Yes. Petite Paws Austin's owner, Audrey, is the primary sitter, however, her partner, who is bonded and insured through Petite Paws Austin, provides reliable back-up. This gives Petite Paws Austin's clients peace of mind.

Yes, on a case-by-case basis at our sole discretion for existing clients. The fee is $95 per night, with an additional $15 fee for holiday nights. Typically, overnight hours run from around an 8:00 PM arrival to around an 8 AM departure.

We offer in-home visits only. Cats are naturally territorial and uncomfortable outside their normal environment. It's why in-home cat sitting is such a sought after service.

Sorry, but we do not job share except on a case-by-case basis and at our sole discretion for existing clients whom we sit for regularly throughout the year. The reason for this is due to past job-sharing experiences where we arrive and the door has been left unlocked and/or the cat(s) are out of water and clearly haven't been fed appropriately. Unfortunately, we ran into enough instances of this to decide to stop general job-sharing.

If you're a potential new client, you must tell us if you're looking for a sitter to job share before scheduling a meet and greet so we don't waste your time and ours. Failure to do so ahead of time, or a job share reveal at or after the meet and greet, will result in a $50 charge for the meet and immediate termination of any signed contracts and/or verbal agreements.

For our current regular clients, if we agree to job share, you will be asked to please asked to sign a job sharing waiver. We also require schedules outlining sit dates and contact information for every party involved. This information must be completed and sent to us at least four days before trip departure and two weeks before if the sits will occur during peak periods such as the summer, over holidays, and during the November through January 1st holiday season.

We prefer not to take your keys. Most clients with keys choose to use a Realtor's lockbox with a programmable code that opens the box. If you don't have one, for your convenience, we stock a quality Realtor's lockbox which you can purchase at our cost during a in-home meet and greet. A lockbox will also help you avoid key drop-off and pick-up fees ($20 for each separate instance).

Yes, only pills, liquids, and ointments per your veterinary's detailed instructions and specific approval, available with either 30-minute Happy Kitty or 60-minute The Cat's Meow visits. We do not administer injections, breathing treatments, or provide medical visits that could be construed as practicing veterinary medicine without a license by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. We're all about transparency, honesty, and safety. For the well-being of every pet, if a sitter is providing medical visits with services that are to be performed by a veterinarian, please visit Veterinary.texas.gov/Complaints.php for more information.

We have standardized on Square for automated invoicing. Invoices are generally issued around a week before your sitting schedule commences via Square. You will receive your invoice either via email, or, if you prefer, we can send invoices to you via text messaging. Open the email or text, then click on the link to pay via credit or debit card. We do not have Square keep/save your billing information, so you will have to re-enter it with each invoice. We don't ask clients to pay cash or send us payments via other online money transfer applications as a "friend," etc. Getting paid "under the table" is not who we are.

Our typical sitting hours are from 8 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday, and from 10 am to 8 pm on weekends. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis. Cat visits typically aren't scheduled for a specific time of day within these time blocks unless, for example, your pet is on medication and requires a medication dose at a specific time of day.

We strive to accommodate requests from existing clients, understanding that trips often come up at the last minute. However, the more lead time you can provide, the better. It helps us plan our schedules.

Last-minute scheduling for new clients is subject to our availability and at our sole discretion. A meet and greet and onboarding is always required for new clients before any sitting can occur. Generally, it takes at least three to four days from when you first reach out to us to complete this. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate cat owners who are not existing clients, looking for emergency sits on the same or next day. If you are a new client wishing to schedule a last-minute cat sitter within a day or two before you leave, we will do our best to accommodate you, but it depends on if we have the time in our busy schedule.

If it's in a visible location and common area that we would normally go into, such as your living room or kitchen, and we see it, we'll use tap water and a paper towel. We do not treat carpets, furniture, fabrics, or any other household surfaces for any kind of pet stains.

If you have a pet brush you use regularly on your cat and want us to maintain this while you're away, we're happy to oblige as long as your kitty will allow us to brush him or her. This service can be provided with a 30-minute Happy Kitty visit or a 60-minute Cats Meow visit. The 15-minute Kitty Express visit usually doesn't provide enough time.

We have experience with shy cats and always use patience, compassion and a soothing, soft voice. If permitted, we might try encouraging him or her to make our acquaintance by offering a treat if you keep cat treats around, or by trying to gently entice your cat with a favorite cat toy. We never grab a cat or force him or her from a hiding spot using aggressive tactics, loud noises, etc.

It is the pet owner's responsibility to have adequate cat food and litter on hand. If food unexpectedly runs out (maybe your trip gets extended, for example), we will shop for and pick up, if available, your cat's brand of food or cat litter. We charge a $35 fee plus the cost of the cat food and/or litter.

Before we schedule any cat sitting, we conduct a free in-home meet and greet visit where we meet our clients and their cats, complete some basic paperwork, etc. The actual cat sitting visits are separate. We have a two sit minimum which only applies to new clients. Single cat sits are available for existing clients.

The first new client in-home or Zoom meet and greet consult is free. We understand some pet sitters charge for initial meet and greets. We don't as an offer of good will and with the expectation that we will be developing an ongoing relationship with you and your cat(s). If, for some reason, you require a second in-home meet and greet, then there's a $30 fee due at the time of that in-home meeting.

Not unless they can remain indoors 100% of the time while we're sitting them. We care deeply about the well-being of every cat we visit. It's just not in our DNA to try to get a kitty indoors for the allotted time that's paid for and then leave if they don't come home within that time frame. We've gone out looking around neighborhoods and calling for kitties on our own time to get them to come home, so we know they are safe and sound. With our busy schedule, it's not possible to do this anymore.

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We also take care of rabbits, fish, small caged pets, turtles, etc. There may be an extra fee, but generally the services are the same.. 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minution options for drop-in visits.

We're happy to give our existing clients quotes for custom timeframes that are longer than 60 minutes. As an example, one of our loyal clients travels for a few weeks at a time. We visit twice daily but sometimes sit for an extended period in the afternoon - two to three hours - so the kitty can enjoy even more interaction and feel loved and cared for during our presence.

Yes! We offer basic home security checks*, mail pickup from your mail box, and bring small parcels inside that have been delivered to your home. If you receive a boxed meal kit with contents that require refridgeration, we'll place the contents in your refridgerator with your permission. We also water indoor plants as well as potted plants on a deck or balcony, and plant watering options for plants that are planted in the ground.

Fees for plant care in a not pet home are as follows:

- 15-minute drop-in for $15 includes basic home security check, mailbox mail pickup, home-delivered parcels placed indoors, and indoor plant watering for up to five plants.

- 30-minute drop-in for $25 includes home security check, mailbox mail pickup, home-devliered parcels placed indoors, indoor plant watering for up to five plants, plus balcony or deck plant watering for up to eight plants.

- 45 to 50 minute drop-in for $45 includes home security check. mailbox mail pickup, home-delivered parcels placed indoors, indoor plant watering for up to five plants, balcony or deck plant water for up to eight plants, outdoor plant watering (plants that are planted in the ground outside your home.)

- Free initial in-home meet and greet with all new clients, up to a $45 value!

- For clients with very large yards or extensive gardens and watering needs that exceed the number of plants above, we will provide a customized quote.

* Basic home security check includes checking locked doors, pulling window shades/blinds/curtains, switch lights on/off.

Not at all! I'm a full-time professional cat sitter and proud local small business owner, not a hobbyist or a gig worker. With so many people getting into pet sitting to make extra cash on the side, it's not uncommon to find a sitter with little experience or training, who isn't fully bonded and insured, and more. My passion and focus is caring for cats and helping their owners enjoy peace of mind while they're away, knowing their kitties are safe, loved, and being well-cared for by a pro.

For individual holidays and holiday periods - our peak periods/weeks - there is a 50% cancellation fee policy if the visit is cancelled anytime from 10 two 2 calendar days or less before the scheduled date. All cancellations with 48 hours notice or less are subject to full service charge.

Our 2025 Peak Weeks: The July Fourth holiday week for 2025 is Saturday, June 28 through Sunday July 6, inclusive. The 2025 Thanksgiving peak holiday period is Saturday, November 22 through Sunday, November 30 inclusive. For December, the holiday period is Dec 20 through January 3, inclusive.

Our Specific Holiday Days: New Years Eve Day (Dec. 31), New Years Day (Jan. 1), Easter Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve Day (12/24), and Christmas (12/25).

Some cats get anxious when their beloved humans aren't around while other kitties are just fine. If your cat tends to become anxious, you can opt for this service. We'll temporarily place a compact, portable audio player in your home at our first cat sitting visit to provide feline sound therapy using bioacoustically-designed "Through a Cat's Ear" music. The player will be removed from your home at the last cat sitting visit. Anxious Kitty is available as an optional free add-on if you choose daily Happy Kitty or The Cat's Meow cat sitting services. Anxious Kitty is not available if you are skipping days between visits or are only scheduling 15-minutes Kitty Express visits.

We are a small, locally owned business that offers personalized, boutique-quality cat sitting services. We do not use side hustle/gig workers to pet sit. Like most businesses, we have busy peaks in business. These periods include during the summer months, the November - mid-January holiday season, and other periods throughout the year when people are taking vacations/traveling. We strive to provide our clients and their pets with superior care and do not embrace the practice of overbooking appointments for this reason. We also strive to leave availability in our schedule for our existing clients during peak periods and encourage everyone to schedule cat sitting sooner rather than later during holiday periods. In the event the main sitter (Audrey) is unavailable, her partner, who is also bonded and insured, performs cat sitting as well.

We are happy to generally refer clients whom we cannot serve for whatever reason, which is mainly people seeking visits who are outside of our service area, to a reputable local pet sitting organization with many members who service the Austin area.

Yes! Our digital e-gift cards are available in any denomination and they never expire. Please click here to order.

Yes to both! Since our opening in 2018, we have maintained continuous insurance and bonding tailored specifically for pet sitting through Business Insurers of the Carolinas. It's crucial to choose a sitter who is both bonded and insured to ensure your peace of mind. Always request to see up-to-date proof of bonding and insurance from your sitter. We are pleased to provide our insurance and bonding documents to clients upon request.

Please note that while gig-economy corporate pet sitting platforms may offer insurance for their associated sitters, there may sometimes be a booking minimum required for the insurance to apply. If you're considering hiring through a platform, it's important to thoroughly understand the specifics of the bonding and insurance coverage offered.