Carissa, the cat caresser has the knowledge, professionalism and expertise to care for your cat whilst you are away from home.
I was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand and have been a feline fanatic all my life.
I worked as a Personal Assistant for 30 years where I learned to love being of service. I also love cats, so what a perfect combination to start up my very own cat sitting service!
I am a qualified Vet Nurse and have previously worked with recovered cat flu cats at a local animal shelter and I have also worked as a Pet Care Advisor for a large pet food company where I also trained in Pet Nutrition.
Proof of my experience and handwritten Testimonials are available at our initial meet and greet. Some of my clients are also happy to offer you a verbal reference.
In 2012, I started Carissa Cat Caressa - Professional In-home Cat Minding Service and since then, I have attained many wonderful clients.
In December 2019, I Certified in Animal Reflexology with Jackie Segers, Author of Cat Reflexology and I am now able to offer this to my clients. Please click here for more information and to make a booking.
I have fostered kittens and cats, rehomed cats and kittens and have adopted six cats in my lifetime. I have also rescued several animals from road accidents or other injuries - not to mention the vermin and birds my cats catch occasionally. Those that make it, are rehabilitated, named and set free. The fateful ones, receive a special burial in my garden.
A stray cat turned up at home in Papatoetoe a couple of years ago, so I took her to the Vet and because they found she was microchipped, she was reunited with her owner who lives in Half Moon Bay. She had escaped from a Vet clinic in Manukau and after a couple of months ... she turned up here pleading for help.
Back in 2007, I found four kittens in my garage and their Mama cat led them astray and they got lost. I managed to round them up and kept them inside, letting Chloe come in to feed them. I was only able to pat Chloe if she was eating, otherwise she did not like being touched at all. I cared for her kittens until they were six months old, got them desexed and put two up for adoption and kept the other two - Forrest and Litonya (Native American for Darting Hummingbird). I found the most perfect home for the other two - Toes and Tiramisu. Their new companion has kept in touch all these years via email with updates on how they are doing. After a few years, they moved to Australia and I still got updates!
My dear little Litty was killed by a car when she was only one year old. Her brother, Forrest passed away at age six of renal failure. He loved to dine at the table and had exceptional manners. No back paws on the table and he would scoop food from the plate and eat from his paw without making a mess. Finding this family of kittens and cats as a wonderful experience and they all had such happy lives.
Forrest and Litonya
Forrest
Litonya
In 2008, whilst working at the SPCA, I adopted two adorable cats, Bob and Bella. Bella is the face of my cat minding service. Bob was named after Bob Kerridge. I originally named Bella - Betty Boop, but when she went out to Foster, she was renamed Bella and the name stuck. Both names are her to a T. Bella is Italian for Beautiful. She is mischievous, gentle, sweet and "knows" she's a Princess.
In February 2012, I helped an elderly friend (Aunty I call her) rehome her cat, Misty, when she was hospitalised unexpectedly. The day we adopted Misty, I promised Aunty I would make sure her cat was cared for should anything happen to her. Two years later, that day came when Aunty was admitted to hospital indefinitely. We kept Misty at her home which was the best place in her familiar surroundings. I visited every week to check on her and updated Aunty. I spent four weeks looking for a Foster home, to no avail. I delivered thousands of flyers around the neighbourhood, SPCA, vets, pet stores, supermarkets and I received not one call. I listed on TradeMe and Pets on the Net. Nothing. I cleared out my spare room just in case I needed to foster Misty myself. Week five, Aunty decided to give Misty up for adoption. I changed the ad on Pets on the Net and within a couple of days, I got three promising calls. I interviewed one lady and it was a purrrfect match. I took a photo to show Aunty and the new owner has kept in touch with updates and even offered to bring Misty to visit Aunty in the rest home when she got settled. What more could one ask for? Five weeks is a long time when this sort of thing happens, but I was committed and would not give up. I was with Aunty when she passed away in March 2019 at age 99. The new owner of Misty stayed in touch for seven years. Misty has the best home in the world!
In March 2019, I was blessed to be with Aunty Breta when she passed away at age 99. She lived a very full life, had so many friends ... and loved cats.