South Philly Cat Care's structure allows us to provide high quality care in ample time frames.

We do not charge by the minute.

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Approximate Visit Lengths

• Cat Sitting

  • Visits:  45 - 50 minutes

  • Sitting Meeting: 20-25 minutes

• Medication Administration: 25-40 minutes

  • dependent on type and number of medications.

• Nail Trims: 20-30 minutes

• Carrier Help: 45-50 minutes

• Low Stress Cat Meeting: 25-30 minutes

Cat Sitting visits have at least their minimum time amounts honored.

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I use low stress approaches based in minimal handling and the participation of caregivers when appropriate. 

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My handling techniques are informed by the recent AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) and ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) guidelines which site that cats who received minimal handling showed fewer negative or protective responses than cats handled with more heavy-handed methods.

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I Use:

Approaches tailored to each cat, minimal handling, treats first and where appropriate, blankets and cat beds in the home, towels, cat pheromone, toys, pillers, cat nail trimmers, veterinary PPE and the involvement of caregivers when appropriate.

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I Do Not Use:

Scruffing, clips, full body lateral restraint, e-collars, pillow cases, cat bags, mesh grabbers, guillotine nail trimmers, grinder nail trimmers, air muzzles, cat tongs or rabies poles.

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South Philly Cat Care administers

• tablets

• capsules

• liquid oral suspensions

• topicals (preventatives, ointments, medicated wipes)

• ear and eye medication

• subcutaneous fluid administration

• subcutaneous injectable medication

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For medication to be administered by South Philly Cat Care it must be:

• Currently prescribed by a licensed veterinarian & not expired

• Prescribed to that particular cat

• Kept as directed (i.e. refrigerated or protected from light)

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South Philly Cat Care does not administer

• medicated baths

• expired medication

• medication not prescribed by a licensed veterinarian

• medication that does not have a current prescription

• oral chemotherapy medication (such as Chlorambucil)

• injections to cats on chemotherapy medication

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Please note, South Philly Cat Care reserves the right not to administer any medication.

Emergency Contact

In order to schedule cat sitting with South Philly Cat Care, owners first designate an emergency contact. This can be given during registration and scheduling, as well as updated afterwards.

Cat Sitting Emergency Contacts

In the circumstance your cat experiences illness or emergency while you're away and potentially unreachable, your emergency contact should be prepared and available to take your cat to the vet, remain at the vet, and, if needed, make decisions for your cat as a medical proxy.

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Ways to Prepare Before your Trip

1. Call current and previous vets to email or mail you your cat's exam notes and lab work.

2. Print your cat's medical records and put them in a clearly labelled file, one file for each cat.

3. Prepare a carrier(s) in an easy to reach location that will not stress your cat while you're away.

   • If you're in need of a carrier, here's some information from the AAFP on choosing a helpful one.

4. Placing your cat's records near the carrier while you're away can be helpful in case of emergency.

5. Tell your sitter and emergency contact the location of the carrier and records.

6. Discuss with your pet's emergency contact how you would like veterinary staff to pursue  treatment (broadly or conservatively) should you be unable to be reached. This is particularly important for owners who are: traveling internationally, camping, traveling to multiple destinations throughout their vacation, attending life events, or going on business trips: all may be difficult to get in touch with. 

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Illness

If a cat being taken care of by South Philly Cat Care for cat sitting services shows signs of  illness, South Philly Cat Care will communicate those signs to the owner when they become aware of them via available contact methods.

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Please note, any observation made by South Philly Cat Care is not in the place of a veterinarian's exam or care. Our advice in circumstances of observed illness will be to have your pet evaluated by a veterinarian and we will make efforts to facilitate that via your emergency contact in your absence.

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Emergency

If your cat experiences an emergent event during a cat sitting visit such as but not limited to:

• unresponsiveness or pronounced lethargy

• severe trauma

• signs of anaphylaxis

• respiratory distress

• gross evidence of toxic or foreign body ingestion

• signs of new or worsening neurologic abnormalities

• gross signs of urinary blockage

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South Philly Cat Care will bring your cat to your nearby preferred ER or Urgent Care facility such as Blue Pearl (VSEC) South Philly, PennVet Ryan Hospital, another ER or an UC facility of your choosing. If possible, I'll call the ER or UC facility prior to arrival to discuss what is occurring, your cat's medications, dosages, the last time they received them, as well as any other relevant health information. If I find there are significant wait differences between hospitals, and no strong ER preference was previously given, I will bring your cat to the ER hospital that is most quickly able to provide the care at that time. I will bring their medications and paper medical file if provided.

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The designated emergency contact provided by the owner will be contacted by South Philly Cat Care. If they do not pick up the alternate will be contacted if provided. The emergency contact should meet South Philly Cat Care at the ER facility as soon as possible.

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South Philly Cat Care's main goal is to provide low stress medication administration, nail trims, carrier help and cat sitting, including to cats who find these events stressful and show that stress in protective behaviors. Some protective behaviors can be:

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• hissing

• swatting

• scratching others

• growling

• lunging

• spitting

• flattening ears back

• biting

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These behaviors can occur for a variety of reasons and speaking with a veterinarian may be helpful.

Nail trim services may be different for cats that regularly display protective behaviors - for instance, to have an expectation to only trim one or two nails (the longest or sharpest) at a time. Every cat is different and deserves their own tailored approach to ensure the least amount of stress and the highest chance for a positive outcome. In this way we hope the positive can build on the positive until an overwhelmingly stressful and fear inducing experience can become more tolerable, or even largely enjoyable. My general approach is "stop before they let me know they're done." If repeated visits are needed to trim nails due to temperment, discounts may be available.

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Please note, South Philly Cat Care reserves the right not to handle a cat.

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FREE RESOURCES for Fractious Cats

AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners)

Getting your Cat to the Vet

Cat Friendly Veterinary Practices (brochure)

Getting your Cat to the Vet (article)   -   Llevar a su gato al Veterinario (folleto)

How do I Know if My Cat is in Pain? (article)

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Handling & Environmental

How to Pet and Handle Cats (article)

Hiding and Hissing (article)

What your Cat Needs to Feel Secure (article)

Cats' Environmental Needs (brochure) - Las Necesidades Ambientales de su Gato (folleto)

Contagious disease management at South Philly Cat Care starts with you!

By providing parts of your cat's health history when scheduling in our online system you enable South Philly Cat Care to minimize some of the risks of contagious feline and zoonotic illness not only for your cat but for other cats being cared for by South Philly Cat Care and its staff. If your cat's information changes, we ask that you update it in the online system 24 hours before a visit, or sooner.

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Relevant Health Information

• diarrhea, vomiting, sneezing, eye or nasal discharge, coughing, skin lesions or crusting.

• Assessments and confirmed diagnoses performed by a veterinarian (such as upper respiratory infection, panleukopenia, fever of unknown origin, calicivirus, ringworm, puncture wounds or abscesses within the past weeks, any other known illness or condition).

• Where & when you got your cat

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Vaccines

In order to schedule a service we require vaccine information. Cats are not required to be vaccinated in order to receive services, although cats are required to be vaccinated against the rabies virus by Pennsylvania state law.

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If you're interested in a low-cost clinic for vaccinations please contact:

PAWS Grey's Ferry

PAWS Northeast

Emancipet in Northeast (two locations)

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Some Ways South Philly Cat Care Minimizes Contagious Feline & Zoonotic Disease

• Gathering selected pet health history from caregivers prior to visits.

• Using veterinary PPE (gloves, disposable or reusable gowns, shoe covers and hair caps) worn according to levels of known and suspected contagious risk.

• According to risk level, bagging and disposing of all PPE in the home, or removing reusable PPE, bagging, labeling appropriately, and laundering in appropriate disinfectants.

• Providing a new piller to each cat who uses the medication administration service and who is scheduled to get tablets or capsules, should they need it. No pillers are shared between cats.

• Disinfecting nail trimmers between each cat.

• Disinfectant agents are Rescue/Accel and bleach at veterinary industry standard dilutions and contact times to more effectively neutralize pathogens.

What your Cat's Health Information is Used For

• To more appropriately use veterinary PPE.

• This information is shared with appropriate South Philly Cat Care staff and, in the case of a pet's medical emergency, with veterinary physicians that South Philly Cat Care communicates with.

South Philly Cat Care staff is happy to wear a mask, simply ask. We are up to date on vaccinations against Covid-19 and Influenza.

Cat Sitting Meeting

Once your cat sitting dates are scheduled you'll book your cat sitting meeting. During the meeting:

• South Philly Cat Care will meet you and your cat or cats at your home (exciting!).

• We'll confirm the information you provide in the online registration process, such as:

  • Location of food, bowls, medication, treats, toys, litter boxes, paper towels, cleaning supplies, carrier, and veterinary record file if applicable. We'll also go over plant watering and the mailbox.

• We'll go over the cat emergency and illness protocol.

• I'll become familiar with your cat's temperament, their favorite places in the home and see how they like to be interacted with. This is a great time for you to communicate and potentially demonstrate their favorite toys and play style.

• You'll provide two sets of keys, one for backup in a secure location and one to be used out in the field.  For electronic keys, we need one physical key for the safety of your pet, in case of power outages or system malfunctions, this can be kept in a lockbox outside of the home to avoid recurring key pickup/dropoff charges.

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You can schedule your cat sitting meeting closer to the visit dates if you're booking far in advance and think some things in the space may change (or you may move!).

Low Stress Cat Meeting

Low Stress Cat Meetings are similar to Cat Sitting Meetings but geared towards building a positive association and measure of trust for those cats who may need Medication Administration, Carrier Help, or Nail Trim services in the near future.

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Low Stress Cat Meetings include

• Meeting you and your cat or cats at your home.

• Quietly acclimating your cat to my presence in their home as I initially speak with you.

• Learning your cat's temperament and if and how they enjoy being interacted with.

• Learning your cat's favorite toys, treats, spaces in the home and ways to be engaged with.

• Speaking with you about which approaches to medicating, carriers, and nail trims have been used in the past and how your cat has responded.

• Confirming and updating your cat's health, medication, and veterinarian information.

• Offering play and treats if/when appropriate.

• Offering pets and interaction.

• No medication administration, nail trims, or carrier help services are performed.

South Philly Cat Care offers plant watering for up to 10 plants per visit and will take in mail and small packages. Unfortunately we're unable to bring in large packages or sign for packages.

​Cancellation, Refunds & Credits

South Philly Cat Care does not issue refunds and instead credits for future use are applied to the account in the vast majority of cases. Credits can be used within the next 12 months from the date of purchase. Credits can be used for any service and for be transferred to another cat in the home.

There are certain circumstances when no refund is given and no credit is given:

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Cat Sitting, Nail Trims, Carrier Help

• When service is cancelled within 4 hours of the visit.

• This includes when South Philly Cat Care arrives and is not needed (i.e. the pet's owner did not give South Philly Cat Care notice that the visit was cancelled until their arrival).

There are no cancellation penalties for Medication Administration at any time.

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Eleventh Hour Fee
Cat Sitting & Carrier Help - $10 fee when scheduled within 24 hours of the visit.

Please note:

• Carrier help visits scheduled within 24 hours of the visit still require a phone conversation before the carrier visit.

• New cat sitting clients scheduled within 24 hours of the first visit still need an in-person  meeting before the first cat sitting visit.

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There are no eleventh hour fees for:

Medication Administration

Nail Trims

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Cat Sitting Meeting Fee - $15 fee

This fee covers preparatory administrative work and meeting time for this service.

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Key Pickup/Drop off Fee - $10 fee per pickup or drop off

This fee applies to key pickup and/or drop offs outside of cat sitting meetings.

South Philly Cat Care Supports Sustainability By

• choosing 100% renewable resources to power our

  • company electronics

  • website and web hosting service

• walking and biking to clients 

  • South Philly Cat Care may rarely use car travel in dangerous and inclement weather.

• reducing our shipping emissions by sourcing as locally, regionally, or nationally as possible.

• using dolphin-free seafood medication administration aids when appropriate.

• using a veterinary standard disinfectant that

  • is not classified as a hazard with GHS (the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals)

  • has no "extremely hazardous substances" per U.S. Federal Regulation SARA 302/304/311/312

  • can be disposed of in sanitary sewer systems

• using veterinary PPE when appropriate, disinfectants and advised contact time in efforts to minimize infectious disease spread between cats, cats and other animals, and between cats and humans.

We accept:

• Venmo

• Cash

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Payment is taken before services are rendered. If you would like to pay with cash, this can be given in person. We do not currently accept personal checks.

I can counsel on cat trapping methods for a fee, however I do not offer cat trapping services.

South Philly Cat Care offers dog sitting to existing cat clients during cat sitting visits. Please inquire for pricing.