Cat Sitting in City Heights West

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.

Phil

Anna was an excellent sitter - she took great care to understand all of the intricacies of taking care of the house and cats, asked lots of questions, and arrived on time and ready for the sit. During the trip, she checked in with updates, and upon returning home, left the space tidy and clean. The cats were happy and healthy, and seemed to have had a great time during the sit. Thanks Anna!

Diana

Sharon and Milton were outstanding sitters and if I could give  more than 5 stars I certainly would.
     Reliable, communicative, helpful, self sufficient and tidy, they took great care of my home. More importantly my cats were lovingly cared for and extremely content when we returned.
I highly recommend Sharon and Milton without reservation and hope to have them return in the future.

Bee

The best cat sitters ever!  They loved our cats and spent so much time playing with them and making sure they were happy!  
We had photos and videos every day with funny little messages and we came home to two very happy, healthy cats.
The house was spotless and they even washed the linen and towels! They left us some cute Easter presents and breakfast shopping in the fridge, as we were returning after a long flight.
We would definitely recommend Michael and Jeanne to anyone and hope they will come back to Teignmouth in the near future.
Thanks very much for looking after our beautiful cats and our home x

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.

Paige

Jenny was an absolute delight, lovely to speak to and patient with last minute changes. I have had bad experiences with trusting people with my cats before so was really anxious as Jenny is the first house sitter I have used from zeewoi. But, I felt at ease as soon as I spoke to her, she has a lovely manner and she came round the day before the sit to male sure she had every detail right.

But I think the thing that helped the most was her regular updates about my cats. I could see from the videos she sent they were given lots of love and attention. My cats don't usually play with people but my little girl seemed to love her! 

My flat was immaculate when I got back as well, I am so grateful to Jenny for all her help and really hope to have her sit for me again!

MARILYN

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Kathryn!  I needed to extend dates for the sit after we had set it up and she was able to accommodate this so was actually here from 10/4-20.  She was timely and communicative throughout - and she is a very nice person.   She kept the house really tidy and followed all instructions well.  My cats took to her quickly.  When I returned, they had been very well cared for and seemed fully content even though I'd never left them for long before.  While away, I reached out to Kathryn by text several times regarding deliveries, etc.  She was very prompt in responding and adept at handling issues as they arose.  I highly recommend Kathryn as a house sitter - and would happily work with her again!

Inma

Jenima is an excellent sitter! She is organized, communicative and flexible throughout the stay. We needed a sitter at the last minute because Jazz got sick, and Jenima saved us. We left a little worried about him, but Jenima took care of him really well and kept us informed. Cats love her! We definitely recommend her to take care of your pets!

Heather

Jose was a wonderful pet/house sitter for us recently. We highly recommend him. He was wonderfully reliable and responsible and took such good care of our two pets.  

On short notice Jose drove down from Grass Valley to the East Bay for a bit of a quiet get-away while working a really hard job teaching online.  We know how hard that is firsthand and partly why we needed our own get-away for a last-minute backpacking trip.

We have a recently rescued pit bull and a rescued cat that we're still introducing to each other to make sure the dog doesn't eat the cat (as he seems to want to), and the cat doesn't blind the dog (as she would if he tried to eat her). That might be more background than is needed in a review but Jose made us feel comfortable about everything because of how conscientious and responsible he clearly is. We could tell when we talked to him that he was genuinely kind and eminently trustworthy.

We are very grateful and hope Jose was happy with everything too because we know what a value his care was to us. Jose truly deserves any and all house-sitting gigs that strike his interest. Ours was not the easiest and he was amazing.  Get him if you can.

Phyllis and Alan

Cat and Paul were wonderful sitters - our cats were contented and calm when we returned.  And the house was spotless.  Plus Paul mowed our entire yard including the back meadow - what a surprise! We very much enjoyed visiting with them as well and getting to know them.  Highly recommend :)