thanks dan kraus

Thanks Dan.

All of my callers wished they could have accessed the site more directly-- anyone think they have a method to let the local municipalities know about it?

Or, is there a way to stuff the site with tags so Google picks it up more frequently?

I could be out on a limb.
 
That's the fallacy. It's not free. There is a deduction taken from your pay like any other medical insurance and you are in good standing. My coverage had expired and I had to pay.

Vets are not free. So if little Fluffy needs care then I pay and pay dearly. Most FDs won't do cat rescue anymore due to the cost and tying up resources that could affect response time to a real emergency.
 
Yes yes vets,doctors, and firemen for big cities get paid. Point is they also get sued and sued big. That fireman brings you down the ladder saves your life but breaks a rib peep sue. The doctor messes up he gets a malpractice suit same with the vets they too can get a malprac. whatever this is all good I see your points. Hope you see mine.

Now where does one get insureance to cover a cat rescue should it go bad and they sue you?

How do ya'll come up with a price to charge? Do you charge by hour, how upset the little girl and mom are. Is travel time included?
 
I use a substitution model. What I would charge someone for the equipment and manpower used plus travel time of a 1/2 hr. If I'm doing the rescue alone and no other equipment is tied up then it's cheaper. My clients understand that this isn't my main business and feel that the rationale for the price is fair.

It's not like it's a regular service that can be scheduled at your convenience. Imagine the call, "You'd like your cat rescued? I'm booked til next week, how does Tuesday at 1 pm sound?"

You've raised a good point about the insurance. I'll have to check with my agent to see about the coverage. There are companies that do wild animal control. Somewhat different in that there isn't the vested interest in the animal.

Much of what happens is managing expectations at the outset so the client is realistic about how a cat rescue will unfold. For the time it will take to get some background on the cat's behaviour and personality, assess the situation, and come up with a plan to get to the cat, safely capture it without traumatizing it or the owner's family, not have the stress of getting it done fast and other variables there is definitely a value that needs to be placed on the work. What I won't do is vary my price based on the emotions at play.

I know some of the small town FDs around me don't like doing it because of the risk of being scratched by the cat. They will offer to knock the cat out of the tree with the hose, your choice.
 
Think about the mental anguish that little girl would have seeing that happen.
obsessed.gif
 
I am not on the cat rescue website, but I did make the front page of our local paper a while back. There was a cat that had been in a tree for 5-6 days, nobody knew whose cat it was, but it was howling, etc. FD wouldn't help, so I got the call. The lady also called the newspaper, and they showed up with a camera. I set up the bucket instead of climbing, and went up after it, the cat just bailed out and slammed into the hood of the reporter's car, denting it. Cat ran off into the alley, never to be seen again. Got a few calls since then, but I usually tell them to call me again on day 4, and I'll come out. I haven't had to go out, either the cat came down, or they found someone else to do it.
 
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[...]the cat just bailed out and slammed into the hood of the reporter's car, denting it. Cat ran off into the alley, never to be seen again. [...]

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess they didn't run that above the fold, eh?
 
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the fireman were called and they opted out of the job,

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Fire departments opting out is something that should be done all the time. IMO - the equipment is for the saftey of the community. Can you see it now - building burns as cat resuce takes place.

Not all fire deparments are paid.

BUT resuce is great - thanks Dan for the site - as you give owners a place to go.

my 25cents work

jz - My dad is a volunteer life time firefighter, Iselin NJ
 
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Actually, YES. Ever paid property tax? Don't be fooled

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hey read farther down the thread I got it already. All you city folk have paid FD's. Take trip to the country look and see what the FD's say out there it'll say Vol.

besides we are beyond that I'm try to see what ya'll charge. Now rather then tell me this mombo and that blah. Please just say dollar amounts, like I charged Ms. Butterworth $125 to get hers, but I charged Ms Bisquick $50 pr/hr.
 
I use to charge 75=100 depending on drive time and one time it was 300 because of the drive time, But I have found that if I do it for a tip I make more, and the people are happier. Besides I don;t do it for the cats, I don;t even like cats. I do it for the owners of the cat.
Scotty
smirk.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[...]
besides we are beyond that I'm try to see what ya'll charge. Now rather then tell me this mombo and that blah. Please just say dollar amounts, like I charged Ms. Butterworth $125 to get hers, but I charged Ms Bisquick $50 pr/hr.

[/ QUOTE ]

I tell them $150 on the phone and that's even if the cat jumps. If it's a short trip and an easy snatch I knock it down to $75. I've done three free and had a really nice dinner once.

On trees, I don't ordinarily climb for less than $150.

So, I answered your question. How about giving mine a go?
 
I charge 75 bucks locally. I once drove 2+ hours into north jersey to rescue a cat because the lady sounded so upset. I was going to charge her 150 due to drive time but she paid me 200. Nice woman. She was so happy to have her cat back.

I too hate cats but understand what they can mean to a family. I do at times feel bad for charging but it's part of the biz. If I had to do an estimate on a tree that was more of an impending doom to the homeowners house I couldn't do the removal for free and if they just couldn't afford and I couldn't afford to do the tree pro Bono then they are out of luck.

Ed, another thing you could do, and it has worked once for me, is to analize the tree your climbing in to rescue the cat and if it needs work do an estimate right there on the spot and throw the cat rescue in for free. Just an idea. Also, you could have a legal document written up to protect you from "jumpers". Just explain to the homeowners that it is just in case.
 
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