High Park Pet Care serves Toronto’s west end, including High Park, Roncesvalles, Bloor West Village, Swansea, Liberty Village, The Junction and some surrounding neighbourhoods.

If you’re not sure whether you’re within our service area, just ask.

Use our Contact Page form or chatbot to tell us a little about yourself, your pet and the kind of care you’re looking for.

We’ll determine whether we have an appropriate sitter or walker available in your neighbourhood and arrange a Meet & Greet before service begins.

The Meet & Greet isn’t simply about exchanging instructions. It’s our opportunity to begin getting to know your pet.

We’ll talk about their routine, personality, feeding or walking needs, favourite things, dislikes, medications where applicable, home access and emergency information.

For dog clients, it’s an opportunity for your dog and walker to meet and begin getting comfortable with one another.

For cat clients, your cat may enthusiastically participate in the entire meeting — or conduct proceedings from underneath a bed. Both are perfectly acceptable.

Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for you to meet the person who will be caring for your pet and make sure you feel comfortable entrusting them with your home and your furry family member.

That’s always our goal.

We believe consistency matters. Pets develop relationships with the people who care for them, and our team members get to know what’s normal for the individual animals they see regularly.

Your walker learns whether your dog wants to investigate every tree on the block or has a particular nemesis in the form of the neighbourhood squirrel.

Your sitter learns whether your cat normally inhales dinner in 30 seconds, spends ten minutes chasing a wand toy or needs to inspect the sitter’s bag before anything else can possibly happen.

Those little things matter.

Occasionally illness, vacation or another unexpected circumstance may mean another HPPC team member needs to step in. One advantage of working with High Park Pet Care is that your regular sitter or walker is supported by a larger team.

The essentials are always taken care of, of course. Fresh food, fresh water and a tidy litter area come with every visit.

Aside from that, the rest depends on your cat and your needs. Some kitties want to play. Some want brushing. Some follow their sitter around supervising absolutely everything. Others want dinner served promptly and would then prefer that the staff leave them alone. We respect those cats too.

Our job isn’t to make your cat behave the way we’d like them to. It’s to learn what makes your cat comfortable and give them the kind of visit they need.

We offer 30-, 45- and 60-minute visits.

Thirty minutes works beautifully for many cats. Half an hour gives your cat sitter time to ensure that your home is as it should be, provide the essential care for your felines and spend quality time playing, giving gentle chin scratches and generally bonding with your kitty.

Longer visits can be a great choice for multi-cat households, cats with more involved routines or cats who simply enjoy additional play and companionship.

We’re happy to help you decide what makes sense for yours.

We can sometimes accommodate overnight care depending on sitter availability and the needs of your cat.

Because overnight arrangements are less standardized than our regular 30-, 45- and 60-minute visits, please contact us to discuss what you’re looking for and whether we have an appropriate sitter available.

At minimum, once every 24 hours.

We don’t provide alternate-day cat sitting.

That’s partly because cats can be remarkably good at hiding when something isn’t right. Seeing your cat every day allows us to notice changes in eating, drinking, litter-box habits, behaviour or general well-being.

It also lets us discover the unexpected — an overturned water dish, a feeder that hasn’t opened or something else in the home that isn’t as it should be.

Even very independent cats deserve someone checking on them every day.

Most cats don’t require their sitter to arrive at an exact time, so we encourage clients to choose an Any-Time Visit whenever possible.

If you need your sitter to arrive within a particular one-hour window, you can request a Specific-Time Visit for an additional charge.

We’ll make every reasonable effort to arrive within that window.

Not at all.

A hiding cat doesn’t mean a failed cat visit.

We’ll take care of everything your feline needs and give them the space they want. Some shy cats gradually decide their sitter might actually be acceptable company. Others remain committed to observing us from a carefully selected hiding place.

We’re happy to earn their trust at their pace.

Absolutely — if your cat wants to.

Play and interaction are important parts of many of our visits. Tell us what your cat loves: wand toys, springs, balls, toy mice, cardboard boxes or that completely inexplicable household object they’ve decided is the greatest toy ever invented.

Everyone on the team is here because they love cats. We adore cats. Being able to interact with your cat and watch them play and enjoy themselves makes our day!

In many cases, yes.

Medication that can simply be mixed into food or a treat is part of the normal visit.

When medication requires your sitter to directly administer it or physically handle your cat, a medication administration surcharge applies.

We’ll discuss the medication — and how your cat normally responds to receiving it — before service begins.

Medication that must be administered within a particular time period requires a Specific-Time Visit. A medication administration charge may also apply depending upon how the medication is given.

Please tell us.

The cat sitters at High Park Pet Care have a wealth of experience caring for cats across the entire spectrum of sociability. We’re quite used to hissing, growling and other cues that make it abundantly clear that they’d rather not interact.

Cats communicate boundaries, and good cat care means listening to them.

There is, however, a difference between a cat asking for space and a situation where a sitter is genuinely at risk of injury.

Our team members won’t be expected to put themselves in an unsafe situation. If care cannot safely be provided, we may need to modify the type of service provided.

We understand. Trips change, flights get cancelled and life happens.

Cat sitting bookings cancelled at least 48 hours before the first scheduled visit are eligible for a full refund.

For cancellations inside the 48-hour period, a charge equal to two days of the booked service, or the value of the remaining booked visits, whichever is less, applies.

Any remaining prepaid balance will be refunded.

Cat sitting is paid before your booking begins.

We’ll normally send your invoice about one week before the first visit, with payment required no later than the day before service begins.

That’s our goal.

We believe dogs benefit enormously from consistency and from developing a genuine relationship with their walker.

Over time, your walker gets to know your dog’s pace, personality, favourite routes, habits, triggers and, most importantly, how to get the most out of the time they spend with your best friend.

And your dog gets someone arriving at the door whom they know, trust and hopefully adore.

We offer both.

Our group walks are intentionally kept small — typically two or three dogs and never more than four. Dogs are thoughtfully matched based on temperament, energy level and walking style so that the experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone.

We also make a point of keeping transportation and multiple pickups to a minimum. We don’t operate large-group walks where a vehicle is filled with eight or more dogs collected from multiple neighbourhoods before the walk even begins. We believe your dog’s time with us should be spent primarily enjoying their walk, rather than riding around the city while other dogs are picked up and dropped off.

Keeping our groups small also allows the walker to pay closer attention to each dog’s behaviour, comfort and enjoyment throughout the walk.

Solo walks are available as well and can be particularly well suited to senior dogs, puppies, reactive dogs or dogs who simply prefer having their walker’s undivided attention.

Whatever the format, our goal is the same: less time travelling, more time walking, and care that’s tailored to your individual dog.

That depends partly on your dog.

Some dogs are all business and just want to make good time. Others believe every blade of grass deserves a thorough investigation.

A good walker understands that dogs aren’t machines that need to cover a predetermined number of kilometres. Exercise matters, but so do sniffing, stimulation, safe exploration and enjoyment.

We’ll get to know your dog’s normal routine and tailor their walks accordingly.

Tell us during your initial inquiry and Meet & Greet.

Not every dog wants or needs canine friends. Understanding your dog’s behaviour, comfort level and triggers helps us determine what type of walking arrangement is appropriate.

Summer days in Toronto can get extremely hot and muggy. When conditions could make a normal walk unsafe or uncomfortable, your walker will work with you to determine what’s best for your dog.

That might mean shortening the walk, adjusting the time, providing a shorter relief break instead or, in extreme circumstances, cancelling the walk.

When we find ourselves facing other extreme weather, we’ll make every reasonable effort to provide scheduled walks while ensuring your dog’s well-being and our walker’s safety.

Regular dog walking is invoiced every two weeks.

Clients may pay by either e-transfer or credit card through our secure online payment system.

Absolutely!

We know personally how reassuring it is to know your pet is happy and doing well.

Our team members provide updates, generally including photos and/or videos where circumstances permit.

If we notice something that concerns us, we’ll contact you rather than simply waiting for the regular update.

One advantage of working with High Park Pet Care rather than relying on a single independent caregiver is that your sitter or walker is supported by a team.

If your regular team member becomes unexpectedly unavailable, we’ll make every reasonable effort to arrange appropriate backup care.

We know consistency matters, so we don’t make substitutions unnecessarily.

Please tell us before service begins.

Many of our team members have beloved cats and dogs of their own, and they may care for several client households in a day.

Knowing about a suspected or confirmed transmissible illness allows us to take appropriate precautions and determine how care can be provided safely.

We pay attention.

One of the benefits of having someone regularly caring for your pet is having someone there who knows what they’re seeing and can notice when something doesn’t seem right.

If we’re concerned, we’ll make reasonable efforts to reach you or your designated emergency contact.

If we believe your pet requires prompt veterinary attention and can’t reach you, we will contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary facility.

Your pet’s welfare comes first.

Reliable access to your home is essential for us to care for your pet.

We require either an access code or a physical key that remains at your location.

Usually that’s a secure lockbox or, in a condo or apartment building, a concierge/front desk where the team member can collect and return your key.

We’ll make every reasonable effort to reach you and resolve the problem.

Please make sure keys, lockboxes, access codes, fobs and concierge instructions are current and functional.

If a scheduled service can’t be completed because we haven’t been provided with functional access to your home, the visit or walk remains chargeable.

Our current prices are published on the Cat Sitting and Dog Walking pages.

That’s also where you’ll find information about applicable surcharges.

Payment can be made by e-transfer or through our secure online payment system.

Online payment options may include major credit cards, Apple Pay and Link.

Discounted cat-sitting visit rates are available when paying by e-transfer.

High Park Pet Care is a local Toronto pet-care business with a team of people who genuinely enjoy caring for animals.

I only bring people onto the team who are dependable, kind, responsible and — importantly — understand that being entrusted with someone’s pet and home is a major responsibility.

You can meet some of the people behind HPPC on our Meet the Team page.

We’ve been caring for pets in Toronto’s west end since 2014.

High Park Cat Sitting and High Park Dog Walking grew from the same basic idea: people should be able to leave their pets with someone they trust and feel genuinely comfortable while they’re away or at work.

We all love meeting and getting to know these animals — your pets — and it’s what we do every day.

That’s a pretty high bar! 😊

But we’ll get to know them.

We’ll learn that your dog has to sniff that particular tree every morning, or that your cat ignores the 47 toys you’ve bought but goes wild for a crumpled piece of paper.

We’ll learn who’s outgoing and who’s shy. Who wants cuddles and who wants space. Who wants to charge down the sidewalk and who would rather stop and investigate everything along the way.

Those little things matter to us because they’re the things that make your pet your pet.

We love what we do. We love getting to know the animals entrusted to us. And we’ll always do our best to care for yours as though they were one of our own.

— Dawn and the High Park Pet Care team