when Oreo got his additional servings) so they’re fed and happy! Lots of chin rubs were doled out and Oreo got to inspect my sweep and scoop tasks (luckily he approved).
Dinner in the timed feeder opens at 6:07ish and they’ll be so happy to have their humans back soon! 🧡🧡 Oreo had just a tad of throwup on the couch but easy peasy cleanup. Thank you so much for trusting me with these lovies!😻 The key/fob will be back in the bowl on the counter.
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Photos
Who doesn't love photos of their precious baby tigers? Putting the extra effort in to capture great purrtraits will set your sitting skills apart from others and clients will greatly appreciate the small details such as nice lighting and high resolution shots.
For your own safety and for the safety of our kitty clients, we do not allow cats to go outside during visits. This includes but is not limited to:
- Patios
- Hallways
- Balconies
- Backyards
- Gardens
- Garages
- Rooftop decks
It is okay to provide care to outdoor or feral cats that the client usually cares for, but please note: 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.
If you do need to enter any outdoor area while at a client's home, we strongly recommend keeping your phone and keys with you at all times. There have been many instances of sitters getting locked out in a backyard or a patio; please keep your phone with you in the event of a lockout emergency.
If your client would like to modify a confirmed reservation to add, remove dates, and/or adjust visit durations, they may do so by logging into their account, navigating to My Reservations, and clicking on Details to submit their Modification request.
Important Notes:
- Current or past dates can't be modified, only future dates.
- If a sitter has changed their rate or holiday surcharge since the original reservation was made, the new rate or surcharge will be applied to the new visit or modified visit only if the visit's duration, time preference, or timing has been updated. If no changes were made to the visit, the original rates and surcharge will be honored.
- The client will only be able to pick from the sitter’s available dates.
- Every modification request is routed to the sitter for approval.
When reservations are modified, the earnings schedule is recalculated. The exact dates when earnings will be processed can be found on the earnings schedule after confirming the modification request.
You are always welcome to reach out to our Bellhop for support if you have any questions or need assistance. Please simply email us at [email protected] or call/text us at 844-MEOWTEL (1-844-636-9835).
It's very important to keep all of your communications on Meowtel to ensure all parties (you, your client, and Meowtel Support) have the same records of events. Remember, there should be at least one photo and one text update for each visit, or the visit can be considered incomplete and your earnings could be adjusted to reflect that. Keeping all communication on Meowtel is an extra safety net for yourself.
If a client requires updates via text message or email, keep a record of all of those messages. In the event of an emergency, insurance claim, or customer complaint, we will ask you to submit those messages and they will be crucial in determining how the incident is resolved.