Policies

Cancellations

Please try to make any scheduling changes 48 hours/2 business days before your appointment. While I understand that everyone has schedule issues and I do try to be flexible, giving me some notice allows me to rebook. Since I'm mobile, it can be difficult to fill a spot when I have no notice as I have to factor in travel times.

First cancellation in under 48 hours: I understand that emergencies and conflicts come up, so your first cancellation has no fee. 

Second cancellation in under 48 hours: You will need to send a deposit for 50% of the cost of your groom in order to rebook (eg. if you’re getting a cut, which is $80, the deposit is $40).  This deposit is non-refundable, so if you cancel again in less than 48 hours, this deposit will not be returned to you.

Third (and greater) cancellation in under 48 hours:  I will require a deposit for the full price of your groom emailed to me in advance. This deposit is non refundable and if you wish to reschedule again less than 48 hours before your appointment, this deposit will not be returned to you.

I reserve the right to apply this policy to anyone who chronically reschedules in under 48 hours.  Also, please note that if you are cancelling in under 1 hour from your appointment, the no show policy will apply instead.

No Show

If you are not at home at the time of your scheduled appointment, I will attempt to contact you, but if I have not heard from you within 5-10 minutes, I will leave. I understand that emergencies and last minute conflicts come up and that mistakes happen. However, please consider that I am often driving 20 minutes to over an hour to get to your home and my next appointment is unlikely to be around the corner. Also, no showing uses up an appointment spot that a pet who may badly need a groom could have used. 

First missed appointment: There will be a charge of 50% of the missed appointment's fee.   This will need to be emailed to me.  This is non-refundable and is not applied to your next appointment (ie. the next appointment will still be the full fee)

Second missed appointment:  There will be a charge of 100% of the missed appointment’s fee. I will also require a deposit in order to rebook - this deposit will be the full amount of the new appointment.  This deposit is non refundable and will not be reimbursed if you miss the appointment.

Please note that, unlike cancellations, the missed appointments are cumulative.  Therefore, once you've had two missed appointments at any time, you will not be able to book a new appointment without sending a deposit for the grooming fee.

My approach is always to do what is necessary prior to worrying about aesthetics.  So, if you have an old kitty with severe matting, I'm going to get the mats off and then assess how your cat is doing.  If they're not too stressed out, we'll make them look nice, but if they are, I will recommend we stop.  The same is true of a younger cat who is incredibly stressed out.  Stress is not the same as anger - if your cat is just hissing or swiping at me, I'm not that concerned (see FAQ on difficult kitties).  If they are panting or panicked, however, that is a different story and I will recommend not pushing a stressed out cat for too long.

If you are considering doing a cut and bath on the same day, I recommend that we do the cut and then see how your kitty is doing.  Some cats can handle both, some cats cannot.

Finally, I am always happy to stop the process if you, the owner, asks me to.  Some people are less concerned with how their kitty looks than others.  So, I will always try to do a proper "lion cut" (so long as your cat isn't in distress), but if you aren't worried about, say, having perfect boots, just let me know (and if you do want perfect boots, let me know that too).  While I'm good at assessing the difference between a kitty who is being melodramatic and a kitty who is legitimately distressed, at the end of the day, they're your kitty and you know them best.  So, never feel like you 'have' to do anything when it comes to how your kitty looks.

For any appointment, there must be an adult of at least 18 years of age to assist with holding your cat.  If, for any reason, you are unable to make your appointment at the last minute, a child under the age of 18 is, unfortunately, not an acceptable substitute.  If an adult cannot be there, the above policies on cancellations will apply.  Please understand that this is for safety reasons for your child - no matter how well they get along with their kitty, grooming makes cats behave differently.  Also, even a cat who isn't trying to injure a human can do so simply by scrambling to get away and digging their nails into an arm or leg - they are trying to escape something they don't want to do and will usually extend their nails on instinct.   I would hate for your child to be physically injured or have their relationship with their kitty damaged during a grooming session.

It is also better for your cat to have someone with both strength and confidence hold them.  Children often cannot hold very well (they're just smaller and cats are incredibly strong when they want to be) and that makes the grooming take longer.   Almost every cat reaches a point where they've had enough and it's important we get them groomed as efficiently as possible to make the experience positive.

I am happy to have your child observe the process so long as one the child's guardians is present.  I think it's great for children to have a love of animals and an understanding of how to care for them, so if watching me groom helps with that, I'm happy to have them in the room.

Thank you for your understanding.

Termination of relationship

You understand that the nature of my business is based on me accepting and refusing appointments at my sole discretion.

That being said, I often develop a longstanding relationship with my clients and their kitties that lasts many years. Sometimes though, there are circumstances where one of us decides to end our relationship and that's okay. You may decide not to continue your relationship with me at any time for any reason. I may also choose not to offer services (both grooming and behavioural) to you and your kitty at any time.

You agree that either you or I may terminate our relationship at any time by providing notice in writing. If an appointment has been booked, I will complete the appointment, however, please know that cancellations, no show and late policies continue to apply to that last appointment.