POLICIES
The following policies, including visit fees, cancelation fees and all others may be changed or updated without prior notice or publication.
Non-compliance with Cathy’s Critter Care (CCC) policies may be cause for termination of current and future services.
Indoor dogs without access outside must be seen at least twice every 24 hours.
No pet will be “overlooked” for rate calculation purposes, all pets will be cared for at the household. Cathy’s Critter Care reserves the right to refuse service to any persons or pets without explanation.
Every other day service for pets other than dogs will be considered on a case by case basis and a surcharge will be added to the base rate to accommodate every other day care requests. The health and safety of your pets while you are away is our top priority.
DO NOT CALL YOUR SITTER ON THEIR HOME OR CELL PHONES or CONTACT THEM AT THEIR PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS. This is a violation of privacy and our internal business policies. IF THIS POLICY IS VIOLATED YOUR CARE WITH Cathy’s Critter Care MAY BE TERMINATED.
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BOOKING WITH CATHY’S CRITTER CARE
Cathy’s Critter Care is a reservation in advance service. Book your care as soon as possible. We accept bookings up to 6 months in advance of your travel.
We can usually accommodate last minute requests, but you may not get your preferred sitter or preferred time for your visits. For very last minute requests, “Express Care” may be provided. Express Care visits are shorter than our standard 30 minute visits, but include all basic care for your pets; feeding, fresh water, potty and wellness check. However, the sitter may not be able to stay for additional play and visit time.
You may book by:
- using our secure client portal to which you were given access at onboarding as a client
- emailing [email protected]
- calling 210-864-6189
- texting 210-864-6189
To ensure your booking was received and confirmed, be sure you get an emailed confirmation from our booking website. This comes from an outside email, not our business gmail account.
CANCELLATION POLICIES
We understand that sometimes trips are unexpectedly canceled. We have these policies in place to insure our team and our client’s pets are all properly cared for. Regretfully, sometimes cancelation fees are necessary.
Our pet sitters plan their routes based on clients booked and new requests coming in. These plans are often made several days in advance. Cancellations with last minute notice leave gaps in our team’s schedule that cannot be filled. Additionally our office team works diligently to get you the care you need with timely responses. Having this team in place insures you have the contact needed for bookings and effective communication.
Cancellation fees are outlined below.
Please inform the CCC office of care cancellation as soon as possible. Any cancellation of services (in part or full) after you have received confirmation of your booking dates will be charged an office processing fee of $25.00.
Cancellation with less than 72 hrs / 3 days notice prior to the start of care for the service agreement will be charged 50% of the total booking in addition to the $25 office processing fee.
Midday services: (while owner is in town) office processing fee will not apply to midday services if canceled with notice given by no later than 6pm the day before the midday service is needed). Midday cancelations after this time will be charged the full amount of the visit fee.
Cancellations must be made by contacting the office at 210-864-6189 or TEXTING at 210-864-6189.
LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS & CANCELATION POLICY
Bookings with less than one week’s notice for start of care are sometimes a challenge to fit into an already booked schedule. We are happy to accommodate your needs whenever possible.
All “last minute bookings” (LESS THAN ONE WEEK NOTICE FOR THE START OF CARE) are non-refundable and considered non-cancelable.
Payment is due at the time of booking and are considered locked in without cancelation options.
Some very last minute bookings are considered ‘Emergency care’ and may incur an additional charge of $25 and up.
HOLIDAY BOOKINGS AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Due to scheduling limitations and client demand, bookings, the following holidays are nonrefundable/non-transferable after the indicated date: (note: office processing/cancellation fee will still apply regardless of cancellation date). When you book care to include any portion of these holidays, total charges will be made on your credit/debit card at the time of booking. Should you need to add/change visits you may do so, but no refunds for unused care will be given and the booking cannot be transferred to a different timeframe.
January 1 – must be cancelled by 12/10 of previous year
March 5-31 – varying Spring Breaks must be cancelled by 10 days prior to start of care
Memorial Day Weekend – must be cancelled before 5/10
July 1-5 – must be cancelled before 6/15
Labor Day Weekend – must be cancelled before 8/15
Nov 15-30 – must be cancelled before 11/10
Dec 15-Dec 31 – must be cancelled before 12/10
NEW CLIENTS that have received a pre-service visit and cancel prior to the start of their first service will be given a credit on their CCC account for sitting services totaling the amount of cancelled care minus the $35.00 setup fee and $25 office processing fee. This credit will be applied to petsitting services utilized within 1 year from the cancellation. After one year, the credit will be forfeited.
OVERNIGHT CARE cancellations for overnights must be made no less than one week’s notice before the start of care. Cancellations between one week and 3 days before start of care for overnights/sleepovers will be charged a minimum of one night’s charge or 10% of the total service agreement amount whichever is greater. Cancellations for overnight/sleepover care within 3 days of start of care are non refundable/non transferable. Office cancellation charges are also applicable.
RETURNING EARLY: If you begin services and return early, the full contract agreement amount is due. No refunds or credits will be issued.
WORK ENVIRONMENT POLICY
The safety, health and well-being of your pets and our staff are our utmost priority. We reserve the right to set indoor thermostats to comfortable temperatures for our team while on duty without prior notice to the client.
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone based on accommodations or lack thereof made for the comfort and safety of their pets including environmental hazards and unsanitary conditions inside or outside the home and any outdoor pets that are not provided adequate shelter from the elements and basic environmental enrichment.
Pets that are crated or confined must be in a clean and comfortable enclosure with adequate space to move. Crated dogs should be seen a minimum of 3 times daily.
PAYMENTS
Cathy’s Critter Care is a “Pay in Advance, Credit/Debit Card Only Service.” Upon your initial contracted services, you will be given an account Username and Password where a credit/debit card can be securely entered. This credit card can be updated at anytime. NOTE: by entering your credit card, you acknowledge and authorize Cathy’s Critter Care to charge your card for contracted care anytime between the time of booking and the day of departure or after. Our payments are processed according to our policies above. Most non-holiday and non last minute booking payments are processed between 3-5 days prior to your departure. It is the client’s responsibility to insure a valid credit card is kept updated and on file for services.
In order to ensure consistent care for larger bookings, we require a non-refundable/non-transferable 10% deposit on any bookings $500 or more.