We were very lucky to have had Nia for our recent house sit. She communicated well before the sit and arrived as planned. We shared a meal before we left which gave us time to get to know her and tell her about the house and our pets. After we left it soon became clear the cats loved Nia and the attention she gave them. We were kept informed throughout her stay with regular updates and video clips of what they were up to and how the garden was growing etc. We highly recommend Nia as a pet/house sitter and we would certainly have her back should the opportunity arise. Thanks again Nia
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.
Elisabeth was an excellent sitter for our cat. We were away for two weeks and received daily photos and notes from her about Catman's activities (i.e., sleeping and eating). She is definitely a cat lover and that was evident from our cat's calm behavior when we returned.
Kimberly was a wonderful sitter who watched our two cats for us while we were out. She was willing to come a day early to help acclimate herself with the animals, and this was exceedingly helpful in making sure the cats would be comfortable with her during our absence. I would highly recommend Kimberly if you're looking for a responsible, caring sitter.
Florence is everything you want in a cat sitter! We have two cats that need a lot of human attention. One takes multiple medications twice a day and they both are used to eating on their own schedule and having people around so it is always very important to us to find a pet sitter that will be spending a lot of time in the apartment and that doesn't mind being very attentive. We were able to meet Florence before our trip and felt 100% confident that she would take great care of our cats. Florence is comfortable giving medication, she sent us photos and updates and left our apartment spotless. We were so happy that we had her come back the following week when we went away again for a short trip! We will definitely contact Florence again whenever we travel and hope that she is available!
Oh wow! Everyone should be so lucky to have Nicholas and Veerle watch their house and pets. These lovely people are pros! They communicated early and often, were super accommodating to some last minute changes (it was originally going to be only our cats to watch but we decided to keep the dog home as well so that added to the schedule and care needs) and they left the house spotless and all set up for another sitter who came in after them. We didn’t get the chance to meet because my departure and arrival times but I dearly hope I get to in the future because they were just great! I even heard how nice they were from My neighbors who say them out walking our dog. :-) They also sent regular pictures of the pets which look like pro-photography! Cannot recommend this couple enough! Your pets and house will be in good hands!
Ann Marie was an excellent house sitter who went above and beyond. She flew in a day early and stayed at a local hotel so we she could meet my cat and get the keys before my early flight the next morning. When I returned, she and Tryke were best friends and the house was immaculate. She even washed the sheets and towels, and remade the bed. I strongly recommend Ann Marie for any future sits!
Tonya was great and filled in after our other sitter had to cancel. She was very self sufficient and navigated acclimating herself to everything since she arrived after we left. She gave thoughtful updates on my cat and I could tell she really enjoyed her, so that means the world to me! She left the place immaculate and we will certainly have Tonya back!
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 .
We've had many pet/house sitters over the last few years and Cat and Eugene will reside at the top of the list of favorites! From my first email with Cat I knew I liked her. She has all of the qualities of a good house and pet sitter: Reliable, a good listener, organized, flexible, caring, and honest. She and Eugene arrived exactly on time for our pre-sit visit, where they got to meet Maya and become familiarized with the house. It was a delight to visit with them and become comfortable knowing Maya would be in good hands. Our scheduled dates changed somewhat and they were extremely flexible and easy going about the changes. Upon our return home, we found the house pretty much in the exact condition we left it in. I can tell that great care was taken for Maya and for the house. Maya seemed to still be looking for them the next day, wandering around the house wondering where the other people who loved her went. I would recommend Cat and Eugene for anyone looking for reliable, kind, respectful, caring, tidy, and honest sitters. If I am lucky, I will get to have them back to sit for me again.
Is it better to board cats or leave at home?
Veterinarians advising to leave cats at home with a pet sitter who will stay overnight in your home, boarding is not recommended for cats as they are stressed in a new environment, you can find a sitter who will care for your cats and home for free at Zeewoi.
How much should you pay someone to watch your cat?
At least $20 per visit, $60 per overnight watching in your home or $40 for a cat boarding, otherwise you can find a free sitter at Zeewoi.
What do people do with their cats when they go on vacation?
Inviting a cat sitter to your home, boarding the cat with a local business, asking a friend, family or neighbour to feed and check the well-being. The most efficient way to leave your cat during your vacation is with Zeewoi cat sitters for free, in this way, you will save cat sitting costs and make vacation not only for you but also for your cat sitter!