We have a set of rules that are intended to help us take the best possible care of your furbabies and ensure that we have the staff on hand to do so. Please don't leave preparations to the last minute. Once we're fully booked we have no realistic way to accommodate you. We also do not skip days between sits regardless if your home has automated devises for your pet. Nothing can replace the attention a human caregiver can provide your fur kid, even the most shy amongst us. And, we have found pets locked in rooms, locked out of rooms that have their food and litter box resources, pets becoming ill, leaks in apts., screens pushed out of windows, etc. We want to lay eyes on your pet at least once every 24 hours. It's for their safety. 

For non-holidays, reservations should be made at least 7 days before your travel date. Because weekends are in high demand, any reservations made later than Wednesday at 5 pm will be charged our Federal Holiday rates. It is not possible to reserve a sit for the weekend any later than Friday at 3 pm, as that's when our offices close for the weekend. 

2024 Federal Holidays include the following: New Year's Day, MLK Day, President's Day, Easter (non-federal holiday rate applies), Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the holiday period (November 27 - 30), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the holiday period (December 23 - January 1). Sitters work from 7AM to 9 PM daily and from 7 AM to 10:00 PM during our peak holiday season. Sitters work in route order (by zip code) during our Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons regardless of the time you may request. When the sitter is in a certain area, all clients living in that same or surrounding area will be seen. If you are concerned that your pet will grow hungry while waiting for a sitter to arrive, we suggest you purchase a Catmate automatic feeder that includes an ice pack. This feeder can be set for a specific time and the wet food will stay fresh for up to 10 hours. You can also use it for dry food. 

We have a holiday surcharge of $10 for each day during the holiday period and the weekend leading into or after the holiday and $16 on the federal holiday.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are very busy times for us, so please make your reservations as early as possible.  Our cutoff dates for holiday reservations are below:

Thanksgiving (November 27-30) reservations must be made by November 1.

Christmas (December 23-Jan. 1) reservations must be made by December 1. 

Important note for special needs pets: If your pet requires medication or sub q fluids you must email Taryn at brooklyncattitude@gmail.com no later than October 5, 2024 so she can determine if we can take care of your pet during the holiday season.

Holidays are our busiest times. We're unable to offer twice-a-day or 45-minute visits on Federal holidays including Nov. 27-29 or Dec. 24-26, 2024.  On Thanksgiving and Christmas Day ALL visits will be only 30 minutes. We appreciate your understanding. 

Payment is due 3 days in advance of your confirmed pet sit. For reservations made for federal holiday periods, payment is due 5 days in advance of your confirmed sit. If your sit is longer than 5 days, 50% payment is required upon confirmation of the sit, with the rest due before the sit begins. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and cash. If you cancel your sit less than 10 days before the first day of the sit, you will be charged 50% of the total amount due. 

Your payment is our confirmation that your sit will take place. If you do not find an invoice in your portal, please notify the office at brooklyncattitude@gmail.com. We also email your invoice to you, so if you don't see it, please check to see whether it's been filtered into your spam folder.

In some cases where a sit is extended or there are additional expenses, you will be invoiced. There is a $25 late fee for invoices not paid after 30 days.

For your payment convenience, you can add your credit card to your portal account and you will be auto-billed. This is our preferred payment system.

We always try to honor the rates outlined on our cat sitting and dog walking services pages. However, due to the nature of our business, our rates may change. We base our rates on several factors and they may need to be adjusted based on the type of service required, the duration of the sit, or if your pet's needs change. Any change will be discussed in advance of modifying the original pet sitting agreement. Surcharges will apply for weekend services depending on travel time to your home and type of service requested. Effective January 2024, there will be a price increase. We have attempted to keep our prices competitive but the cost of doing business has increased significantly. Our goal is to stay in business. We thank you for your continued support. 

We have recently opened our new dog day care and pet boarding facility Doggittude, at 356 Atlantic Avenue. The business office is open Monday through Friday, 10 am–6 pm. The business office is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Emails and phone calls received on Saturday and Sunday will be returned on the next business day.

If your plans change after a sit is confirmed, please email the office at brooklyncattitude@gmail.com immediately. Only office staff can modify a confirmed sit. In some cases, there will be cancellation fees (described below), most of which go to our sitters, who rely on the anticipated income of confirmed sits. We appreciate your understanding. During non-holiday periods, cancellations must be received within 96 hours (4 days) in advance of your confirmed sit. During peak holiday periods, your cancellation request must be emailed to us at least 10 days prior to the first day of the sit or you will lose your deposit be charged 50% of the total amount due. 

Cancellations received less than 96 hours in advance require a $75 cancellation fee. For our holiday periods, a 10 day cancellation notice is required and the deposit rules in the above paragraph apply. We do not refund your money if you return home early or earlier than anticipated on the last day of your confirmed sit. 

For Meet and Greets, there is a $25 travel charge so the sitter is paid for their time. If we come to your home and you aren't there and haven't canceled at least 3 hours before your appointment, there is a $50 inconvenience  fee. 

Our sitters check in when they arrive at your home and you are immediately notified by email. When the sitter is finished caring for your pet, you will receive a check-out notification via email. You can click the link and see a picture of your pet and an update. We are happy to provide an email update with a picture and note about the sit so you know your favorite furry friend is being cared for.

If you are traveling to an area where cell phone service isn't available, please inform the sitter and office staff in advance. If for any reason you are not able to contact your sitter, please email the office at brooklyncattitude@gmail.com.

If you need to contact your sitter, please do so by their supplied email address and not by text.

We have a backup for all team members – both cat sitters and dog walkers – and there is always a "buddy sitter" available in the event your sitter becomes ill or has a family emergency. We also recognize that sitters and pets bond, so every attempt is made for our clients to work with the same sitter on an ongoing basis.

Please note, our sitters also take vacations with their families and request time off for other reasons. If your favorite sitter isn't available, another member of our team or one of our managers will step in and cover the sit. Each team member is trained in all aspects of pet care and will deliver the same quality service you're accustomed to receiving from Cattitude Street Strutters Pet Care. 

It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is for our sitters to be able to enter your home. For this reason, we have very specific requirements regarding keys.

Before your first sit, be prepared to provide us with two sets of keys (copies) at the Meet & Greet session. One set stays with the sitter and the other set is stored and locked in our office. Please test the keys you give us to make sure they work. If our sitter is unable to get into your apartment then they will have to move on to their next sit. If a locksmith has to be called, you'll be notified and will be responsible for covering the cost.

We recommend that you allow us to keep your keys on file for future services. If we do not hear from you within a year of your last sit, your keys will be properly destroyed. If requested, keys can be left in your home at the end of the service, as long as your door is self-locking. Keys can also be left with a concierge and/or doorman as long as they are available 24/7 and on holidays. There is a $20 key pick up and drop off surcharge so the sitter is paid for their time. All personal key tags are removed when your key is entered into our inventory system.

If we have your keys and you move or change locks, please let us know so we can properly dispose of your old keys.

If you are in a situation where you cannot give us keys, you can also use a lockbox or have the doorman give the sitter keys when they arrive. In the latter case, please verify the hours and days your doorman will be there. We need to know if the doormen are out for certain holidays, or aren't there between certain hours or leave the building unattended when they take breaks. If the doorman is not there when the sitter arrives, they will be unable to wait. 

If you have a security system, please give us your security code and detailed instructions on how to arm and disarm the system.

Clients must leave as much food as will be needed for the duration of their absence. Let us know how much food you give your pets each day so we can ration the food appropriately. It is best to have somewhat more food than will be required, in case your plans change.

If the food runs out, we will discuss the problem with you before attempting to find the same or equivalent food, and you will be charged for the cost of the food plus an hour for the sitter's time.  

We want to make sure we have all the information we need to properly take care of your fur kid. If your pet has been sick or is showing symptoms of illness please think about canceling your trip and also let us know.

Pets with special needs such as medication or fluids will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if we have the capacity to care for them. Please contact Taryn at brooklyncattitude@gmail.com to receive an evaluation.  

Summer brings the challenge of warmer temperatures that can cause health problems for your pet. If your home is too hot for us then it's too hot for your pet; after all, they wear a fur coat all year long. Air-conditioning should be turned on when temperatures are at 90 or above. It isn't safe to leave windows open even when the windows have screens. Cats are escape artists and can squeeze through the smallest of openings. Please think about the safety of your pet and realize that when the owners are away, the kitty will play and sometimes get into things they shouldn't get into. For this reason, we make a visit every 24 hours (once a day) to check on the well-being of your pet. We've seen a lot over the years, and everything we do has the best interest of your pet at heart.

Before your sit begins, please notify your vet that Cattitude Street Strutters Pet Care will be caring for your pet while you're away. In the event of an emergency, and if your pet's vet is not available, we will take your pet to the Veterinary and Emergency Referral Group (VERG) in Brooklyn and Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. When your pet arrives at either emergency hospital, you can speak with a receptionist and make payment arrangements. We aren't responsible for your pet's veterinarian bill, but we will make certain, in the event of illness, that your pet arrives safely to an emergency facility. When you become a client, please add your pet's veterinarian information to your client portal so it's easy for us to find that information in case of an emergency.

If we are sitting a cat, please place your cat's litter box in an area where the cat is not restricted to access. The box should be outside of a closet. If the litter box is located in a room that has a door, a door stopper must be used to keep the door from closing. It is our policy not to flush litter even if the litter states it is flushable. Dirty litter and contents are removed from your home in biodegradable bags at our expense. Please be considerate of your sitter and let us start our job finding a clean litter box filled with fresh litter. Daily litter scooping is part of the service you pay for, but a complete litter box change is not and will be billed at $25 per each time we have to clean and change the litter in the box. We also close the toilet seat so kitty will not look for alternate water sources.