What makes CDPOM stand out?
Unlike many individual pet sitters and visitors, Cats, Dogs & Peace of Mind carers and groomers are all professionally trained, fully insured and security vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau.
Every member of the CDPOM team is both bonded by a public liability insurance policy recognised by the British Security Industry Association, and registered with the National Association of Registered Pet Sitters (NARP)
An interview with CDPOM’s founder & director Louise Wilsher
What services do you offer? Since I founded the business and started visiting pets on 19 November 1999, we have catered for all pets, including special needs cats, dogs, fish, reptiles and amphibians, horses, birds, caged pets (rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, hens etc.), exotic pets (peacocks, spiders etc.)
Services include, daily pet visiting, overnight pet sitting, dog walking and training, alternating lights/curtains, dog day care and overnight boarding in their own home, professional and specialist grooming for cats, dog and other small furry animals, behaviour modification, house sitting, pooper scooper service, pet transportation, mail/newspaper retrieval, speciality pet products including food, and micro-chipping for all types of pet.
You offer dog walking, how long are your walks with the dogs normally?
When we visit your homes to walk your dogs we guarantee that your dogs have between 40 minutes and one hour walks throughout the day.
We also promise to walk only one owner’s dogs at a time, unless otherwise requested. For example, some of our customers like their dogs to be socialised with other dogs and if this is the case we ensure that they are walked with compatible dogs, whose company they enjoy.
Some of our clients are also keen for our own dogs, like my chocolate Labrador Otto (se picture at the top), to join their dogs when they are out walking. Otto and the other dogs owned by our carers are always happy to oblige.
How many dogs do you take on your walks or look after in their own homes?
On walks our carers each tend to walk between one and a maximum of three dogs each at a time. When we look after people’s dogs in their own homes we have catered for up to six dogs from the same household while their owner was away – when this is the case more than one CDPOM carer is in attendance.
How do your dog walking & pet sitting services work?
As well as daily dog walks, we can look after all manner of pets in our customers’ own homes.
Each of the carers that work with Cats, Dogs & Peace of Mind (CDPOM for short!) walks a maximum of three dogs at a time for a minimum of 40 minutes (not including the time spent with the dogs on either side of the walk).
Only one owner’s dogs are walked at a time unless otherwise requested. Where a signed declaration is provided by the owner we like to let dogs off their leads. We have balls and toys to enhance a dog’s enjoyment.
As well as visiting your home and your pets while you’re away or simply too busy CDPOM also offers a London-wide, live-in house and pet-sitting service.
When our carers house sit they watch over your dogs, cats or other pets and your home, property and possessions. The presence of one of our CRB security-vetted, fully insured carers living in your home ensures enhanced security.
We offer three tiers and tariffs for pet sitting.
1) Daycare, which covers eight hours during daytime where the carer stays in the customer’s home and looks after and exercises the pet/pets.
2) Overnight stays, which cover a minimum 24-hour period where the carer stays in the customer’s home and looks after the pet/pets and home as the customer would if he/she/they were working – i.e. the carer will be away for no more than eight hours (but no more than four hours at any one time) in any 24-hour period.
3) House-sitting 24-hour stays, which again cover a minimum 24-hour period but this time where the carer will be away for no more than two hours in any 24-hour period.
This means there is no need to put your pets in kennels or catteries, as your home and your animals are safe and secure in our hands. We can also water your plants. We have many testimonials from numerous delighted clients that confirm the quality of our work.
What are your opening hours?
We have a 24-hour booking and answering service.
You look after cats & other pets in their own homes. What is the benefit of this?
Cats are territorial, and the advice from experts like the Cats Protection League is that unless your cat is used to travelling, it’s not a good idea to take him or her on holiday.
Indeed, according to the League, cats are happiest in familiar surroundings. So making arrangements for a carer from Cats, Dogs & Peace of Mind to look after your cat in his or her own home while you are away is not only a sound choice – it’s what your cat would prefer. 
And a big bonus of leaving your much-loved pets in their own homes, to be looked after by CDPOM’s thorough, professional loving carers, is that it’s so simple, and takes the guilt out of going away and leaving your pets behind.
To see what customers say about how their cats like being looked after in their own homes – rather than being taken to catteries – please have a look at our testimonials.
Are your services good for dealing with separation anxiety?
Dogs are social creatures and being left at home alone can make them depressed, anxious or even destructive.
Where possible CDPOM’s dog walkers like to take the dogs in their care where they can run free, play and socialise with other dogs. They are experts on London’s parks and open spaces.
Carers have toys with them and are always happy to use any equipment provided by customers.
How many pets do you have yourself and what are they?
All of CDPOM’s carers are animal lovers. They are led by me, with my Chocolate Labrador, Otto (b.2002 – see top), and British Blue Shorthair, Tillena (b.2006- see above right), and two Black Labrador puppies Margot and Denzel (b. 2010 – see below left).
Mad Smith, CDPOM’s Operations Manager, currently has five pets. Jasmine & Phoebe, both British Blues, and very, very cheeky Wolfie, a long-hair Blue stray, Velvet, black with a white spot of her chest, and Widget, who is a Persian Chinchilla.
Eva Chesswas has a cat called Flower and a dog, Buddy, a yellow Labrador.
Andrew Templeton in West London does not currently have any pets at home but loves, and is much loved by all the animals he cares for at CDPOM.
There is a whole range of other pets owned and cared for by our ever growing team of carers, including dogs, cats, and snakes.
