Cat Care Specialist- Experienced Feline Care Professional

Are you the person others trust with the difficult cat, the diabetic cat, or the cat who needs a little extra skill and patience? Maybe you've worked with cats in a veterinary hospital, shelter or rescue. Perhaps you're an experienced professional pet sitter who has developed advanced feline-care skills over the years. You understand that caring for cats involves much more than filling a food bowl and scooping a litter box. If you have significant hands-on experience caring for cats--including cats with medical needs or behavioral challenges--we'd love to talk with you.

Pets Are Family Pet Sitting Services LLC is seeking an experienced Cat Care Specialist to join our growing professional pet-care team. This is a skilled position for someone who already has a strong foundation in feline care and wants the opportunity to use that expertise while continuing to grow professionally. Our ideal candidate is interested in building toward as many as 30 hours per week and, over time, taking on additional responsibilities such as meeting with new cat-care clients, helping develop individualized care plans, mentoring less-experienced pet sitters, and potentially advancing into a leadership role within the company.

This May Be the Position for You If...

You don't simply love cats--you understand them.

You are comfortable caring for cats who are shy, fearful, senior, medically fragile, or behaviorally challenging. You recognize feline body language and understand that a cat's behavior is communication.

You also know that subtle changes matter. A cat who isn't eating normally, a litter box that looks different, an unusual hiding behavior, or a change in mobility may warrant attention--and you notice those things.

Most importantly, you take seriously the responsibility that comes with caring for someone's beloved cat and home.

Feline Experience We're Looking For

Candidates for the Cat Care Specialist position should have substantial previous hands-on experience caring for cats in a professional, veterinary, shelter/rescue, or similarly responsible setting.

We are especially interested in candidates with experience in several of the following areas:

• Administering oral medications, including pills and liquid medications
• Administering topical/transdermal medications
• Administering subcutaneous injections, including insulin
• Caring for senior and medically fragile cats
• Monitoring cats for changes in appetite, hydration, elimination, mobility, behavior, and overall condition
• Understanding feline behavior and body language
• Safely and compassionately working with shy, fearful, reactive, or behaviorally challenging cats
• Recognizing when a change in a cat's condition should be reported or escalated
• Following detailed medical and care instructions accurately
• Communicating professionally with cat guardians about their cats' care

Veterinary or veterinary-assistant experience, professional cat-sitting experience, shelter/rescue experience, and Fear Free certification or training are highly valued.

Experience with Time To Pet is a plus but is not required--we can teach you our software and company procedures.

What You'll Do

As a Cat Care Specialist, you'll provide professional in-home care for cats while their guardians are traveling or otherwise need assistance. Depending upon the client's needs, visits may include:

• Feeding and refreshing water
• Cleaning litter boxes and monitoring elimination
• Administering prescribed medications
• Providing enrichment, play, affection, or quiet companionship according to each cat's individual needs
• Monitoring each cat's physical condition and behavior
• Sending detailed visit reports and photos to clients
• Maintaining a clean and orderly pet-care area
• Bringing in mail and packages, watering plants, and providing basic home care
• Following detailed individualized care plans

As you become established in the position, you may also:

• Meet with new clients and their cats
• Help develop individualized feline care plans
• Assist with more complex feline-care cases
• Mentor and train less-experienced pet sitters in proper cat care
• Serve as a feline-care resource for our team
• Take on additional responsibilities as you grow toward a leadership position

What You'll Love About Working With Us

• Cats, cats, and more cats!
• Meaningful work that improves the lives of cats and the people who love them
• The opportunity to use your existing feline-care expertise
• Opportunities to continue developing your professional animal-care skills
• Paid professional development and training
• The opportunity to help less-experienced pet sitters become excellent cat caregivers
• The opportunity to develop into a larger role as our company grows
• A collaborative team that takes professional pet care seriously while finding joy in the work we do

Schedule & Availability

Cat-care visits generally take place when clients are traveling and are typically scheduled once or twice daily. Visits are generally 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the cat's care plan. To be considered for this position, you must have consistent availability:

• Wednesday through Sunday
• Minimally between 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 4:00-8:00 p.m.
• Two weekends per month on a rotating schedule

Because holidays are among our busiest times, team members must also be available to work short shifts during at least two of our three major winter holiday periods: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve/New Year's Day. You will still have time to celebrate the holidays yourself, and holiday visits receive additional compensation.

Additional Requirements

To succeed in this position, you must:

• Genuinely enjoy working with cats and be passionate about their welfare
• Be observant, dependable, detail-oriented, and comfortable working independently
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Be comfortable communicating directly with clients and providing exceptional customer service
• Accurately document each visit and promptly report unusual behavior, health concerns, or incidents
• Follow detailed care instructions consistently
• Be able to make at least a six-month commitment to Pets Are Family; our clients value developing long-term relationships with the people caring for their pets
• Have reliable transportation and live in or very close to the community in which you will work
• Have a reliable smartphone capable of running our company software and taking clear photos
• Be at least 18 years old and a high school graduate
• Successfully complete a criminal and motor vehicle background check

Compensation & Professional Development

Fully trained and certified Cat Care Specialists are paid hourly, with compensation averaging $25-$30 per hour when tips and holiday premium pay are included. Candidates with significant professional feline-care, veterinary, medication-administration, or other directly relevant experience may qualify for a higher starting rate based on experience.

Employees also receive ongoing paid professional development and training.

Pets Are Family team members are W-2 employees--not independent contractors (1099).

About Pets Are Family

Pets Are Family Pet Sitting Services LLC is a growing professional pet-care company serving Alexandria-area families. Our team provides reliable, thoughtful, individualized care for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, pocket pets, reptiles, and other companion animals. Our approach goes beyond completing a checklist. We place a high value on relationships, attention to detail, professionalism, and hospitality--both in the care we provide to animals and in the experience we provide to their people.

Before applying, we strongly encourage you to visit our website and learn more about our company and care philosophy.

Interested?

If this sounds like the kind of work you've been looking for, we'd like to hear about your experience with cats. Qualified applicants will be asked to complete a brief pre-interview questionnaire before scheduling an interview.

We look forward to learning more about you and the cats you've cared for!

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Job Type: Part-time

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Mileage reimbursement
• On-the-job training
• Referral program

Experience:

• Cat care (required)

Shift availability:

• Morning Shift (Required)
• Evening Shift (Required)
• Weekend Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Alexandria, VA 22315 (Required)