Savvy Sitter Suggestions

Catnip, Cat Litter & Clean Up

 

"I have a great idea to keep catnip mouse toys fresh. When the catnip 'scent' disappears from my cat's toy mice, I put the toy in a Ziploc® bag full of catnip and shake it up. Then I leave the toys there until I am ready to use one. It's a great way to rotate toy mice and keep the scent. It also saves money! Thank you for all you do!"

Nancy Ong, Santa Monica, CA

 

"This year I grew my own catnip. I had fresh catnip all summer long and now have an abundant supply in my freezer to give at Christmas or when meeting new cats. Each package of seeds costs $1 - and boy does it grow!  It's a perennial, so next year I will have an even better crop. And it's much fresher and much less expensive than buying catnip in the store.

 

"Another pet sitter suggestion is to save the plastic bags that newspapers are delivered in and use them for picking up 'pet poo' instead of using pricey, store-bought bags. We ask clients to save the newspaper bags for us. It's a great way to recycle and give these leftover bags a purpose!

 

"I also have an environmental pet suggestion. Use Swheat® Scoop cat litter. It's all natural and made from wheat. The cats don't breathe in all the dust from regular clay litter - it's better for the cats and the environment."

-Marlena L. Ballard, Furry Friends & More, South Bend, IN

 

Marketing Tips

"I have used the following marketing techniques in building my business:

• Advertised by sponsoring pet adoption.
• Placed door hangers with attached business cards in target neighborhoods.
• Left marketing materials with ALL the community pet professionals (veterinary offices, grooming parlors, dog kennels and animal shelters.)
• Placed small display ads in the classified section of the daily newspaper.
• Mailed newsletters to clients as well as prospective clients. I also made these newsletters available to professional pet businesses.
• I keep my advertisement current in the Yellow Pages local directory.

-Jay Pattiz, Pampered Pet Sitting, Warrensburg, MO

 

"I highly recommend bringing along a checklist of questions to every initial interview with a client. This list should include:

• Name/Contact information of the client's veterinarian
• Emergency contacts
• Where the keys are kept
• Feeding instructions
• Other important pet information

"Refer to the list as the interview progresses, write down the answer and check off each item as it is addressed.  It is SO easy to forget an important question while chatting with a customer - and then having to call them back - or worse - have to go back - to get the information."  

-Lee Foster Good Neighbor Pet Service, Chester, CT

"I bought new business cards, fridge magnets, letterhead, car magnets and postcards from VistaPrint and am EXTREMELY satisfied! VistaPrint is easy to work with, has a speedy turnaround time and terrific prices. I chose one of their pet-sitting business card templates to design my own cards and love it! VistaPrint is a great company that offers many benefits to pet sitters or any other business looking for materials."

-Elaine Million, My Best Friend Pet Care, Canon City, CO

 

Do you have a Savvy Sitter Suggestion that you would like to share?