Chelsea

About Me:

Hello! I'm a 25-year-old part-time university student earning my living through my digital business while studying from the comfort of my home. I absolutely love cats, and I'd care for them like my own children. On top of my 6 cats, I've had experience with community cat feeding before adopting some of them. 

My Experiences With Cats:

I've had 4 cats for roughly 10 years, all of which were community strays that either have been abandoned or abused. One of them recently passed away due to cancer & pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), and I've had to manage frequent feedings and other medical needs towards the end of his life. Recently, my mum adopted another 2 Ragdoll kitties from a friend, and they are living in a different apartment where I spend half my weeks at! Just so my cats aren't bored, sometimes I tend to play bird sounds/nature videos on the speaker or TV to perk them up. Also, a little bit of calming music if they are extremely scared or anxious with strangers, so that they'll relax and slowly find my presence comforting.

I've always had to be the main caretaker to bring my cats to the vet (for vaccines, dental, and illnesses), administer medications (pills, paste, liquids, gels), playing with toys, feeding, clearing kitty litter, and making all the necessary medical decisions or arrangements for their food intake. However, I do have family help with caregiving tasks when I'm not around. Hence, I'm open to taking care of your furbabies!

I have actually built up quite a handful of regular clients through other platforms and word of mouth as well, so my bookings have been increasing quite a bit, and availability for house sitting is limited for up to March 2023! But please do not hesitate to reach out to me for your dates as I do have 5 cat rescuers to also help you out with your bookings! :)

Pawshake Guarantee:

If you have pets with medical issues, it is highly recommended to go through the platform for payments and to fill in an intake form so that the Pawshake Guarantee can use its insurance to cover any trips to the vet, should your pet require it during our housesitting sessions.

My Rates:

I'm perfectly fine charging the same rate even if there are more pets at home for housesitting jobs. I understand how expensive it can get, and how much of a financial strain it can be. (I've done boarding for my 4 stray cats and it's crazy expensive, it didn't come with the best experience as infection rates are high and the stress triggers more health issues recurrences.)

If you require longer-term bookings or recurring bookings, please message me for a better rate! Depending on the arrangements and duration, I'm able to provide up to 25% discount.

If you require house visits before 9am, please note that taxi fare has to be reimbursed. I've had clients who wanted 6-7am visits but it would take me 1.5 hours to reach and there's no public transport available. 

If you require me to stay past 11pm or arrive before 9am for house sittings, please note that taxi fare has to be reimbursed. 

***Please note that Pawshake does take a 19% commission from the final payment to cover platform fees & pet insurance. Hence, my rates here are calculated to cover this, transportation costs, etc.

Informing Me Of Your Cats' Medical/Trauma History:

Do let me know if your cats had a prior history of abuse/trauma/starvation before adoption, as some of them can be extremely scared, aggressive or have a tendency to overeat. It'll be helpful for me as it allows me to predict how to slowly ease your cat to be comfortable with my presence and provide appropriate care. It'll also let me know if I should do scheduled feedings for overeaters. I do have 2 chonky cats that overeat as they were always scared that they'll not be able to find food as strays. If your cat is aggressive, it would be best to do a meet and greet to see if I'm able to ease the tension prior to bookings!

You can let me know if your cat is sick or requires supplements, and I can help you administer medications/supplements. I will also have to double-check with you if it's a non-viral or viral illness so that I can accept or reject bookings appropriately.

IMPORTANT NOTES (MEASURES AGAINST MEDICAL RISKS):

Please understand that if it's viral/contagious illness, it will be easy for me to infect my and other client's feline babies. Hence, I do have to take extra precautions. A lot of the time, saliva, snort & fecal matter are the most contagious/viral contact points for caretakers, so it can be easy for humans to spread them to other feline babies. Being in contact with food bowls or other pet furniture might cause the spread of germs & especially cat flu. So do look out for symptoms and make sure your cat has sought a proper vet diagnosis to double-check if it's a viral case. Some examples include cat flu (repeated sneezing), intestinal viral infections, etc.

My Habits & Hygiene Practices

I tend to clean up during my housesitting (automatically), so... you won't need to worry about me being a nightmare tenant/housesitter. You might actually be relieved with my habits if you have a Muslim household! I actually do not eat pork (just don't like red meat in general), and neither do I drink alcohol. I tend to bring my tiny cooking pot & cutlery for simple meals as I know it's best practice not to use the cooking equipments or utensils for non-halal meals. It's also easier if you have pets who love to sit on countertops (including induction stoves). No cats will be accidentally harmed since there are no hot induction surfaces around. I'm also always ready with travel-size necessities and a bag packed for last-minute bookings. Don't worry about it being a hassle for me because it's not! I'm really used to it as I travel quite a bit to Brunei (a strict Islamic state), so it comes easy for me to be culturally and religiously sensitive.

You also don't have to worry about my hygiene practices around your furbabies because I'm allergic to cats (unfortunately). It's routine for me to take extra hygiene precautions like washing my hands or using sanitizers frequently so I don't accidentally touch my face and start sneezing, or having a rash or asthma attack. (Don't worry too much about this. I won't need medical attention, especially after staying with so many cats for 10 years+. I'm always ready with anti-histamines and an asthma inhaler because I just love cats wayyyy too much to let my allergies hinder me.)

Additional Help!

For my past few bookings, I've encountered pest issues (wasp nest, ants, cockroaches, lizards), this also means that I've done my fair share of research in having pest control services that are using pet & human friendly chemicals.

I have also worked with cat rescuers who have now become catsitters to fund their cat rescuing journeys. If my schedule is full, do not worry, just text me and we can see if I can arrange for my catsitter friends to help you out! So please just reach out and I will be more than happy to help you out with other reliable options!

Recently, I have also found cat groomers with affordable rates with a pretty high number of cat rescuers clients using their services for their foster kitties with trauma backgrounds. If you do require services like this during my stay, I'm more than happy to help you arrange as well. 

I do not earn a commission from promoting these services, it's just that I'm truly grateful for these external help that I'm getting and would like to support them! :)

***Extra Notes For Me Before The Job:

If you are particular regarding your preferences or routines around your house (aircon usage, ventilation, placement of items, things to avoid doing, etc.), please be thorough and compile them into a list for any catsitters to follow and avoid any displeasantry during our housesitting sessions.

I'm usually extremely flexible with my timings and do not strictly follow 12pm check-in/check-out timings. However, this also depends on my schedule availability, so do check with me if you require me to stay longer on the day of checkout or come in a little earlier! I'm more than happy to help you out if I can! But if you require me to be at your house extra early/late, in the morning/night and it's extremely far from my housing area for a long stay, it would be best if you could provide taxi fare reimbursement as I would be travelling with my luggage so it's not exactly the most convenient to join in peak hour transportations.

Please don't hesitate to let me know your preference on whether to keep you updated or if you do not need updates during our bookings! I do not wish to spam you with too many updates, images, or videos. Otherwise, I'll be happy to update you on whether they are finishing their meals, vomiting, or not making any trips to their kitty litter. I'll also keep you at ease with tons of videos and pictures during my house-sitting bookings! I'm a fabulous "photographer" (if you don't mind my slight hand tremors) when capturing derpy, quirky, or affectionate moments. Hehe.

I hope that being extremely aware of how to maximize your feline babies' safety will be a plus point for anxious cat moms & dads! I do charge a little higher as I'm a crazy cat mom who would really be thorough, or rather, I try my absolute best to prioritize our kitties' well-being. Thank you for reading, and see you in my chat box! 🥰