Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Buchalter.
Caroline, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been a devoted animal lover and have always had pets growing up – cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, gerbils – you name it, we had it. They were always members of the family. I moved away from home with my two cats in 2011 and when it came time to return home to visit for the holidays, I found it difficult to find reliable care for my cats. Mind you these two cats were basically children, so anything less than the best just wasn’t going to work. I went through three less than stellar experiences with pet sitting where I came home to any range of no food and water left for my cats to a mess in home. My first thought was, what are these people doing in my home and why aren’t my cats cared for? My second though was, there has to be a better way. I decided I wanted to care for only cats because despite growing up with and adoring an array of animals, I’ve always had a special connection with cats. I started slow trying to find pet sitting jobs to earn a little extra cash and to see if it was something I liked. As it turns out, I loved it. It wasn’t long before I settled on a name for my budding business, Supurrior Sitting Cat Sitters (I come from a very punny family, so I had to use some play on words!), and I built my website in just a couple of days. I found various ways to get my name out there, and almost 3 years later my Supurrior family includes over 80 households and over 150 cats (you can never have just one!). I have hired a small staff and we are working to grow even more because let’s face it, hanging out with cats all day is pretty much the best job in the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
It actually has been pretty smooth! I’m very lucky. I think because I’ve finally found my passion, things just have a way of working out. I have the most incredible client base I think any pet sitter could ever dream of having and a number of them have actually given me sound advice on how to keep moving forward. They congratulate me and encourage me to continue which I’m not sure is the case in the majority of industries. Any struggles I’ve experienced have been personal in nature and have been grounded solely in how to be a first-time business owner. It’s definitely a learning curve! But like I said, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have experienced the success I have and I’m hopeful for continued smooth sailing.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Supurrior Sitting Cat Sitters story. Tell us more about the business.
Supurrior Sitting is a cats-only, in-your-home pet sitting service. We specialize in feline care and behavior and I’ve found that cat owners really appreciate that extra attention and focus. So often I hear the complaint that my clients have hired a pet sitter, but it was clear that the sitter was more of a dog person so they felt that their cat was somewhat cheated out of exceptional care. We stay up to date on the latest in cat care and pass along information and recommendations whenever a situation calls for it. We also take pride in leavings things a little better than we found them, so in addition to outstanding cat care, we make sure to vacuum, sweep, clean dishes, take out trash, and the like as well. We treat client homes the way we’d like our own homes to be treated and I’ve found that this really goes a long way in the eyes of the client. We also go out of our way to take great photos of all the fun we’re having to send with fully detailed updates on how everything is going at home. We truly love what we do and I think it shows in the work that we do.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The pet care industry is on the rise! It’s really interesting to be in the pet care industry at this time because there are so many new resources for pet care professionals that I am able to take advantage of to grow this business. With the availability of dog walking and pet sitting services in the mainstream these days, it will be important to stand out as an independent pet sitting company. These days, the majority of households have a pet, whether it be a cat, dog, or other animal. The pet sitting industry is here to stay and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Pricing:
- Basic Service Visit (15-20 minutes) is $20.00 per visit
- Standard Service Visit (30-45 minutes) is $25.00 per visit
Contact Info:
- Website: www.supurriorsitting.com
- Phone: (832) 998-PURR (7877)
- Email: caroline@supurriorsitting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supurriorsitting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supurriorsitting
Image Credit:
Dominic Nguyen (2 images)
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