Your pets and your schedule are our priority. This isn’t a hobby or a favor, and we won’t cancel on you at the last minute. We have experience in animal behavior and we are skilled at noticing the little things that matter to your pet's health and your home’s safety. A professional pet sitter is insured and bonded and of course, has a love of pets, but a professional also holds themselves to a much higher bar of accountability than your average hobby sitter. Ocala Pet Sitting upholds the highest standards in the industry as described on Pet Sitter International's website here: PSI's Global Standards

At Ocala Pet Sitting, our specialty lies in caring for cats. However, we possess expertise in taking care of other animals as well, including birds, parrots, and a diverse range of small animals such as gerbils, guinea pigs, sugar gliders, reptiles, chameleons, turtles, and even snakes! We're no longer offering dog sitting or dog walking, puppy sitting, or puppy care.

Our reputation and your trust mean everything to us. Every OPS sitter is an employee—not an independent contractor—which means they’re covered by workers’ compensation insurance and fully supported by our company. Each sitter goes through a detailed, multi-step screening process that includes local and national background checks, multi-tiered interviews, and an intensive training program with shadow visits before becoming a full-fledged OPS sitter. Our training includes strict security protocols for locking and double-checking all doors and latches before we leave. As part of our commitment to transparency and peace of mind, photo proof is provided to clients after every visit. And for an extra layer of protection, all OPS sitters are bonded and insured.

Yes, the New Client Consultation is a required step in our onboarding process. This meeting is essential for us to: Meet your pets and evaluate their behavior and environment. Discuss their specific needs and create a customized care plan. Address any questions or special instructions to ensure a seamless experience. Because we take the time to thoroughly prepare for each new client, we typically need 7-14 days to schedule your onboarding (More if you're looking for a holiday booking). This ensures we can provide the attention and care your pets deserve from the very start.

The New Client Consultation is an essential step in providing the best possible care for your pets and we charge $30 for the service. During this meeting, we: Evaluate your pet’s behavior and environment to understand their unique needs. Develop a personalized care plan tailored to ensure your pets are happy and comfortable. Address any specific concerns or special requests you may have to create a seamless experience. This consultation sets the foundation for a trusting relationship, giving us the insight needed to deliver exceptional, customized care for your furry family.

We operate as a team and our process is to assign a primary and secondary sitter for your pet's care. Your assigned sitter's name is on every visit on your schedule and you can be assured every member of our small team is trained on the details of your pet's care. Due to a variety of reasons, staff may be off work on any given day and we may send in a different sitter. We try our best to keep sitters consistent for our clients, especially the more shy and timid personalities. Often, the most outgoing pets actually enjoy the larger variety a team can provide. We understand a team model isn't for every household, but for us, it provides an extra level of security having a team member available as a backup.

At OPS, We Use Coded Locks, Lockboxes and Require Multiple Entry Methods. Why? At Ocala Pet Sitting, reliable home access is essential for ensuring your pets receive the care they deserve. Our policy is designed to make entry secure, seamless, and stress-free for both you and our team. We prefer to have two methods of entry for every home, which can include: Door codes, garage door codes, or other digital entry methods. A lockbox securely holding a key on-site if you do not have multiple coded doors. While digital methods are convenient, they can sometimes malfunction. That’s why we recommend having a lockbox as a backup option. You’re welcome to provide your own or purchase one from us for $30. The lockbox will be yours to keep, and you can change the code at any time for added security. Additionally, we require a backup key to be securely stored at our office. This ensures that in the event of an emergency, such as a lock malfunction or lost code, we can access your home quickly to care for your pets. For more details on how our home access system works, visit our Home Access page.

Because we work as a team and schedules may change within the team, it is not feasible to facilitate a meeting between you and every caregiver prior to granting them access to your residence. We assign a primary and secondary pet sitter to every client, matching you with the best sitters for your pet's care, but schedules can change and a visit may be switched to another competent team member while you're already out of town. Rest assured that our team members undergo considerable training to look after your pets and management is monitoring your journals and doing spot checks. In addition, we conduct comprehensive background checks on each employee during the hiring process to ensure the safety of both you and our company. Moreover, Ocala Pet Sitting is bonded and insured and our sitters are full employees, not independent contractors. Therefore, you can be confident that only dependable, reliable, and morally upright staff members will have access to your home. Building trust with you is important to us and Shannon does not hire anyone she wouldn't trust with her own furkids' care. You will have a chance to meet with Shannon or a Team Lead at the consultation and determine if we are a business you can trust. Read our reviews and see what other first time clients have said about their experience with us.

If you're a client who wants a Premium experience with our owner, Shannon, please contact us directly to discuss the details. Shannon@ocalapetsitting.com 352-354-2602

Upon arriving at your home, our sitter will first conduct a preliminary check of the exterior before entering your home slowly and carefully, taking necessary precautions to prevent any pets from rushing out. Your sitter will then greet all the pets in your home and ensure everything looks in place. Feeding will be done as per your instructions, and water bowls will be washed and refilled. We understand that pets have their preferences, and your pets will be given the opportunity to eat in a way that’s comfortable for them, either with company or alone. Our sitter will attend to cleaning litter boxes and other pet areas, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Following this, it's time for cuddles, playtime, listening to soft music, or simply sitting quietly with your pets. As the visit draws to a close, our sitter will make sure everything is properly put away and locked up before leaving. To keep you informed, your sitter will send you a journal with notes and pictures at the end of each visit.

At Ocala Pet Sitting, our topmost priority is the safety and well-being of your pets when you are away. Cats, in particular, can get into mischief and trouble when left alone for extended periods of time. Therefore, it's imperative we check on them (and your home) at least once every 24 hours, to ensure they are happy and healthy. In the past 20 years, we have encountered several instances where our daily check-ins have proven to be life-saving for the cats, including: Rambunctious cats turned on the large garden tub, knocked towels over the drain, and caused it to overflow. Thankfully our sitter arrived just in time to prevent it from flooding the entire house. A cat got tangled in the mini-blinds and panicked, requiring our immediate intervention. A cat got caught in a plastic bag and required assistance. Cats knocked over their water bowls and were without water until our sitter arrived. A cat pushed herself behind a 6-foot framed mirror causing it to fall and shatter. A client's toilet pipes broke in the middle of the night, for no reason other than they were old pipes. Our sitter entered a flooded home with the cat sitting high up on the couch! A client left a water hose on with a nossel causing pressure. The hose burst and sprayed directly into the clients front windows overnight, caused flooding into the front living room. Our sitter noticed and took swift action to prevent further damage and separate the little dog from the cleanup crew. (A water cleanup team was able to come and dry out the carpet using the client's lockbox! Boy, were they thankful) A client didn't realize they left their cat stuck in a bedroom without food water or a litter box. Thankfully we arrived less than 24 hrs after the client left home. A normally friendly cat didn't come out for dinner, which alerted our sitter that something was "off." Finding her required a team effort. It was discovered the cat was in distress and we took her for immediate medical attention. A senior cat was sitting in a bathtub in distress and our sitter noticed this wasn't normal behavior. We took him for immediate medical attention. These incidents highlight the importance of regular check-ins, and we are committed to ensuring your pets receive the care and attention they deserve, even in your absence.

At Ocala Pet Sitting, we understand that some cats can be very timid and nervous around new people. That's why we take a gentle approach when entering the home, allowing the cat to come to us on their own terms. Our sitters will softly call out and observe from a distance, avoiding any actions that may startle or scare the cat. We find that with patience and a calm presence, even the shyest cats will warm up to their sitter in time. However, for cats that require extra time and care, we offer a KittyCam Rental service to visually ensure they receive the care they need.

This is where experience and having a new client consultation comes in. We take our time getting to know your pets and not pushing their boundaries. If your pet has become aggressive with a previous pet sitter, we would perform a test visit before you leave time. This will give us time to assess the situation and make sure you, your pet, and OPS are all comfortable before you leave town. Please let us know if this is needed. If it's determined that your pet is aggressive, then we recommend a vet visit AND a cat behaviorist before you hire a pet sitter. Some forms of aggression are due to health concerns and others are behavioral that can be worked through over time. There is hope! In cases where you're already out of town and a pet becomes aggressive unexpectedly, we put distance between us and the situation as fast as possible and contact the owner. In a worst case scenario a client may have to arrange for their backup contact to take over care or a trusted veterinary professional to medically board your pet. Having a plan for these situations is key. At OPS, our experience has shown us that planning ahead avoids a myriad of avoidable situations.

If your cat is friendly and very tolerant of being given their medication, then yes we can. We have experience administering insulin, giving pills, and mixing medications into their wet food or treats. We are a force-free pet sitting team. This means, we do not scruff, chase, or forcibly "wrestle" cats into take their medications. We can do a gentle hold or burrito with a willing cat. We want all of our interactions with them to be positive because cats have very long memories. We ask that you have a plan for separating the medicated pet from other pets in the home and booking enough time for us to wait for them to eat the meds. We would schedule one or more test visits before you leave out of town. We’ll ask you to leave the home while we do a visit and administer meds, then we’ll report back to you on how it went without the pressure of you already being out of town. Test visits get everyone comfortable with the routine. *A final note on cats who are extremely shy or fearful and require meds. Your options are to medically board your kitty or ask your veterinarian if they have a certified vet tech that would be willing to come to your home to medicate your cat. Then, we would come and do all of the other chores and provide love and enrichment. This has worked out well for us in the past. Feel free to ask us for a recommendation.

We no longer overnight pet sitting. However, we do have an "Almost Overnight" option that is extremely popular with cats who love their evening companionship time with you. Our highly popular Bed & Breakfast Bundle is Bed and Breakfast for Cats! This unique offering consists of 2 hours in the evening for chores, cuddles, and tucking them in. Then, our experienced team members will return for their morning visit. This package is both affordable and versatile and still provides your pets with a luxury experience.

We are always prepared and have backup if your pet sitter gets sick or injured. Our team model also allows for our sitters to have adequate time off and rest and helps prevent pet sitter burnout, which means we have less pet sitter "turnover." And, with a team, we have more opportunities to say yes! to your pet care requests. We also have employees who are vetted and trained. We do not use independent contractors (or worse-friends or family to cover for us!)

No. Please understand this is a violation of trust and our client and pet sitter agreement. We put in a lot of effort to train our sitters thoroughly and to establish strong relationships with our clients. We also protect your secure information as well as our pet sitters personal time by upholding this communication policy. To maintain a high level of care, all communication must be conducted through our software application. This ensures that Shannon and our team leaders can monitor everything that's happening, including journal entries. When clients or sitters bypass our app, it can lead to breakdowns in communication and loss of trust.

This is one of the benefits of having a team of pet sitters. Contact the office, and we will have that awkward conversation with them instead of you, especially if it's something minor. Leave it to us. We will handle it and switch out the sitter entirely, if necessary. We prioritize the relationships we have with our clients and want you to feel comfortable coming to us if you have any questions or concerns. It's likely we can come to a solution that will work

Please inform us in advance if you have scheduled house cleaners, pool, or yard maintenance personnel to visit your home. We understand and respect that you may have others working for you. We also need to be informed so our pet sitters feel safe when walking into a home. However, we do not share the responsibility of your pet's care with anyone else. If anyone else is visiting your home, it is your responsibility to explicitly inform them not to feed, give medication or let your pets outside. This is a liability issue for us and a safety concern for your pets.

Our Client Agreement outlines our detailed plan for all stages of severe weather, and we prioritize the safety and well-being of your pets during these events. If it is safe and possible, we will visit your pets during severe weather, and we have strategies in place to ensure their care during extreme conditions. For mild thunderstorms and lightning, we usually wait for the storm to pass and then visit your pets before or after the weather event. However, for severe weather like tropical storms and hurricanes, we recommend cancelling your trip. In case you are already away, we have contingency plans for pet care. As a native Floridian who has experienced many hurricanes, Shannon and our team will take extra precautions by providing additional food and water and coordinating with your emergency contacts, vet's office, or even bringing your pets to our own home if necessary.

There are no refunds if you return home early. If you've reserved a spot on our schedule, we can't fill it at the last minute. If you have extenuating circumstances we are happy to discuss the situation.

We understand delays in returning home happen. Because we are a team, we have the flexibility to continue care. Simply inform us and we will ensure that your pets receive the necessary additional visits.

We understand emergencies happen. Our cancellation policy can be found here. If you have extenuating circumstances we are always open to discussing it. Situations such as a Hurricane or death in the family are always credited, no questions asked. We lead with empathy and care with not only our kitty clients, but their humans, too.