It all started when I asked my longtime trusted neighbor to look after my cats when I had to fly abroad. I was younger at the time and hadn’t traveled much. When I did my mother simply looked after my cats. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a professional pet sitter! Now that’s a different story for another day because pet sitters back then typically meant dog walkers. I take great pride in working exclusively with cats due to my unique connection with them. Personally, I wouldn’t want a dog walker looking after my cats. They are completely different animals but let’s get back to why I started this business…

This was before the convenience of mobile phones so I asked my neighbor to please phone my landline every time she would arrive to visit my cats. This was because I wanted the peace of mind of knowing someone was with them and they weren’t alone. I felt so guilty being apart from them. In fact, I felt so terrible about it that I sometimes cried during my trips because I missed them so much. On one occasion, I even set a picture of my cat on my hotel nightstand. It might sound ridiculous to some but I really love cats and I know that genuine cat parents would understand this.

Now one day just before leaving to the airport I had my neighbor stop by so I could show her my cats new feeding instructions. I had portioned their meals in little containers each labeled with the day of the week they were to be opened and served. Afterwards, I left to the airport.

Unbeknownst to my neighbor I returned home later that same day because my flight had been canceled. I am so glad I arrived back home because to my horror I discovered my neighbor had opened every container and dumped all of the servings into one bowl and set it on the floor in the middle of the living room. This meant she was not planning to return every day to serve them fresh meals and spend time with them.

I really don’t know what her plan was, but I was furious. I had known her for so many years and she was so nice and had a cat of her own. I really believed I could trust her. I did not confront her because at the time I was not a confrontational person.

The experience prompted me to create a cat-sitting business where the sitter would be absolutely trustworthy, caring, loving and happily willing to serve clients cats precisely per their instructions. I simply wanted to provide the same level of professional care that I wanted for my very own cats. I did not want my clients to ever have one day away from home worried about their cats the way I did. I would communicate every day to them the details of our playing, the litter activity and how the feedings were going.

Soon after mobile phones with video features came out I was able to send clients videos of their cats happy and playing. I sent them pictures of the dining area too so they could see I prepared meals precisely per their instructions. I also sent them pictures of the litter box after every scooping to let them know the box was being maintained. Along the years I learned how to administer different medications.

I also worked for several years with a wonderful company called Pampered Pets, Inc where I learned the administrative side to running a proper pet care business. I was their number one requested cat sitter in Manhattan! I really enjoyed working with them but eventually I had to leave because my new cat-care business was growing at a fast pace and my schedule was overwhelmed.

The rest of this story is a happy ending for myself and many, many cats. It’s far from ending though as I’m far from retirement age. Therefore, I am looking forward to meeting you and your cats and a happy future working together! ❤️