Gem's Cats FAQ's
If you are thinking about booking Gem’s Cats, you may have a few questions about how the services work, what is included and what to expect before arranging care for your cat or pet. This page has been created to answer some of the most common questions about cat day and overnight sitting, pet feeding and care visits, pet taxi services, cat enrichment visits, cat walking and outdoor enrichment, emergency cat care & grooming in Lincoln.
Every cat and pet is different, so we understand that owners may want to talk through their pet’s routine, personality, needs and any special requirements before making a booking. Whether your cat or pet is confident, nervous, elderly, indoor-only, playful, anxious, active or simply likes things done a certain way, the aim is to make the process clear, reassuring and easy from the start.
If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
🐾 General Services
We cover Lincoln and its surrounding villages. For locations beyond a 5-mile radius from LN5 8, an additional mileage charge of 40p per mile applies.
Basic Package (10–15 Minute Visit)
- Feeding & Hydration: Refresh food, top up biscuits, and provide fresh water.
- Hygiene & Maintenance: Clean/refresh litter boxes, wash feeding stations, and tidy up immediate pet areas.
- Home Security: Open/close curtains and turn lights on/off as requested.
- Care & Attention: Administer basic medication and provide essential cuddles and fuss.
Premium Package (30-Minute Visit)
Includes all services in the Basic Package, plus:
- Extended Interaction: Dedicated playtime and interactive games (e.g., hiding treats around the house).
- Home & Extra Pet Care: Water indoor/outdoor plants and care for small caged animals.
The Basic Package lasts 10–15 minutes, while the Premium Package is 30 minutes.
- Less Stress: Cats thrive on routine. Staying at home allows them to feel safe, reduce anxiety, and access their favorite hiding spots.
- Home Security: Bringing in mail, moving curtains, and switching lights gives your home a “lived-in” look to deter intruders.
- Convenience & Savings: Save time and fuel by avoiding strict cattery drop-off and pick-up slots. I come directly to you.
- Personalized Meet & Greet: Unlike a cattery, I offer a complimentary initial visit to ensure your cat is comfortable with me and to give you total peace of mind.
Yes! We care for a variety of small pets, exotics, and birds, including:
- Small Pets & Rodents: Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice.
- Exotics & Birds: Parrots, snakes, and insects.
⚠️ Please note: We do not provide care for dogs, horses, livestock, or farm animals.
We always carry a specialized pet caddy with us to visits to ensure your cats have the best experience possible. It includes:
- Enrichment & Novelty: We pack a variety of toys specifically designed for mental stimulation and enrichment. Bringing fresh, unfamiliar toys gives your cat something new and exciting to investigate, which is great for keeping boredom at bay.
- Catnip & Silver Vine: Our caddy is stocked with high-quality catnip and silver vine to engage your cat’s senses and encourage playful behavior (or deep relaxation, depending on how they react!).
- Calming Support: We always bring along a specialized calming spray to help naturally soothe and relax cats who might feel a bit anxious or stressed while you are away.
- The Essentials: It also contains spare treats and poo bags, ensuring we are fully prepared for any situation during our time together.
We offer a wonderful menu of optional add-on extras to give your cat a true luxury experience while you are away! You can mix and match any of these special treatments to keep them extra happy, relaxed, and pampered:
- Tasty Treats & Delicacies: * Catuccino (a fun, cat-safe creamy treat)
- Succulent fish fillets
- Warm cat milk
- Cat dental chew sticks
- Cat grass treats
- Calming treats (perfect for naturally anxious kitties)
- Cooling & Comfort: * Home-made frozen treats & frozen Lick-e-Lix (amazing for warm weather)
- A cozy hot water bottle setup for ultimate comfort
- Grooming & Spa Time: * A relaxing brushing and grooming session
- Foam dry shampoo refresh
- Gentle nail trimming
- Arts & Crafts: * Cat Canvas Painting: A completely safe, mess-free activity where your cat “paws” a unique piece of art for you to keep as a souvenir of their holiday!
💬 Want to add some luxury? Please get in touch prior to your booking to discuss the pricing for these extras and have them added to your cat’s personalized care plan.
🔒 Safety & Trust
Yes, absolutely. I will send you regular updates via WhatsApp, iMessage, or social media during my visits, including photos and videos. I remain fully contactable throughout your trip.
Yes, We are fully insured with specialist pet-sitting business insurance. This covers public liability, care/custody/control of your animals, and key-holding protection.
- Coverage Guarantee: If an unexpected emergency or illness prevents one of my team members from attending, I have a trusted, reliable backup team (Dayton, Hannah, Zara, Kate, Emily, Shona, Sarah and Kara) who can step in so your pets are never left without care.
- Medical Emergencies (Pets): In a medical emergency, we will immediately transport your pet to your designated vet (or the nearest 24-hour emergency vet) and contact you straight away.
- Vet Bills: Please note that any veterinary bills incurred during an emergency will not be paid through Gem’s Cats; all financial arrangements and payments must be dealt with directly between you and the veterinary clinic.
- Emergency Visits (Humans): If you are suddenly admitted to the hospital or face an unexpected personal emergency, we can step in at short notice to ensure your cats are fully cared for. We are more than happy to come directly to the hospital to meet you, collect your keys, and go over any urgent care instructions.
📅 Booking & Logistics
Yes. Before your first booking, we will arrange a complimentary 30-minute Meet & Greet at your home to:
- Introduce ourselves (usually one team member) to you and your cats.
- Review your exact routines and where supplies are kept.
- Confirm all instructions and key handovers so everything is crystal clear.
- Key Handover: You can hand keys over directly during the Meet & Greet, drop them off at my house prior to your trip, leave them in a secure garden spot, or provide an external key safe code.
- Key Return: I typically hold onto your keys for a few days after your scheduled return. If your flight is delayed, one of the team can easily step in for extra visits. Once you are safely home, we can pop them through the letterbox, leave them in your key safe, or hold them for future bookings.
- Seven or More Days Notice: If you need to cancel your booking and provide 7 or more days notice before the first scheduled service, no further payment will be due beyond your non-refundable booking deposit.
- Less Than Seven Days Notice: For cancellations made with less than 7 days notice, the full service fee (100%) remains payable. This is because the time has been reserved exclusively for your pet, and it is highly unlikely the dates can be filled at short notice.
- Policy Exceptions: This cancellation policy applies regardless of the reason for cancellation, except where otherwise agreed at my sole discretion.
- Refund Processes: The 50% booking deposit is non-refundable unless I am personally unable to provide the agreed-upon service. Any discretionary refunds issued will be processed within a reasonable timeframe.
- Emergency Supply Runs: If food, litter, or other essentials run out during our visits, we are more than happy to pop to the shop and purchase them for you. We will provide you with the receipts, and the cost can be reimbursed upon your return.
- Online Deliveries: Alternatively, you can order supplies online and have them delivered directly to your house while you are away. We will gladly bring the packages inside and use them for your pets.
🐱 Specific Cat Needs
Yes, general administration of routine medication is included in both packages. We are pet first aid trained and have direct experience with administering insulin injections, so you can rest assured your pet is in safe, capable hands. We can discuss your pet’s specific medical requirements and schedules in detail during your Meet & Greet.
Yes. Staying in their own home is ideal for anxious cats. We strictly follow their lead, giving them space if they prefer to hide, or offering gentle reassurance when they want it.
We will always try to visually locate your cat to ensure they are safe and healthy, but we will never force them out of their safe space if they choose to hide. If a particularly shy cat is hiding so well that we cannot find them at all, we will still thoroughly check that food and water have been consumed, and that the litter tray has been used to confirm they are active and well.
We are highly flexible with outdoor cats and will adapt to their usual routines. During our visits, we can:
- Flexible Timing: Visits can be scheduled earlier or later to match your cat’s usual outdoor and feeding schedule. A late-night visit can also be specifically arranged if needed.
- Manage Access: Check microchip cat flaps, or safely open designated windows and doors to let them in or out.
- Search & Call: Check their favourite outdoor spots around the garden and call them in using treats or their favourite toys.
- Night Routines: If you prefer your cat to be kept inside overnight, we will prioritise calling them in during evening or late-night visits.
- Feeding Flexibility: If they don’t return during our visit, we can leave fresh food and water in a secure outdoor spot. We also thoroughly check the indoor stations to see if they came home, ate, and went out again before we arrived.
- Extra Health Checks: Outdoor cats face a few more risks, so we perform extra health checks whenever we see them to look for any signs of outdoor injuries, ticks or fights.
- Hunting Clean-up: If your cat happens to bring home any outdoor “spoils” or hunting presents, we are more than happy to safely clean and clear them up for you so you don’t have to face them when you get back.
Yes. Kittens usually benefit from the Premium Package for vital playtime and socialization, while senior cats appreciate the regular routine, medication management, and quiet companionship.
🏠 House & Home Security
Because I hold your keys until you confirm you are safely through the front door, we can easily add extra emergency visits to ensure your cats are looked after if you face travel delays.
No. By adjusting curtains, turning lights on/off, and clearing your mail from the door, we make the home look actively lived-in while you are away.
Additionally, our car’s are completely unbranded. There are no company logos or pet-sitting signs on them, so neighbors or passersby won’t realize a professional service is visiting, keeping your absence completely discreet.
No, all sitting is done directly in your cat’s own home to minimize their stress and keep them in their comfortable environment.
💰 Pricing & Payments
No, pricing is per visit, not per cat, and covers up to 10 cats.
⚠️ Note: Caring for up to 10 animals takes extra time for feeding and cleaning, which will reduce individual cuddle and playtime during a standard slot. For larger pet families, we highly recommend booking an extended visit.
Yes. For larger pet families or extra companionship, you can book an extended 45-minute or 1-hour visit. These are bespoke services and are subject to schedule availability.
- Standard 30-Minute Visit: £14
- Bespoke 1-Hour Visit: £26
- Booking Confirmation: A booking is only fully confirmed once a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total service fee has been received.
- Final Balance: The remaining 50% balance must be paid no later than 24 hours before your first scheduled service. Please note that failure to pay the outstanding balance by this deadline may result in the booking being cancelled.
“Payments are made either two ways; in full just before the service or via our monthly payment plan option.
Paying in full prior to your cat‘s service is paid via bank transfer or cash.
- Payment Methods: We accept Cash, Bank Transfer, or PayPal.
- Standard Payment: Bookings must be paid in full at least 24 hours before the sitting period begins.
- Monthly Plans & Holiday Credit: For regular clients or to help spread the cost, we offer a flexible monthly payment plan. You can pay in custom instalments prior to your dates, or use it to build up a credit balance for future holidays so your upcoming trips are already fully taken care of.
Please get in touch if you would like to set up a custom monthly plan for your upcoming dates.
Cat Care Monthly Plan.
How it works:
• Choose a monthly amount that suits you
• Payments are taken securely each month via Stripe
• Your payments build up as credit on your account or is taken off your remaining balance
• You simply pay any remaining balance before your booking
We also offer more bespoke monthly payments plans where you can pay off a few of your holidays booked over just a set few months (instead of a rolling continuous monthly payment) without paying the remainder before the holiday as the entire amount is paid for the multiple holidays by the beginning of the last holiday. So splitting 4 holidays over 4 months, the total amount is divided by 4.
You can also choose to set up your own payment plan using your bank to create a Standing Order instead of using Stripe.”
✨ Other Services
Yes! Beyond standard home visits, we provide a wide range of specialised services to meet all your cat’s needs:
- Overnight House Sitting & Full 24h Cat Sitting: Perfect for cats who need constant companionship, extra medical supervision, or round-the-clock care in the comfort of their own home.
- Enrichment Visits: Dedicated sessions focusing entirely on mental stimulation, interactive games, and specialized play to keep your cat active and entertained.
- Basic Cat Grooming: A hands-on care session to keep your cat fresh and comfortable, which includes:
- Coat Maintenance: Full de-shedding brushes and carefully shaving out painful matts.
- Trims: Nail trimming and sanitary/hygiene trims.
- Freshen Up: Gentle cleanse wipes for the eyes, ears, and mouth.
- Cat Walking: Safe, harness-and-leash outdoor adventures for adventurous felines who love to explore.
- Pet Taxi: Secure and reliable transportation to safely take your pet to the vet, groomers, or any other appointments. We can also use this service to collect medication, food, or litter for you—making it ideal for owners who don’t drive, lack transport, or are homebound.
- Emergency Visits (Humans): If you are suddenly admitted to the hospital or face an unexpected personal emergency, we can step in at short notice to ensure your cats are fully cared for. We are more than happy to come directly to the hospital to meet you, collect your keys, and go over any urgent care instructions.
💬 If you are interested in any of these additional services, please get in touch to check availability and receive a custom quote!
