the boring (important) part

privacy policy

Effective October 25, 2026

1. who we are

watabish is a small, mostly-for-fun project run by Aya and Grace in Ontario, Canada, inspired by a cat named Chikadee Watabish. We paint pet portraits, and we run a free game (watabish.com/play) and a free neighbourhood cat map (watabish.com/map). "We," "us" and "our" mean watabish. Questions about privacy go to aya@likhangmaya.com. Aya and Grace are responsible for privacy at watabish.

2. what we collect

When you book a portrait (through our booking page, powered by Cal.com):

• your name, email address and phone number
• your pet's name and species, a photo of your pet, and anything you tell us about them
• your booking date and where works for the hand-off, or your shipping address if you choose shipping

When you pay, your payment is processed by Stripe through our Cal.com booking page. We see that you paid and how much. We never see or store your full card or bank details.

When you play the game without an account, your progress is saved only in your own browser on your own device. We don't receive it.

When you sign in to the game (optional):

• your email address, or your name and email from Google if you sign in with Google
• a random account ID
• your game progress (hearts, tokens, items, collected wisdom) and when it was last saved

When you ask Watabish a question while signed in, your question is sent to Anthropic's Claude AI so he can write an answer just for you. We don't save your questions or his answers on our servers. We only keep a daily count of how many questions you've asked, so we can limit it. Guests get pre-written answers, and nothing they type leaves their device.

When you use the cat map:

• Your display name (what neighbours call you). It's shown on your posts and comments.
• What you post: photos, descriptions, notes, comments, help offers, "who's been called" ticks, Guardian sign-ups, hotspot details (place name, hours, house rules) and reports. Reports are private. Everything else is public.
• Location: we store the exact spot of each post privately and never show it. The map shows a point moved 30 to 80 metres away, or a wider area (120 to 260 metres) for animals that need help or might be lost. Hotspots are the exception: they show their exact location, because they're public places.
• Location inside photos: your browser reads it to place the pin, then removes it, along with other hidden photo data, before the photo is uploaded. Photos are also resized.
• "Show cats near me": your device's location is only used in your browser to move the map. We don't save it unless you use it to place a post.
• Commenting without an account: your browser gets a random guest ID. We store it with your comments to limit spam and handle reports, but your comments show as "anonymous."
• Saved only in your browser: the last map area you looked at, and when you closed the "never send money" notice.

When you join the coming-soon list, we keep your email address so we can tell you when new watabish products launch. Nothing else.

When you message us, we receive whatever you send.

What we don't do: no advertising, no analytics or tracking cookies, no selling or renting your information. Our hosting provider (GitHub) may keep basic technical logs, like IP addresses, to keep the site running and secure.

3. why we use it

• to paint your portrait, contact you by email, text or phone about your order (including payment issues), and arrange the hand-off or ship it to you
• to take payment and keep the records the law requires for a small business
• to save and sync your game progress if you sign in, and to write Watabish's answers to your questions
• to show posts on the cat map, connect neighbours who want to help a cat, prevent spam and handle reports
• to answer your messages and keep the site, game and map secure

We only send you emails about your order or your account, plus launch news if you joined the coming-soon list. Every launch email has an unsubscribe link.

4. photos

We use your pet's photo only to paint the portrait. We'll only post your pet's portrait (in our portfolio or on social media) if you say yes. You can change your mind at any time and we'll take it down.

Cat map photos are public. Anyone with a photo's link can see it. Please don't include people's faces, house numbers or licence plates.

5. who helps us, and where your information is stored

We use a few trusted services to run watabish. They only get the information they need to do their job:

Information stored outside Canada is subject to the laws of that country, which may let authorities there access it.

6. how long we keep it

• Booking and payment records: as long as the law requires for business records (in Canada, generally six years), then deleted.
• Your pet's photo: deleted within 90 days after the hand-off, unless you ask us to keep it.
• Coming-soon list: until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you.
• Accounts: until you delete your account, or after two years without signing in.
• Cat map posts and comments: until you delete them or your account, or we remove them. Lost animals marked "back home" and found-deceased reports come off the map (deceased reports after 30 days).
• Reported content: hidden after three reports until we review it.

7. your choices

You can ask us to show you what we have about you, correct it, or delete it, and you can withdraw your consent at any time. Email aya@likhangmaya.com and we'll respond within 30 days. Deleting your account erases your saved game progress and your cat map posts, comments and help offers for good. Your display name on "who's been called" ticks and your cat map photo files may stay until we clean them up, so email us and we'll remove them. We may need to keep some booking records if the law requires it.

8. kids

Anyone can play the game without an account. Accounts (needed to save the game, post on the map, offer help or become a Guardian) are for people 13 and older. Anyone can comment on the map anonymously. Portrait bookings are for adults, or for younger people with a parent or guardian's permission. If you think a child under 13 created an account, contact us and we'll delete it.

9. keeping it safe

We use reputable services and reasonable safeguards to protect your information. No system is perfect, though. If a breach puts you at real risk of significant harm, we'll tell you and report it as Canadian law requires.

10. changes and complaints

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top and, for big changes, let account holders know. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please talk to us first. You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.