About us · Kelburn Critter Care

About us

A small Wellington business that has been going a while

Not a franchise, not an app with contractors. Chey does most of the visits, and two trained people cover the rest.

How it started

2019, Completed. My sister started it
Feeding cats around Kelburn for neighbours who were away. Flyers in letterboxes, and then people telling other people.
2022, Completed. I took it over
Same clients, same routine, same notebook. I kept the flyers going and the client list roughly doubled.
Now, Scheduled. Bookings moved online
Same job, fewer phone calls. Real availability, instant confirmation, and a written record of every visit.

Kelburn Critter Care started as a neighbourhood thing and mostly still is. Word of mouth around the hill, a flyer in a letterbox, someone whose cat won't eat for anyone else.

I have two cats of my own, which is the entire reason I'm particular about the parts that seem small. Water changed rather than topped up. Litter actually done. Checking behind the couch before I write “seen and fine” in the log, because a cat that didn't come out is not the same as a cat that's fine.

I ride to visits, which is why the hills and the parking aren't a problem, and why I can usually fit in a change at short notice.

What I'm careful about: not promising things I can't back up. There's a list further down of what this business does not have yet. I'd rather you read it here than assume.

Your care team

Who might come to your house

Most of the time it's Chey. When it isn't, it's Natacha or Quin — and you'll know which one before they turn up.

Chey Hobman

Owner · Kelburn

Took the business on in 2022. Two cats at home, which is why I am particular about the parts that seem small. I ride to every visit.

Natacha

Backup sitter · Kelburn

My mum. Covers feeding visits when I cannot make it, trained on exactly the same routine.

Quin

Backup sitter · Eastbourne

A friend based in Eastbourne. Covers the eastern bays, and house sitting when I am away.

Why backup sitters exist

A solo pet sitter who gets the flu has to cancel on everyone at once, usually while they're overseas. Having trained people who already know the routine is how that doesn't happen here.

They're named on this page rather than hidden, because somebody is going to be in your house and you have a right to know who.

What we can promise

Someone arrives on every booked day, and you get a note saying so.
The routine you write down is the routine we follow.
If your animal is unwell, we call you, then your emergency contact, then your vet — and never spend more than the limit you set.
Your address, your keys, and your animals' details are handled the way the privacy policy says, not the way it's convenient.

What we can't, yet

We are not insured. Public liability cover is being arranged. Until this sentence changes, it has not been bought, and you should factor that in.
We are not a registered animal welfare organisation and we hold no veterinary qualification. We feed, water, medicate to your instructions, and call a vet when something is wrong.
Police vetting is not in place. Reference checks for backup sitters are being documented. Where one is complete, it says so on that person's card above. Where it doesn't say so, it isn't.

Book a free meet & greet Read what customers say