Hackney's cats live in every kind of home: the upper floors of converted Victorian terraces in Dalston and Stoke Newington, new-build flats around Hackney Wick, council estates in Homerton and Clapton, and the odd narrowboat on the Regent's Canal or the Lea. Plenty are kept indoors, especially near busy roads such as Mare Street, Kingsland Road and Lower Clapton Road, so a sitter's visit is often the only company they have while their owner is away. Where there is outdoor access, it tends to be a small back garden or a shared yard, and local cats are well used to foxes. Most visits start at a buzzer or a communal front door, and many flats are up several flights of stairs, so it helps to describe the way in on your Care Card and send any codes to your sitter in the booking chat. With the Overground running through the borough and most places within cycling distance of each other, a sitter who lives nearby can keep to the times your cat is used to, morning and evening.
Neighbourhoods
Dalston, Stoke Newington, Clapton, Homerton, Hackney Wick, London Fields, De Beauvoir, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Stamford Hill
Homes and access
Mostly flats: converted terraces, estates and new-build blocks, plus some canal boats. Expect buzzers, communal doors and stairs. Gardens, where there are any, are small and shared.
Nearby vets
Goddard Veterinary Group Hackney
Hello Vet London Fields, 2 Triangle Road, E8
The Hackney Vet, 117 Lower Clapton Road, E5
The Hoxton Vet, 263 Hoxton Street, N1 5LG
Local cat welfare
Celia Hammond Animal Trust (low-cost vet clinic in Canning Town, nearby)
RSPCA and Cats Protection branches covering north and east London
Vet details are provided as local information and may change. Please confirm with the practice before an emergency.
How a visit will work
Food, medication, litter, hiding places. It becomes the Care Card your sitter works from.
Chat with a sitter near you before you book, so you both know what the visits involve.
Sitters are expected to send a message and photo after each visit.
Each sitter sets their own rate. You pay it plus a 10% booking fee, and you see the full amount before you book.
How are CatSitz sitters checked?
Every CatSitz sitter will have their identity verified, and a person will review every profile before it goes live. It is not a background or criminal record check.