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!
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.
Cung is a diligent and communicative cat sitter and house guest, and we'd highly recommend him! We hope to have him back again soon
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.
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.
Nathalie and John were great! They were great house sitters to watch our two dogs, 2 geckos, our old cat and bull frog. Their two girls took good care of the animals as well. The house was exactly how we left it. We really appreciated their help!
If you are looking for someone to take care of your fur babies and your house while you're away, Daniel is your guy! I had discovered zeewoi just a couple of weeks before I was to leave on vacation and I was not only apprehensive if the website was too good to be true, but also under a real time crunch. I reached out to over 100 local sitters and several possibilities fell through. I was confident I would find the right sitter and when Daniel applied for the sit and I started to text and converse with him, I knew I had found the perfect sitter for my two cats! Daniel was upbeat and positive, articulate and personable, warm and caring, and he asked all the right questions about Lilly and Eli (I hadn't had the time to complete my Welcome Guide, yet!?!). I shared that I had an easy cat and problem cat -- Lilly, who is sweet, social and eats dry food, and Eli who is skittish, was periodically pooping outside the kitty litter box and was eating prescription canned food twice a day mixed with a probiotic and stool firmer. I asked if he thought he was up for the job and he happily said he was. Since he flew all the was from Chicago, I thought the least my husband and I could do was pick him up at the airport. When he arrived, he pulled out his notebook. He patiently walked with me as I reviewed kitty care, showed him around the house, and where he would be sleeping. He immediately picked up Lilly who was excited about meeting her new friend and Eli bugged out and down the stairs to the basement (his favorite hiding place!). We got Daniel connected to the internet, set him up at our dining room table and headed off to airport, leaving our house and kitties in the best of hands. Daniel wanted to make sure I felt comfortable and assured while we were away. He made sure to text with me every other day (he had asked my preference earlier), sent photos of Lilly being her cute self while Eli hid during the day although he gave me assurances that he was eating his food and using the litter box (there were a few accidents, but Daniel never complained about these additional duties). When we returned from our vacation, the house was also spotless and well cared for and Daniel had even washed the sheets for me! It is with utter happiness and complete confidence that I recommend Daniel as a fantastic Sitter. He is trustworthy, responsible, caring, and competent, and you can rest assured that both your house and sweet pets will be watched over and treated with TLC -- and will truly be in the best of hands while you are away!
Jinnie was an excellent house sitter for me and my cat Felix. Completely responsible and reliable and helpfully flexible. She was willing to work with me as I dithered on whether I was actually going to go on my trip (which was dependent on good weather), and when I finally decided on making my trip one day shorter. House was clean and organized on my return, and, more importantly, my cat was calm and relaxed on my return. I would happily have Jinnie come sit for me and Felix again.
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!
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.
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!