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.
Kristi was an absolutely incredible sitter -- I think our favorite one ever! She was easy to communicate with, kind and personable, and took great care of our pets and our house. It was the first time we had left both our dog and our cat with a TH sitter and Kristi went above and beyond. She was very self-sufficient but provided fun updates and pictures and our pets loved her. Highly recommend!
We are thoroughly pleased with and impressed by Daniel's kind, generous, and careful care of our cat and our house. He is a committed and experienced sitter who completely understands his role and responsibilities and also how to gently win the confidence and affection of a pet. He is an excellent communicator, and he kept us regularly up to date on our cat's well being--sending us texts and photos at least once/week as we requested. Our cat who is a little afraid of new people, grew fond of him, and we have returned to a very calm, contented cat. We highly recommend Daniel, and we ourselves would be thrilled to engage him again when the need arises.
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!
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!
Ruoyi was the perfect sitter for our cat Toni! We would highly recommend her to any pet owner, and hope she can sit for us again in the future. Ruoyi was very thorough - she made sure there was full alignment on all the specifics of her pet duties, and she asked thoughtful questions regarding details we forgot to include in our guide. She always provided us timely updates at the agreed cadence, and gave us a ton of photos. From the photos, it's clear she got in a lot of play time with Toni, which we really appreciated! :) We were able to enjoy our entire vacation stress-free knowing Toni was in such good hands. Ruoyi left our apartment completely clean and offered to wash linens.
Laura came across the country to sit for us. She arrived a day early and from the moment my pets met her our Lokie was smitten. We have one shy cat Luna and she was out and about on the first night. Laura kept us updated and shared her Adventures as well. We do live in a small hideaway of a town so seeing that she was able to enjoy herself was nice. We returned to a clean home, laundry done also, and very content pets. Lokie was sad for a few days as he missed his friend. We would recommend Laura as a sitter to anyone and would have her back again. 5 plus stars. ⭐
Heidi was an outstanding cat sitter for my Luna! She was very communicable via calls or texts. She followed all my guidelines for feeding and care of Luna. Luna was very content when I arrived home thanks to Heidi! My home was immaculate when I arrived and she did some snow shoveling. She even pulled a large broken tree branch off my roof following a windstorm. I hope Heidi is available for my next trip because she is awesome. Jim
Caroline was a fabulous sitter and looked after our cat and the house beautifully. She is sensible and very self-sufficient but also kept us informed. We came home to a happy cat and a tidy house. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to others and hope she will sit for us again in the future!
Kristine was wonderful again as our local sitter from just down the street. The boys take to her like she is their best friend whenever she comes to sit with them. She sent us photos of them playing, relaxing, drinking water and eating so we knew they were well taken care of. The house and the cats were in excellent shape and excellent hands while we were away. It is wonderful that she enjoys the house and the cats so much and tells us so. Kristine comes with our highest recommendation! Thank you Kristine!
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!