Say I have someone who wants me to watch their cat. And since Rover is adamant about having Meet & Greets before agreeing to watch any pet, how would this go for a cat owner? Whether they have both dogs & cats for me to watch or just dogs.
Oh! Not sure if this will change the answer I get or not but I am (strictly) a Traveling Sitter.
Hi, Marquia! I am also a traveling sitter and I currently have two cat-only clients. For their Meet & Greet I went to their home to see where their things such as a food, litter, toys, water bowls, etc. were kept. I think an important thing to ask for a cat client is where the cats like to hide, if they are elusive. The cats I've visited are all very social and friendly, but it is always a good thing to check and make sure all of the cats are inside the house when you go over to visit.
I have a client that owns both a cat and dog, I usually only sit the cat as they take the dog with them. For the cat we held the meet and greet at their home, obviously, so they could go over feeding, litter box routine and show me where everything is kept. We held our initial meet and greet about a week before their trip, and made arrangements for me to pick up the key the day before they left. This client only lives one street away from me and I sort of knew them already as we both walk our dogs in the neighborhood so I was comfortable in going to their home. I have not had to deal with cat owners that I do not know yet but I too would be interested in how to deal with that, from a safety stand point. Dog Meet and Greets we do in a public place but with cats I would assume you would do that in their home. Side Note... No matter where I do a meet and greet I always give two of my family members the address, time and name of the person I'm meeting.
In addition, if you can I would bring a friend along if you are going into a strangers house for a meet and greet. I don't see anything wrong with that. I am a woman and I've had to do meet and greets with men in their homes and I've always brought another person along. You should always err on the side of caution. Be safe!
Keep in mind, you don't HAVE to do M&G. It's completely up to you. They will always recommend it because easiest way to tell if good match. However for cats, it doesn't matter if yall get along lol! Some cats just need liter box clean and regular food/water. Dogs need a bit more interaction so its more important that yall get along and you can handle it. For example Great Dane is different than Tabby. In one situation if you can't control animal it will be disastrous, the other....it won't be end of world. ;)