Cat Sitting in Braintree

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.

Joel and Esme

Kathy and Ron have sat for us several times in the past and have always been excellent. They are our "go-to" pet and house sitters and we always check their availability before we post a sit. They are trustworthy, organized, communicate very well, and take great care of our cats and our house. We hope they will continue pet sitting for many years to come!

Julie

Sabre is a sweet, honest person who stepped up at the very last moment (after the prior sitter flaked out) to watch our dog and cat for 17 days. When there were a couple minor accidents, she informed us of them right away. One involved a burnt pan (easy to do if you’re not familiar with an induction stovetop) which she offered to replace. 
   Sabre also washed the towels and sheets, and made up the bed before we got home. The yard was pooper scooped and litter box was clean. Pets seemed well-cared for.
   When she had to leave town for several hours one day, she made sure to arrange for our neighbor take care of the pets.
   Additionally, I appreciated how she didn’t assume that it would be ok to bring her cat. When we found out she was going to keep her cat in a kennel during her stay here, we told her she could bring him which worked out fine. 
   Overall, I would confidently recommend Sabre to watch your pets and house.

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.

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 🐈‍⬛❤️

Tonya

Brian is a very professional sitter that does a good job, pays attention to details and is easy to work with. I have a lot of plants. A lot. He suggested me do a video for the plant care so he could be sure of which ones needed what. Brilliant! I’d never thought of that. They were in great shape when I returned. 
I explained that I needed some flexibility with travel dates, he agreed and rolled with the punches like a champ when my dates did indeed change. Unfortunately, he was a bit allergic to my cat but made it work anyway. He was really awesome about everything including a tree that fell next door in a storm and blocked the road for three days. I appreciate that he appreciated how funny and how much personality Boo has. They got along well and I received some great videos. I returned home to a happy cat and a house well taken care of 😊. I would definitely recommend Brian.

Laney

Quinn was an amazing sitter for my cat Moon! She regularly checked in with updates on moon while we were away on a two week vacation, and seemed to give her plenty of attention, play with her, etc. Communication was easy and she left our apartment spotless after departing. Highly recommend her as a pet sitter!

Carol

Raquel was simply terrific! She and her husband, Miguel, had to fill in at the last minute for another sitter who had a death in her family. This meant that the length of the stay and sitting they had originally signed up for doubled. Completely undaunted, they did a GREAT job for us. Our cat and dog got lots of love and affection, and plenty of exercise, food, and rest. Our house and yard were cared for with equal conscientiousness. It was wonderful for us to be able to rely so completely on these super zeewoi. We recommend them 100 percent!

Joanne

Catherine was a wonderful sitter for our 17 year old cat Zabba. She sent us pictures twice a day and kept us informed about Zabba’s daily activities. We came home to a clean  home and would definitely recommend her as a pet/ house sitter. My only concern was that she doesn’t drive and with an older cat, I just prayed that Zabba didn’t need to go to the vet…. And he didn’t 🥰. We will ask her again for sure.

Claire

If Cung ever applies to your post for a house or pet sit, I strongly encourage you to jump at the offer. You will not be disappointed. Cung is among the top (if not the top) sitter I’ve ever had and I’ve been on this site for years.

Primarily, Cung is very organized. In the weeks and days leading up to the sit, Cung kept me abreast of his plans and status. I felt very comfortable in the days leading up to the sit because I knew the plan we made to exchange the keys and walk him through the instructions would work as planned. 

Second, Cung really cares. When he got to my apartment after what I assume was a long day of traveling, I explained the care instructions and he was very attentive and cared about the details - asking very specific questions on how to care for my cat and apartment. I had some pretty specific rules about how to feed my cat and take care of him and Cung followed those exactly.

Third, Cung makes you feel comfortable while you are away. I got daily or twice daily updates about my cat. I got pictures which made me feel like my cat was having a good time. My cat came out within an hour of me being away - very fast for my cat as he is shy. Cung must have a calming energy towards animals. Cung was also very responsive when I reached out first - replying within 5 minutes. I really appreciated that. My cat threw up at one point and Cung answered all of my questions to assess whether my cat was sick or had just eaten too fast.

Fourth, Cung will take good care of your apartment/house. I came back to a SPOTLESS apartment. The sheets were washed and folded on my bed. The towels were washed. The apartment had been vacuumed. The kitchen was clean. The dishwasher had been run. Everything was in its place when I returned. Honestly, cleaner than when I left it which is difficult since I am a very clean person. Cung also respects your property. I have an extensive computer setup that he used for work and he was very respectful of that equipment. He asked if he could use it beforehand, which was incredibly polite since he could have used it and I wouldn’t have known. 

In sum. You need to jump at the opportunity if Cung offers to sit for you. I came home to a very happy cat. Hope he will sit for me again sometime!