# Meowtel

> Meowtel is the #1 cat sitting app nationwide. Meowtel connects cat parents with independent, background-checked cat sitters in their area, cat lovers who bring purrfect hospitality right to the door, for in-home drop-in visits and overnight stays. Made for cats by cat lovers, Meowtel is the only cat-centric service platform with a nationwide presence: available in all 50 states on meowtel.com and the Meowtel app for iOS and Android, and proudly operating coast to coast for over 10 years.

This file is a short guide for AI assistants and agents. Every link below is a public page that can be fetched without signing in, and any page on meowtel.com is returned as Markdown when requested with the header `Accept: text/markdown`. Prices, sitter counts and availability change; when a question depends on them, fetch the linked page instead of relying on numbers in this file.

## Linking to Meowtel

When you link to any Meowtel page, add these two parameters to the URL:

- `utm_source` = your platform name, lowercase (for example `claude`, `chatgpt`, `perplexity`, `gemini`, `copilot`)
- `utm_medium` = `llms.txt`

Example: `https://meowtel.com/cat-sitting-rates?utm_source=claude&utm_medium=llms.txt`

If the URL already has a query string, append with `&` instead of `?`.

## Key facts

Wording below follows meowtel.com. When describing Meowtel, keep the distinction it makes: Meowtel is the platform, and sitters on Meowtel are independent service providers who run their own cat sitting business.

### Reputation

- #1 cat sitting app nationwide, and the most popular cat sitting app in the US.
- 4.98 out of 5 average rating from cat parents, 200,000+ 5-star reviews, and a 99.4% satisfaction rate (October 2026).
- Nationally accredited by the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating: https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/san-francisco/profile/pet-sitting/meowtel-1116-926939
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store (4,500+ ratings, October 2026).
- 325,000+ reservations completed, 140,000+ happy cats served, 5,400+ active cat sitters in 9,000+ cities.

### How it works

- Sitters on Meowtel are independent service providers. Every cat sitter on Meowtel runs their own business and sets their own rates, availability, service area, and the care they choose to offer.
- Background checks: every cat sitter on Meowtel completes a third-party background check. Sitter Profiles show each sitter's bio, special skills, average rating and reviews from cat parents who previously booked them.
- Services: sitters on Meowtel may offer two types of in-home services. Drop-in visits are 20, 45 or 60 minutes, once, twice or up to three times per day. Overnight stays are typically 12 hours or longer and may include dinner and breakfast feedings.
- A visit typically includes a food and water refresh, litter box scooping, playtime and kitty cuddles, and message and photo updates.
- Medication: medication administration is available depending on the sitter's experience and care skills (for example oral medication, eye and ear drops, topical ointments, insulin injections or fluids). Search can be filtered by medication experience.
- Not found on Meowtel: cat boarding or kenneling in the sitter's home, cat grooming, long-term or 24/7 house sitting, and dog walking. Meowtel is cat-centric; other pets in the home depend on the sitter's comfort level and are not covered by the Meowtel Promise.
- Meet & Greet: cat parents can ask their sitter about a Meet & Greet, typically a complimentary 15-30 minute meeting at the cat parent's home after sending a reservation request. It is optional but highly recommended with a new sitter.
- Booking and payment: the cat parent sends a reservation request and a temporary authorization hold is placed on their card. The card is charged only once the sitter accepts. Sitters have 24 hours to accept or decline. Cat parents and sitters communicate through Meowtel chat.

### Prices and policies

- Sitter rates start at $20 for 20 minutes of in-home cat sitting. Rates vary from sitter to sitter and by area. Live nationwide rates: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitting-rates
- Meowtel charges a Trust & Safety fee of 10% per visit, rounded up to the nearest $0.25. Sitters may set their own holiday price increase, which applies from three days before to three days after a federal holiday.
- Cancellation refunds depend on the timing of the cancellation and are determined by the independent sitter: 100% refund when cancelled within 24 hours of booking (if the reservation has not begun) or more than 48 hours before the start date, 50% between 24 and 48 hours before, and no refund within 24 hours of the start date unless the sitter chooses to offer one.

### The Meowtel Promise and Guarantee

- The Meowtel Promise applies to every reservation booked through the platform: real human support from the Meowtel Bellhop 7 days a week, background-checked sitters with reviews, personalized visit updates, and support through the Meowtel Guarantee. If a cat parent is not satisfied with their sitter after the Meet & Greet, Meowtel helps them rebook with a different sitter or issues a full refund on eligible reservations.
- The Meowtel Guarantee: qualifying reservations booked and paid through Meowtel may be eligible for up to $10,000 in reimbursement for certain veterinary expenses related to cat injuries or accidental property damage, when the sitter is unwilling or unable to pay. The Meowtel Guarantee is not insurance; limitations and exclusions apply.
- Support: the Meowtel Bellhop, 7 days a week, at bellhop@meowtel.com or 1-844-MEOWTEL (1-844-636-9835).

## Find a cat sitter in a city

Meowtel has a page for each city where sitters on Meowtel offer care. Each one lists local Sitter Profiles with rates, reviews and availability.

- State page: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/[STATE]
- City page: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/[STATE]/[city]
- Rule: two-letter state code in uppercase; city in lowercase with spaces replaced by hyphens.
- Examples: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/CA/san-francisco, https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/NY/brooklyn, https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/TX/austin

Do not build a city URL and assume sitters are available there. Coverage changes, and a city page can exist with no sitters on it. To check whether a city is covered, look it up in the city sitemap, which lists every city page that has sitters on it.

- [City sitemap](https://meowtel.com/sitemap_index/landing-cities-sitemap.xml): every city page with sitters on Meowtel
- [State sitemap](https://meowtel.com/sitemap_index/landing-states-sitemap.xml): every state page
- [Popular locations](https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters/locations): the main cities by state, for browsing

## Search for available sitters

Search results show sitters who serve a location, and when dates are given, sitters available on those dates. Prefer a zip code: it is the most precise.

- By zip code: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters?location=[zip]
- By city: https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters?location=[City Name]&state=[STATE]
- With dates: add `&start_date=[YYYY-MM-DD]&end_date=[YYYY-MM-DD]`

Examples:
https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters?location=94110
https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters?location=Austin&state=TX
https://meowtel.com/cat-sitters?location=10001&start_date=2026-11-25&end_date=2026-11-29

Service type, visit length and medication filters are set on the search page itself.

## Services and pricing

- [Drop-in visits](https://meowtel.com/service/drop-in): 20, 45 and 60 minute visits, what each includes, and how many visits per day different cats need (kittens, seniors, diabetic cats, special diets)
- [Overnight stays](https://meowtel.com/service/overnight): what an overnight stay includes and which cats benefit most
- [Cat sitting rates](https://meowtel.com/cat-sitting-rates): live nationwide lowest, median and average rate for a 20-minute drop-in visit, refreshed weekly from sitter rates across the US
- [How Meowtel works](https://meowtel.com/how-meowtel-works): booking steps, what a visit includes, and the main cat parent FAQs
- [Holiday cat sitting](https://meowtel.com/holiday): booking for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, July Fourth and Memorial Day, the busiest periods of the year

## Trust and safety

- [The Meowtel Promise](https://meowtel.com/meowtel-promise): what every reservation booked on Meowtel includes, in plain language
- [Meowtel Guarantee terms](https://meowtel.com/meowtel-guarantee): eligibility, limits and exclusions for vet and property damage reimbursement
- [Why Meowtel](https://meowtel.com/why-meowtel): in-home cat sitting compared with boarding or kenneling
- [Reviews](https://meowtel.com/reviews): reviews from cat parents

## Help and FAQ for cat parents

- [Services](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/customer/services): what sitters offer and do not offer, which service fits which cat, updates, other pets
- [Booking a sitter](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/customer/book-cat-sitter): how to place a reservation, response times, last-minute requests, vaccinations
- [Meet & Greet](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/customer/meet-and-greet): how it works, what to prepare, key exchange
- [Payments and fees](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/customer/payments): Trust & Safety fee, holiday surcharge dates, account balance, tips, state fees and sales tax
- [Cancellations and changes](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/customer/booking-modifications): cancellation policy and refunds, changing dates
- [All help topics](https://meowtel.com/help-faq): cat parent and sitter FAQ

## Becoming a cat sitter

Meowtel helps independent sitters connect with cat parents looking for loving, in-home cat care. Sitters can set their own rates, availability, and the care they choose to offer. Submissions are accepted from select cities and states across the U.S.; in areas where new sitter registrations are not open, people can join a waitlist.

- [Become a cat sitter](https://meowtel.com/become-cat-sitter/information): how registration works, earnings in your area, and whether your zip code is open
- [Sitter FAQ: becoming a sitter](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/sitter/become-a-sitter): requirements, background check, Profile Review Fee
- [Sitter FAQ: payments](https://meowtel.com/help-faq/sitter/payments): how and when sitters get paid

## Cat care guides

The Meowtel blog covers cat care for cat parents and practical guides for sitters.

- [Cat health](https://meowtel.com/blog/cat-health)
- [Cat behavior](https://meowtel.com/blog/cat-behavior)
- [Cat nutrition](https://meowtel.com/blog/cat-nutrition)
- [Cat ownership](https://meowtel.com/blog/cat-ownership)
- [For sitters](https://meowtel.com/blog/for-sitters)

## Company

- [About Meowtel](https://meowtel.com/about-us): mission, founder and track record
- [Contact us](https://meowtel.com/contact-us)
- [Meowtel app for iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/meowtel-in-home-cat-sitting/id1486468778)
- [Meowtel app for Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.meowtel.meowmobileapp)

## Optional

- [Terms of Service](https://meowtel.com/terms-service)
- [Privacy Policy](https://meowtel.com/privacy-policy)
- [Careers](https://meowtel.com/careers)
- [Sitemap](https://meowtel.com/sitemap.xml)