Cat Sitting in Austwick

Janie

Cynthia was a perfect pet sitter for our little kitty. We knew from her extensive experience with cats that Nala was in good hands. She was extremely responsive via texts when we were away, ensuring us that the 2 of them were having a great time. She went absolutely above and beyond by scrubbing our bath and toilets to remove our mineral deposit rings that we haven't been able to get rid of! She even left the name of the product she used so we can get more in the future. The house was cleaner than when we left. We'll have her back anytime!

Steven

Our review is written by Steven (house owner, host + my father) + also by Kim (the daughter).

Written by Kim: This was our first house sit since the passing of my mother in late Dec 2023.  I was helping my father Steven (whose profile it is) manage all the emails + try + find a great house sitter + came along Gretchen’s profile! Not only is she a cool cat + someone you might want to get to know, I found myself quickly talking to her. I shortly found out her profile is just a glimpse of how interesting she is but talking to her was so much better!  She is a world traveler with many experiences + stories to share. We quickly became conversationalists who could talk forever + probably will continue to do so! Thank you TH! 

She is easy to communicate with + continued the consistent communication all along our journey of having her as our *first* guest after my mom’s passing. It was clearly a time filled with anxiety + sensitivity so there were some sensitive topics to go over + Gretchen got it right away.  A few of our rooms in the house were off-limits (as they housed my mom’s things) but we reassured her the house has ample space for her to enjoy + there are many lovely outdoor spaces to boot!  When she arrived she felt she was in paradise + really relished in the outdoor beauty + the indoor coziness. We were happy to share it with someone who appreciated it so much! 

She also was very understanding with the fact that both my dad + I would both be involved as we both handled different parts of the stay. Me, writing + setting up the Welcome Guide + would go over the situation but then upon her arrival my dad would take over + answer any questions mostly during her sit. The good part of having 2 people is she had accessibility to us both, in the case she needed it + sometimes it came up! She juggled all the communication oh so well.  My mom usually handled most of the logistics so this being our first time we were nervous something would come up we might not know but it didn’t!  It was new territory for us + we wanted to make sure she had everything. 

Gretchen handled it all with such ease, seamlessly, really respecting our wishes/desires + taking all the information into her hands + making it seem easy on her end to do so. 

She was easy to coordinate schedules with!  There was a gap in her 1st + 2nd sit but everything went seamlessly even when my flight had a day long delay. She was able to coordinate schedules with me arriving in between, then leaving, my dad arriving different days + us extending the trip too. It all worked out! We were all a good team!

She absolutely loved our older cat, Benny + he fast + furiously fell in love with her oh so easily. When I saw him, he looked oh so loved + after saying hi to me went over to ‘her’ bed + slept there waiting for her to come back. She sent many pictures, videos + even cute creations + toys she made for our Benny + it was obvious the house + our Benny were her first priority. 

She even asked us if she could help prune our flowers/shrubs, something my mom used to do + honestly it was an honor to hear her ask that. She was welcome to set up her art studio + play away. She was very communicative when our house cleaner, landscape gardener + house manager showered up for different reasons. When I arrived back for a short stint before she came back the 2nd time our mail was so well organized it was an assembly line! She also offered to take down our xmas tree (as we were a bit behind in taking down our xmas decorations) + she was sensitive to the fact that we were adjusting to a new normal. 
Thank you so much Gretchen! You made our first sit in a long time so seamless + such a relief that we are ready now to host again. We only wish we could have more Gretchen’s! (She’s also a super talented artist!)

Written by Steven: Overall, Gretchen has been an absolute treasure.  She has fulfilled our goals for a house sitter perfectly - she took good care of the house, great care of our treasured pet, Mr. Benny + took care of the grounds such as watering a few plants + trees.  She excelled in all the above + is welcome back anytime I will be out of town in the future.

Oliver

Susan and Miranda are amazing! I've had the pleasure of working with many sitters and they are truly exceptional. 

They were great at keeping in touch, sent lots of updates, asked good questions, really bonded with the cats, clearly very experienced working with animals and understanding their needs, and generally lovely to deal with.  They were really patient putting up with a whole bunch of deliveries and even assembled a spare bed! They also left the place spotless with clean sheets on the bed.

I'm pretty sure the cats loved Susan and Miranda more than us by the end of their stay! I'd highly recommend them to anyone and would love to have them stay again any time.

Tracie

Sharon and Milton are two of the nicest people I've met in my life. This is my first time having a sitter fly in from out of state and it was so simple, stress-free, and didn't affect any part of me getting ready for my trip, leaving for my trip or returning from my trip. Sharon was very communicative before, during and after I returned. It just couldn't have been more wonderful! If you're considering applicants stop looking  and  choose Sharon and Milton.  They are just delightfully wonderful wonderful people!! They go above and beyond just housesitting and pet sitting! Tidy, clean, respectful down to earth and the most kind and loving people.  I do believe Milton really is a cat whisper!! They slept with my sweet babies, and even  followed silly grooming instruction on one of my cats. Would have them sit for me absolutely anytime.

Anne

Wow, what a find Justin is! I feel as though I won a lottery. As I was revelling in the communication we were having during his stay, I looked over his profile and realized either that he had updated it during his stay OR I never even read it. I was so impressed with his initial application that described multiple stays taking care of cats in Turkey that I knew he was going to be a great choice. So I'm not sure that I even read his profile or reviews. Turned out...he was more than I could have EVER hoped for.
Justin is VERY organized and clear with his communication. Just  as--or maybe more--important, he is a poster child for what zeewoi can be: more than just an economical way to get a pet sitter or a place to stay.
Justin embraces the barter economy and the opportunity it presents to get to know people. Although we only met the day that I turned the house and my 2 cats over to his care, we had delightful communication throughout his stay. He wanted to be sure he was providing the right care to all living and non-living elements of my home as well as just chat beyond what we'd had an opportunity to cover when we were face to face on the handoff day.
Bottom line: I'd have Justin back even if I wasn't going anywhere! I've met a friend. And my neighbors did as well!
Oh yes, and my two cats were well looked after, the house was in ship shape, and Justin was able to brief the next sitter in person (I'd had to extend my time away and Justin already had another commitment). To say I felt confident leaving my pets and home in Justin's care is an understatement.
Justin is a real adventurer and believer in the power of both human and animal connection. Without a doubt, I would recommend him as a sitter...and a friend!
Thank you, Justin for a great example of how to wrestle so much more meaning out of zeewoi.

Brandon & Travis

Ruoyi was the perfect sitter for our cat Toni! We would highly recommend her to any pet owner, and hope she can sit for us again in the future. Ruoyi was very thorough - she made sure there was full alignment on all the specifics of her pet duties, and she asked thoughtful questions regarding details we forgot to include in our guide. She always provided us timely updates at the agreed cadence, and gave us a ton of photos. From the photos, it's clear she got in a lot of play time with Toni, which we really appreciated! :) We were able to enjoy our entire vacation stress-free knowing Toni was in such good hands. Ruoyi left our apartment completely clean and offered to wash linens.

Alexey

I highly recommend Daniel as a pet sitter and house sitter! He took care of Pipa for over three months this winter and did an outstanding job. From the first day, it was clear that he had a genuine love for animals and a great deal of experience with pets. He was very attentive to his needs and always made sure he was comfortable, well-fed, and had plenty of playtime.

In addition to his pet-sitting duties, Daniel also went above and beyond by processing my postal mail and keeping the house well-organized. He was very responsible and reliable, always arriving on communicating, putting the bins out, and watering the plants on time, and keeping me updated with photos and messages. I felt completely at ease knowing that my cat was in such good hands and that my home was well-cared for while I was away.

When I returned from my trip, Pipa was happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, thanks to Daniel's excellent care. I would definitely hire him again and recommend him to anyone in need of a trustworthy, caring, and responsible pet and house sitter!

Bridget

Lindsey watched our cat and dog for a long weekend when we went out of town. She was a very communicative sitter sending frequent pictures and voice notes with updates. She did a great job of following their schedules and giving them attention. The animals seemed to be happy and relaxed when we returned home and I believe Lindsey enjoyed getting to discover all of the eateries our town has to offer. A win-win for everyone!

Claire

Caroline was a fabulous sitter and looked after our cat and the house beautifully. She is sensible and very self-sufficient but also kept us informed. We came home to a happy cat and a tidy house. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to others and hope she will sit for us again in the future!

Ned

Pennee and Bill were the BEST pet sitters and guests ever! I really wanted them to stay forever ! Our cat, Miss Kitty bonded so  much to them, that she really wasn’t that happy to see me when I got home .Our cat is a finicky eater and they tried all different types of food and treats for her.  They sent me regular photos of miss kitty and I knew everything was great when most of the pics had miss kitty on their lap. Our cat doesn’t take to many people but she immediately fell in love with them. 
Pennee sent us our mail and prescription meds  on a regular basis , and went out of her way to take care of any issues .  They fell in love with the neighbors and community and just made our lives so easy . We experienced the Covid 19 virus outbreak  quarantine  during this time and Pennee and Bill agreed to stay a month longer at our home . They were extremely flexible with their travel plans so that everyone would be safe. 
Upon our arrival home, we were greeted with a bouquet of flowers , beautiful hanging basket of flowers for outdoors and a beautiful bottle of wine .  And our house had never been cleaner ! 
 Bill and Pennee are a pet owners dream couple !I felt extremely lucky to have found such a great petsitter and new friend . We will be visiting each other in the future .