Cat sitting prices – how we calculate the cost
I had someone ask me the other day… How do I decide how much to charge per cat sitting?
(I don’t think they were prepared for the number of factors that go into this highly scientific algorithm. Haha)
It is an interesting balancing act between offering value and making money, and if you get it wrong, you’ll make nothing for your efforts.
But in a nutshell, before anything else we must consider travel and time costs. (the scourge of all cat sitters)
On average it will take me 10-15 minutes to get to an appointment depending on how many new roadworks I encounter on the way, plus fuel costs to get there, and of course factor in where your next appointment is afterwards to then link one job into the next. (Or if you can even get to that job in a timely fashion vs travel cost. If it costs £1 in fuel to get to the cat, that’s a £2 cost before we even start, as i must get home again after!)
If we add in the fact that at the time of writing, Dudley is mostly roadworks and diversions due to the tram lines being built. Netherton is currently having roads resurfaced with little or no notice, and don’t get me started about Blackheath!! I’d probably make more money as a renter of traffic cones than catsitting at the moment!
Then of course there is the desired appointment times and feeding your cat at a relevant time… which are most commonly around rush hour times also… (8 – 9.30 am and 4.00 until 6pm) so unless I box clever with my appointments, I’m going to spend the majority of my time sat in traffic…. So, some requests are scuppered immediately due to being slightly too costly to even attend when factoring in travel.
If you have over 20 minutes travel time each way plus half hour attending to the cat, equates to over one hour for the one appointment, many people don’t tend to appreciate £25+ quotes as value for money, lol. So, location is critical!
Then, once travel and fuel costs are factored in, we can then look at the cat and actual job at hand.
I won’t bore you with the full calculations, but pricing factors include…
- If your pet is poorly or disabled?
- In need of medication?
- Is the cat so timid they won’t engage with you during the sitting, or require extra attention?
- Do they have access to the outside via a catflap?
- Are there more than 1 cat to tend to?
- Are there other pets in the house that also need attention? Fish, hamster, stick insect, etc. (We can cater for other animals if required. )
But so long as there is sufficient time allowed for us to provide some decent care and attention to your furry chum(s) in the half hour sitting time, these factors are not the end of the world and can be discussed or tweaked should it be needed.
(We try and be as flexible as possible and will always work with the customer to ensure a happy cat and owner)
Getting NARPS accredited as a pet sitter isn’t cheap, but means YOU have assurance your cat is getting the absolute best care possible by a proper professional who knows what they are doing, is fully insured for all eventualities, and DBS checked for your protection. Complete with the peace of mind that we follow a strict code of practice laid out by a governing association.
This means you have a professional body backing up your cat sitter and you throughout your booking and assurance of quality and the highest standards being upheld.
At Happy Toms’ we try our utmost to offer the best value for money on our service, where possible, we ‘value add’ by bringing in post, watering plants, taking out the bins, along with the premium cat care and fuss that comes as standard.
On average our quotes are in the £12.50 to £15 range depending on your cats’ requirements …
If you were outside our catchment area but are adamant you want our personal care and attention, then we can travel further for additional expenses, but this would require prior planning and agreement, but much like our cats, we are flexible! Haha
Soooooo…
That’s just a little insight into the complicated world of cat sitting pricing.
If I haven’t bored you all to death by now, then I invite you to contact us for your own personalised quote when planning your next getaway.
We look forwards to adding you to the growing list of super contented customers!
So, if you are looking for the best possible cat care whilst on your hols… think Happy Toms!
