What: Familiar Surroundings Cat Sitting Service LLC

What the business does: Familiar Surroundings Cat Sitting Service LLC offers professional cat sitting services for pets of clients who are traveling, or just want companionship for a lonely cat during a long work day. Provides services to cat clients in Bellbrook, Centerville and Washington Twp. and other south Montgomery County locations.

Owner Nancy Fiorita provides care to her furry clients including light grooming, feeding, nail clipping and litter box clean-up. She also is trained to give cat medications.

Fiorita will also perform home services like bringing in mail and newspapers, turning on lights and opening window curtains and shades. Fiorita also emails a newsletter to her clients that contains information about feline behavior, nutrition and other pertinent cat information.

What makes the business stand out: Familiar Surroundings Cat Sitting Service focuses entirely on cats. Additionally, Fiorita is a certified professional pet sitter. In order to maintain her certification, Fiorita earns 30 credit hours of continuing education every three years through Pet Sitters International.

How the business started: “I started my business in 1994 after reading a magazine article about a new organization, Pet Sitters International,” said Fiorita. “I joined and I have been an active member ever since.”

Fiorita and professional pet-sitter, Stephanie McLaughlin, of Beavercreek, started a second business, Greater Dayton Pet Sitter Training which trains people to work with pets and become independent contractors to area pet sitters. Cost for the training program is $97.

Customer comment: “Nancy truly seems to know everything there is to know about cats, and she relates to them perfectly,” said Marilyn Porcino, of Centerville. “For two years, whether we were gone for two days or two weeks, she administered subcutaneous fluids to our beloved Hobbes every other day, coaxed her to eat, and managed all her other medications. Our current eldest cat, Lily, showed signs of diabetes just before we were to leave on a trip. Nancy not only took her to the vet, filled her prescriptions and gave her insulin twice daily, but she also taught us how to give the insulin when we returned from our trip!”

Cost: $17 for a visit of one or two cats; $2 per additional cats.

Contact information: Phone: (937) 848-8347; (937) 474-0490; Website: www.catsitr.com; E-mail: familiarsurroundings@woh.rr.com