The Cat Lady is Fiona Lester. ‘The Cat Lady’ exists as the business name and as such also refers to any staff members. Fiona is the primary sitter, occasionally accompanied by Craig (husband). Together we manage a team of ladies who sit for us in different areas. See our 'About Us' page for our current team members!

Please see our Areas page for more info.

The portal is a petcare app called Precise Petcare. This is the software we use to manage all our clients, cats, booking, invoicing and scheduled visits. You will have your own account and can update any information at your leisure. Make bookings, and get updates on your cat(s) after every visit.

We have a minimum requirement of 1 visit per day. For kittens between 5 months and 8 months, we insist on 2 visits, and suggest 3. Kittens younger than 5 months we would strongly recommend you use a cattery as we feel they should not be left alone overnight. For the most part, the number of visits we do a day is client preference. But our recommendation for any cats is that we visit morning and teatime, daily.

No. Vaccinations are not necessary, but we strongly advise and ask that your cat(s) are treated for fleas.

We don’t recommend leaving kittens under 16 weeks old with a sitter. If it is absolutely necessary please request 3 or 4, hour-long visits per day that we will carry out between 8am and 8pm at regular intervals. We also require the kittens be confined to one room overnight to prevent accidents. You may find for very young kittens that a cattery would be a better option. We have a minimum requirement of 2 visits for kittens under 8 months old, but we urge you to consider 3 visits a day if they are on the younger side. Kittens can get into all kinds of trouble left unattended for long periods of time and their welfare is our primary concern. We have no upper limit on age.

We don’t have a set limit on duration of bookings, but if you are leaving your cat(s) for longer than a week, we recommend twice daily visits as your cat will get lonely, especially if confined to the home. Please message us to discuss your needs.

No, we have a minimum requirement for 1 daily visit for the welfare of your cat(s). No exceptions.

No, we can not job share for insurance purposes.

We prefer not to job share with anyone as it can complicate things if both parties do or don’t do something under the assumption the other party is responsible. We don’t mind family members/friends visiting in a non-professional capacity whilst your cat(s) is in our care, just that we are solely professionally responsible for your cat(s). Please inform us when booking if you have other people sharing in the care of your cat(s). PLEASE NOTE* In the event that other people have access to your home for any reason at all during your booking with us, we shall not be held responsible or liable for any damages or losses that may occur.

Enrichment visits are great for cats left alone for long periods of time, when the owner is not away. It may be a day trip or whilst you are at work. We carry out our usual visit, with or without the feeding/litter box cleaning, but with the main focus being on playtime and affection. Toys must be provided for this service. Prices are the same as a usual visit. Socialisation Visits can be useful for kittens or ex-feral cats when you want your cat(s) to see more human faces and have increased interaction with humans. The main focus would be playtime, human trust exercises with treats and affection. All member of the team would visit at different times, alone or together for maximum effect. Prices are the same as a usual visit.

We will within reason. It is a requirement of your registration with us that you inform us that your cat can be, or is aggressive. Failure to do so will result in legal action being taken. Where possible we accept clients with aggressive cats providing it is safe for any member of our team to carry out feeding and litter box cleaning as a bare minimum. If these tasks are not possible without provoking an attack then you may not be accepted as a client of The Cat Lady. In addition to this, The Cat Lady cannot be held responsible if you cat falls ill or is injured and cannot be handled sufficiently to seek medical attention. In these cases we will enlist the help of your emergency contact, or a mobile vet where possible.

We don’t require you to tidy up or make any special provisions for The Cat Lady to visit your home. We do ask that you ensure your cat is safe left at home (think wires, cords, open windows, electricals etc), and that you have provided enough supplies* for your time away. We also request that you leave all food & water bowls clean and litter boxes are scooped before you leave. An excessive cleaning charge will be applied if we arrive to find any of these items haven’t been cleaned in the last 24 hours. *Supplies consist of food, litter, nappy bags or similar, black bags, cleaning products for accidents, sponge/cloth for cleaning bowls.

We are able to administer medication within food or treats. We can pill orally if the cat is tolerant of this. We do not offer injections at this time. We can recommend Pet Nurse Services for home visits to administer medications if needed – just ask for their contact details! Please note there is a nominal charge for administering medication orally.

No. We do not carry out routine treatments that are not strictly necessary whilst you're away. We value the trust we build with your cat and won't do anything to jeopardise it. Flea and Worming treatments must be given before our visits if needed. Please advise if your cat recently had drops applied to their neck.

We do not look after dogs. No exceptions. We will consider taking care of small pets, IF friendly and only require food & water. We do not clean out hutches/cages etc. We do charge a small fee for this service. We feed fish for free. Message us with your needs!

We feed any food that you usually feed your cat(s). All food is to be provided by the client. This includes a raw diet if preferred.

We urge you to leave enough food and litter for the time you are away, plus a few days just in case. If we are required to replace supplies, you will be charged for the food/litter plus the cost of a usual visit to cover time and fuel.

We can't. And we strongly encourage clients to buy wand toys for their cat(s). All toys are important for their mental health, physical health and overall behaviour, but in our experience wand toys with feathers/worm/fish/mouse attachments are the most popular and are guaranteed to get your cats moving! If you would like some recommendations on where to purchase, just ask!

Absolutely!! We pride ourselves on our updates! You will receive multiple photos and an update through the portal, after every visit.

The sitter will carry out all promised duties during every visit, including, but not limited to: feeding, refreshing water, cleaning litter trays, affection and playtime. Visit times offered are as follows: 30 minutes (suitable for 1-4 cats). 45 minutes (suitable for 1-6 cats), 60 minutes (suitable for 1-8 cats). For 9+ cats we will need to discuss your requirements. If a cat is noticeably distressed by our presence we will leave once jobs are done. Visits may not last the maximum time during periods of high demand, such as bank holidays and school holidays. At no time will visit length compromise the care of your cats. If time spent in the home is important to you, please speak with us.

Absolutely not! Cleaning accidents is part of the job and totally expected. Please provide your preferred cleaning products for upholstery/carpets.

We do not charge for an emergency trip to the vet. You are only required to pay for any, and all treatment your cat receives whilst there. This includes inflated emergency, out of hours care which may be unavoidable. We always seek the clients permission before taking a cat to the vet unless it is a medical emergency. For subsequent visits during a booking, we have set charges. Please see our page under Our Services>Vet Visits.

Any extra visits that occur once the booking begins can be paid by bank transfer or online via the portal. We will invoice you and payment must be made within 48 hours of your return.

Below is a summary of everything we charge for: Visit - Price based on number of cats. Visit Surcharges - Holidays and Peak Times (see Prices page) Excessive Cleaning - £10 Supplies Replacement - Actual Cost of Supplies plus price of 1 Visit Any additional vet visits needed after an initial consultation that we do not charge for. You may also consider asking a family member or friend to escort to the vet in our place.

We expect you to clean your litter trays/boxes before leaving for your trip. We will not clean up your cat's mess from days before we are due to take over their care. We also take exception if bowls have not been cleaned before our visit. We clean all your cats items every visit, and maintain them for the duration of your time away. If we arrive to find items have been left for days or longer, we will charge an excessive cleaning fee.

Payment for all visits is required in full, 7 days before the start of your booking. We do not ask for a deposit when booking, with the exception of Christmas. Christmas bookings are payable in full at the time of booking. Please see our dedicated Payment page for full details. ​

Yes we can and it is by far the most usual practice with existing clients. This enables you to book at anytime without worrying about getting your key to us. It also means we can carry out emergency visits, and extra visits if you are late arriving home. Your key is coded (no name on tag) and kept in a locked safe in our home. Alternatively you may drop off / collect your key from our home at no charge each time you book. (When dropping off, please post key through letterbox in an envelope marked with only your name). Please make an appointment to collect your key from our lockbox. Your key can also be posted through your letterbox on the last visit of a booking; however we only recommend this if you have a family member/friend with a spare key for emergencies.

All members of staff at The Cat Lady have been DBS checked.

All members of staff at The Cat Lady are insured to work in your home.

Currently all employees of The Cat Lady are GPS tracked/logged at all times, for their safety. If you'd like to discuss any further security precautions we have in place, please contact Fiona.

If you are delayed for any reason we will simply continue with the same schedule of care until you notify us that you are home. For this reason we strongly recommend leaving your key with us. Your key is coded (no name on tag) and kept in a locked safe in our home. We never recommend asking for your key to be posted through the letterbox for this reason. If you have this as your preferred method of return, please ensure a family member/friend has a spare key for emergencies.

The Cat Lady consists of Fiona, the Primary Sitter and a team of 5 other sitters who work as and when needed. Your cat will always be visited when needed. Guaranteed.

You are required to fill in a Veterinary Treatment Authorisation form before you can book The Cat Lady. This gives us permission to seek medical care if your cat falls ill or is injured whilst in our care. You are responsible for all costs incurred, but we will only transport to a vet without your consent in an emergency. If your cat is showing any signs of illness, we always talk to the client where possible to determine the best course of action.

Before you book you are required to fill out a Veterinary Treatment Authorisation form. This asks you what you would like to happen in case of your cat passing away whilst in our care. We respect any choices you make. If your cat goes missing we will do everything we can to aid in finding it. We will post details and photos on social media and contact vets. We will put your litter box/hoover contents outside to help it find it’s way home, and can make extra trips to your home to check if needed. The Cat Lady is not liable for a missing cat under any circumstances and strongly advise you to keep your cat(s) inside for the duration of your time away. If you have a house cat that is an escape risk, please be sure to let us know so we are prepared. We will do everything we can to prevent escape, but we cannot be held responsible for an escaped cat.

Fiona is currently studying a Feline First Aid Diploma. All staff members carry a first aid kit but are not trained officially.