Cat Sitting in Ballantine

winslow

I am struggling with naming our top adjective to describe Michael and Jeanne.  "Conscientious" will likely be it but then again, "personable," "reliable," "organised," and "animal-loving" are top contenders. 

If you are reading this review and contemplating inviting this couple to watch your pets, then look no further. We have had a number of excellent house sitters but this pair was next level in terms of the love they showed our cats, Maxx and Nala.  When we came back, we could our animals already missed them.  These cats, who have never slept with anyone other than us, were getting in bed with them each night -- and that meant climbing stairs! 

The day before our trip, Nala got an ear infection and had to be put on steroids for asthma.  Michael and Jeanne did not sign up for that when the sit was booked but they took it in stride.  In the last-minute rush, I relayed that Nala needed her oral steroids morning and night.  Michael read the RX label, indicating one dose a day, and contacted the vet to clarify.  So you can see why "conscientious" is right up there.  They saved Nala from an overdose!

We were gone three weeks and they sent us just the right amount of pictures and videos.  They bought cat toys (I forgot to put ours out!) and actively engaged with them, including 20-minute massages for Maxx.  I truly believed them when they said they fell in love with our fur babies.

The house was spotless (which was not important to me but truly appreciated) but I smiled when all six water stations in our yard were filled.  They took seriously my love for and the needs of the wildlife in our yard.  Our plants were all in good condition as well.  

Sensing they were "next level" when I met them, I predicted they would want to leave a meal for us upon our return.  I asked them not to but they found another way to bow out with class.  They made a donation to a nonprofit I work with instead.  This I learned from the lovely thank you note they left. 

I hope they will consider Charles and I friends because we certainly feel that way about them now. What special people.  If you book them, treat them well because they are going to do that for you for sure.

Jenner

Great pet sitter - took perfect care of our cat and our home. They were super communicate leading up to and during the sit and left our apartment in great shape. I'd absolutely recommend them to any future sitters!

Adrienne

Stefany helped me out big time by stepping in when I asked.  She's a local sitter and I wasnt' having any responses so I contacted her and she fit me into her schedule even during the holidays and right after another sit across the country.   She took great care of my two cats and home and I very much appreciate it!

Bill & Kathy

We were so pleased to meet John and Trisha! We had them come in a day before we left and enjoyed a nice meal with them and they got to meet Delilah (even if she didn’t seem interested) but she soon warmed up to them - except for the Cat Videos - she wasn’t very interested 🤣 When we returned our home was so clean (probably cleaner than we left it)! We got frequent pics and updates on our Princess! They also left us with a Progress Report with Delilah’s activities and what they did at the house before they left.
We would highly recommend John & Trisha if you are lucky enough to have them apply for a House Sitters job!

Bill, Kathy & Delilah 🐈‍⬛❤️

Andrew

Lindsey was super communicative, friendly, responsible, and an excellent sitter for our two cats. When we returned, our home was clean and our cats relaxed and happy as if we had never left !  She sent us photos and updates every day, as requested, and when a random mishap occurred in the apartment, she let us know right away and was proactive in handling issue. We felt like both our cats and our home were in very caring, capable and respectful hands. Excellent! Thank you Lindsey!

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.

Nancy

Kathy and Ron arrived at our home with a most fantastical toy for our cats and a giant apple pie. Need I say more? They are very experienced sitters and brought personal items that they prefer. We knew we were leaving out cats in good hands. 

A large part of their 'job' was hand watering our garden and Ron took that in stride. Everything is thriving. 

Our cats are usually distant with new people but we received photos of them keeping Kathy and Ron company in various situations which was reassuring. They clearly won our cats over. 

Although Ron and Kathy had a ferry to catch on their last day, they took time to wash  their linens and hang them on the clothesline. They also left us a gorgeous plant for our garden. 

We would very much like to have them back for a longer sit if possible.

Marcia

Denae and Burl were absolutely fabulous house/pet sitters for 4 weeks,  Dec  2022- Jan 23.   They are very friendly and intelligent, caring towards the animals (2 cats and 1 lively dog), and left our home clean and tidy.  It all went very, very smoothly.   It was a pleasure to deal with such nice people.  We have invited them back whenever they want and hope the rest of their exploratory mission is a great success.  I would be pleased to be contacted if anyone needs a further reference.

Anne Laure

Caroline is an amazing sitter ! We were far away, had never left our cat for such a long period of time and we felt really confident with her. She took great care of our cat Honey as well as she did for the house, pool and garden. She was even able to handle the end of the refection of the bathroom which was a last minute surprise…
We felt Caroline was reliable and self sufficient. We had a great communication with her during our stay abroad.
We even found many nice intentions when we came back from our vacations such as fresh fruits and bakeries for a nice and welcomed breakfast after a night in a plane !
We definitely recommend Caroline for your sittings and we will obviously call her back !

Evelyn & Jeff

We couldn't have asked for better sitters than Pares and Mark. Since our initial contact, it was straightforward to communicate with Pares. We were lucky enough to get a chance to meet Pares with our dog Luna, and Luna got along with her immediately. During our time away from home, she kept us informed about how both our dog and cat were doing, and they were both cuddling with her since the first day. We got a lot of pictures and knew that they were safe and happy. The apartment was exactly as we had left it when we came back. Pares and Mark even ran the dishwasher and the washing machine for us. We couldn't have asked for a better sitter, and it made our trip very easy knowing they were taken care of so well. We'd have Pares and Mark back to our home without any hesitation.