When you're away for vacation, you don't have to leave your cat home alone with the potential to get into all sorts of trouble. Professional, personalized cat sitting services are just a phone call away with Kitten Sittin' of Delaware.
The dynamic duo leading a phenomenal team of pet sitters at Kitten Sittin, and their sister company, Weather or Not Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Services are Lisa and Mike McGrath. These two animal lovers were inspired to leave the corporate world to launch Wilmington, Delaware’s premier pet sitting service just a few years ago. Once you know their story, you’ll understand why they are the folks to call when you need pet sitting care--from daily walks to pet care while you are vacationing or even following a medical procedure.
How a Dog Inspired the Birth of a Company
Both Lisa and Mike began their careers in the information technology industry, quickly rising through the ranks of the corporate info tech world. Lisa, a master multi-talker, was promoted to upper management roles overseeing multiple teams with well over 35 employees. Mike took on higher levels of responsibility as a quality analyst, managing several teams including a team of employees on the Autism spectrum.
“We both were working so many hours...it felt like our dog, Stark was spending more time with his dog walker than with us, his owners,” Lisa says.
With a yearning to leave the corporate world, Lisa began exploring how she could make a career shift that would allow her and Mike to pool their talents, ignite their passions, and provide the work-life balance they desired-- not only for themselves, but also for their black lab, Stark. Knowing she wanted to create a special type of business involving pet services, Lisa gave notice to her employer.
She gave notice to her employer with the hopes of creating a specialized facility for pets. While that plan didn't materialize back in 2016, the idea to provide a different experience for pets like her Stark and owners who work a lot of hours a week did lead to the opening of Weather or Not. And soon after that, Kitten Sittin' of Delaware.
Pet Care No Matter the Weather
Within 8 months of operating with mostly family and friends to support the business, Lisa had enough clients to warrant the hire of her first employee. Very quickly pet walking and sitting services expanded to include boarding and daycare, which was not part of their original plan.
Exceptional Care for Pets, Exceptional Training for Pet Sitters
“Because of the training we provide and expectations we have of our employees, and the way we assign staff to be a caregiver for each pet--not rotating different staff in out of client's homes at random, we were able to quickly add on pet sitting and boarding options for dogs and eventually cats, too.”
Now in business for nearly six years, Lisa and Mike manage a small team of employees, recently hired an office manager, and are still hands-on with the business. Mike is a bit more behind the scenes on the technology and operations side, while Lisa is more involved in day-to-day client relationship management.
“As owners, we manage client relations, scheduling, daycare and boarding dogs, and interacting with potential new clients. We also provide a variety of services for cat owners."
Lisa oversees marketing and community relations as well. She teaches clients and staff optimize their use of pet scheduling technology called Time To Pet.
"Most importantly, we still do home visits for the clients who first started with us. I enjoy all the pets I get to meet--and their owners too!”
Meet the McGrath’s Canine and Kitty Crew
Stark, a labrador retriever, is 6.5 years old.
Thorin, a pittie mix rescued off the streets of Wilmington, is 2.5 years old
Natty, a mix breed, is about 2 years old and is a pet Lisa and Mike rehomed for a former client.
Spike, a Black Cat, age 13.
Some Pets are Full of Surprises
We asked Lisa about one of her funniest or most unusual pet sitting moments.
“Well, to my great surprise, it wasn’t a dog or a cat but two talking parrots that provided the funniest pet sitting experience!” Check out her videos to see what we mean...
Learn More about Personalized Pet Care for Your Dog, Cat or Bird!
Will your pet be home alone when you return to commuting to the office? Or maybe your children are going back to school and your pet will miss their caring attention and frequent walks during the day. No matter the reason that you are away from home and from your pet, Weather or Not has a care option for your pet. From walking services to sitting and boarding, we are here for you. Contact us to day to learn more about all that we offer for all types of pets: (302) 304-8399