Frequently asked questions
Your questions, answered.
From your first Meet & Greet to everyday care. Choose a topic to find the information you need.
Getting started
5 questionsYou can request a free Meet & Greet at your home directly through the website, or start with a short phone call. If everything feels right, an in-person Meet & Greet at your home takes place in either case before you book care. This gives us time to get to know your cat, their routines and your home setup.
We review your request and get back to you within 24 hours. We suggest a suitable time for a short phone call or an in-person Meet & Greet at your home.
Yes. Even if your travel plans aren’t final yet, you’re very welcome to arrange a free Meet & Greet. This gives us the opportunity to get to know you and your cat and talk through everything that’s important for their care. If you decide to go ahead with Maison du Chat afterwards, we’ll activate your client account so you can request care whenever you need it.
You can request care once we’ve met you and your cat and your client account has been activated. If you decide Maison du Chat is the right fit for you, we’ll activate your account after the Meet & Greet. From then on, you can request cat sitting whenever you need it through your personal client account.
Yes. If you would like to ask a few questions or learn more about our care first, you can request a short introductory call when completing the Meet & Greet form. An in-person Meet & Greet at your home is required before you can book care.
Meet & Greet
8 questionsThe Meet & Greet is a free first meeting in your home, giving us the chance to get to know you and your cat in person. We’ll talk about their routines, preferences and everything that’s important for their care. Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to get to know us and see whether Maison du Chat feels like the right fit for you and your cat. This gives us a good foundation for caring for your cat.
Your cat is most relaxed in their familiar home. There, we can get to know them in their usual surroundings and learn from you what they enjoy and what we should look out for. At the same time, you get to know us and can take your time deciding whether you feel comfortable with us. Together, we build a good foundation for their care.
As long as it takes for us to get to know your cat, their routines and everything we need to know to provide the best possible care. Most Meet & Greets are straightforward, but we’re always happy to take the time you and your cat need.
We typically discuss:
• your cat’s personality and routines, including their hygiene
• their preferences for feeding, play and attention
• medication or health-related observations
• access to your home and key handover
• emergency contacts and your preferred veterinary practice
• practical information about your home
Yes. The Meet & Greet is, of course, free of charge.
No. The Meet & Greet does not commit you to booking. It is a first step so we can get to know each other and find out whether Maison du Chat is a good fit for you and your cat.
After the Meet & Greet, you can take your time to decide whether Maison du Chat feels like the right fit for you and your cat. If you decide to go ahead, we’ll activate your client account and invite you to review and complete your details. Then you’re all set: whenever you need care for your cat, you can easily request it through your personal client account.
Yes. If your dates are already confirmed, we can discuss the care during the Meet & Greet. We then send you the booking proposal through your client account for confirmation.
Becoming a client
4 questionsYour client account becomes active after the Meet & Greet if you choose to go ahead with Maison du Chat. Once your account is activated, you are a registered client and can review or update your details and request care through your account.
It means:
• Your client account is active.
• Information about your cat and their care is saved and can be updated at any time.
• Whenever you need care, you can easily request it through your client account.
No. Being a registered client and having care booked are two different things. Registration activates your client account so you can request care whenever you need it.
We activate your client account after the Meet & Greet, once you choose Maison du Chat. By then, we have the information we need to set up a personal care profile around your cat’s routines and needs, so your account starts with the right care details in place.
Your client account
3 questionsIn your client account, you can:
• review and complete your details
• update your cat’s profile and care preferences
• easily request new bookings
• confirm booking proposals
• view information about your bookings
You can update your details yourself at any time through your client account, without needing to contact us each time.
This may include:
• your cat’s routines and preferences
• feeding instructions
• litter tray information
• medication information (we may contact you again to discuss this)
• emergency contacts
• details of your veterinary practice
• access preferences
• practical information about your home that is relevant to the visit
Because it records important information about your cat and their routines and keeps it up to date. If another team member needs to step in, they can build on that information and follow your cat’s familiar routines without you having to explain everything again.
Booking care
8 questionsYou can request your preferred dates and time windows through your client account.
We review your preferred dates and care details, then send you a booking proposal through your client account. You can review the documents and payment request there and confirm the booking.
A booking proposal brings together everything you need to review before confirming your booking:
• the requested dates and visit arrangements
• important care details
• the total price
• the agreement or contract
• the invoice and payment information
A booking is fully confirmed once:
• you have confirmed the care through your client account
• the agreement has been electronically signed
• we have received the required upfront payment
Yes. If your dates are already confirmed, we can discuss the care during the Meet & Greet. We then send you the booking proposal through your client account for confirmation.
Yes. After the Meet & Greet and registration, you can request future care through your client account whenever you need it, usually without arranging another Meet & Greet.
Possibly, if something significant changes, for example:
• a new address
• a new cat
• a significant change in your cat’s needs
• a new access arrangement
• a new medication routine
• another important change that affects their care
You can request additional visits as a new booking through your client account. Alternatively, contact us through the messaging feature in your account: start a new conversation, link the relevant service request and briefly explain the situation. We will take care of the arrangements and confirm how we can extend the care.
Payment & cancellations
8 questionsYes. For every confirmed booking, we enter into a service agreement outlining the agreed services and important details of your cat’s care. This keeps everything clear and ensures your cat receives reliable, personalised care.
Yes. You’ll receive an invoice for each confirmed booking.
Payment is made in advance. You can conveniently pay your invoice online through your client account, so everything is taken care of before the care begins.
Payment is made in advance so we can fully confirm your care once the required booking steps are complete and the agreed times are reserved for you. This means you know early on that everything is arranged, so you can plan with confidence.
You receive all payment information through your client account as part of the booking process. You can conveniently pay the invoice online through your account.
Your care is only fully confirmed once you have confirmed it through your client account, the agreement has been electronically signed and we have received the required upfront payment.
Yes. Before you confirm, the booking proposal gives you an overview of the planned dates, services and costs. You can review everything at your own pace before confirming the booking.
We understand that travel plans sometimes change. If you need to cancel confirmed visits, the following cancellation terms apply:
- 14 days or more before the first cancelled visit: no cancellation charge
- 7–13 days before: 20% of the cancelled booking value
- 48 hours–6 days before: 50% of the cancelled booking value
- Less than 48 hours before: 80% of the cancelled booking value
- Once a visit has begun, the sitter is already travelling to the visit, or in case of a no-show: 100% of that visit
For longer bookings, cancellation charges apply to a maximum of the first seven cancelled service days; later cancelled visits are refunded in full.
Any statutory consumer rights remain unaffected.
Care & visits
5 questionsA standard visit usually includes:
• food and fresh water
• a clean litter tray
• play or calm companionship
• careful attention to how your cat is doing
• securely locking up your home before leaving
Yes. After every visit, you receive a photo and a short personal report so you know how your cat is doing and what happened during the visit.
Yes, as an additional service agreed separately and charged accordingly. The standard visit time is dedicated to your cat’s care plan. Before you confirm your booking, we discuss which household tasks we can take on in addition, along with the time and cost involved.
Yes. We help administer pills and topical medication when this has been discussed and agreed during the Meet & Greet. Together, we assess whether the medication can be administered calmly, reliably and safely for your cat and our cat sitter. This allows us to establish before care begins whether we can take on the agreed medication routine.
We agree the visit length around your cats’ routines and care needs, rather than a fixed number of cats. A standard visit lasts 30 minutes. If more time is needed, we’ll agree a longer visit and the additional cost with you in advance. There is no automatic per-cat surcharge.
Home & keys
6 questionsWe agree a secure way to access your home together in advance. Depending on what works best for you, this may involve handing over a key, using a key safe or another agreed access arrangement.
Access is usually agreed during or after the Meet & Greet. If anything about the access arrangement changes later, you can let us know at any time.
Yes. During the Meet & Greet, we record important information about access and your home’s security and take it into account during care. This may include alarm systems, access codes or particular security precautions. In this way, we help protect your home while you are away.
Handing over a key does not feel right for everyone. Together, we will find a secure and practical access arrangement that you feel comfortable with and that works well for your cat’s care.
Discreetly, carefully and in accordance with applicable data-protection law, including the GDPR. Cat sitters receive only the information they need to care for your cat and access your home securely. Access to this information is limited to authorised team members who need it for their role, and we use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it.
We verify our cat sitters’ place of residence, require them to provide a criminal record certificate and check references. All cat sitters also receive training in Maison du Chat’s policies and procedures for the secure handling and management of keys.
Changes & emergencies
7 questionsWe inform you promptly and agree the next steps with you. Our aim is to keep your cat’s care calm, reliable and uninterrupted, even when changes arise at short notice.
The better we know your cat and their usual behaviour, the more likely we are to notice changes. If something seems unusual, we inform you promptly and agree the next steps with you. Where needed, we follow the instructions you have provided.
Our care standards were developed with veterinary knowledge and continue to be maintained on that basis. The aim is not to make care feel clinical, but to keep it calm, safe and thoughtful.
Our cat sitters receive training to help them pay close attention to your cat’s behaviour and wellbeing. Our veterinary-led operations team is available to support them if they have any questions or concerns. If a veterinary assessment seems advisable, we’ll contact you and discuss the next steps. Wherever circumstances allow, you decide whether your cat should be seen by your usual veterinary practice or a clinic. If urgent veterinary care is needed and we cannot reach you, we follow the emergency arrangements agreed with you in advance. By arrangement, we can also take your cat to a veterinary practice or clinic.
We collect this information as part of the Meet & Greet and your registration. It includes:
• an emergency contact
• your preferred veterinary practice or clinic
• any other information that could be important for your cat’s care in an emergency
Providing details of your veterinary practice is optional. However, it helps if you tell us as clearly as possible whom we should contact in an emergency.
No. If your regular cat sitter is unavailable, a trained member of our own Maison du Chat team takes over. The important information about your cat and their routines is recorded in your client account and care profile, so you do not have to explain everything again from scratch.
Trust & privacy
6 questionsNo. Maison du Chat does not connect you with independent sitters; we care for your cat with our own employed team. All our cat sitters are part of Maison du Chat and known to us.
Maison du Chat combines:
• an employed cat-sitting team that we recruit, vet and manage directly
• clearly structured processes
• documented care profiles
• secure access arrangements
• a personal update after every visit
• reliable cover within our own team
• care standards developed with veterinary knowledge
Maison du Chat is responsible for the care approach, standards and organisation. This gives you a consistent point of contact, and you can rely on your cat’s care being coordinated and supported within our own team.
We handle your personal details and information about your cat and home carefully and confidentially. We use this information only as needed to care for your cat and organise our service. Further details are available in our Privacy Policy.
Yes. We respect your home as a private space and handle everything entrusted to us there discreetly and responsibly. Information about your home and access is shared only when it is needed for your cat’s care.
Yes. Maison du Chat has appropriate insurance cover for the service, so you can feel comfortable entrusting us with your cat and your home.
Area & availability
4 questionsMaison du Chat currently operates in Frankfurt am Main.
We’ll get back to you within 24 hours, whether you’re requesting a Meet & Greet or enquiring about care availability.
Yes. Once your client account is active, you can request care at short notice. We’ll always do our best to find a good solution for you and your cat. We simply ask that you send your request as early as possible so we have the best chance of arranging it.
Yes. Subject to availability, we also care for your cat on weekends and public holidays. We do not charge an additional weekend or public-holiday surcharge.
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