Cat Sitting in Duplex

Tim

Pares is an experienced and quality sitter and we knew our cat Juniper (and a few plants) was well cared for. We received regular updates and photos which was really nice to have during our travels. While we missed Juniper, we could see that she enjoyed receiving cuddles and attention from Pares. Upon returning home, our flat was clean and tidy, and Juniper was very happy! Thank you for taking care of her!

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.

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.

Tiffany

Paige, David, and family were WONDERFUL sitters for my crew! They were so pleasant and personable, and the pets warmed up to them very quickly. Even my rescue cat who tends to stray away from men loved David. I received regular updates and communication (before and during the sit). I truly did not have any concerns while I was away knowing that everyone had such great care and attention given to them. (I know the dogs had a good time because when I came home there was no commotion over my return.) I was away on NYE and Paige had no issues keeping an eye on one of the dogs who has anxiety surrounding loud noises. The family cleaned up after themselves and may have left the house cleaner than when I left! Truly such a great family who I would welcome back any time!

Erin

Ruthee was a fabulous pet sitter for our three cats while we were gone for a month. Prior to the sit, she was consistent and communicative; she even came over early for a meet and greet to learn the routine. During the sit, she took great care of our three cats by playing with them (she made a fun cat toy!), scooping litter, feeding and watering them, and sent us text updates and pictures. We came home to happy fur babies and a clean home. She left the place very tidy which was greatly appreciated! We are so thankful for Ruthee and would recommend her should the opportunity arise. Your fur babies would be lucky to spend time with her. Thank you again for everything, Ruthee!

Sunny

Kathryn was such nice and kind sitter that both of my boyfriend and me were grateful to have, including my cats!!
My cats seemed having great time with her, being around her, chilling on couch with her, or even sitting on her. I got several photos of my cats from her with whort updates. I’m thankful that she let me do facetimes with her when I missed my cats.
The house was clean and tidy when we came back.
I definately will ask her again to sit my cats and house when I need.

Thank you Kathryn!!:)

Evelyn & Jeff

We couldn't have asked for better sitters than Pares and Mark. Since our initial contact, it was straightforward to communicate with Pares. We were lucky enough to get a chance to meet Pares with our dog Luna, and Luna got along with her immediately. During our time away from home, she kept us informed about how both our dog and cat were doing, and they were both cuddling with her since the first day. We got a lot of pictures and knew that they were safe and happy. The apartment was exactly as we had left it when we came back. Pares and Mark even ran the dishwasher and the washing machine for us. We couldn't have asked for a better sitter, and it made our trip very easy knowing they were taken care of so well. We'd have Pares and Mark back to our home without any hesitation.

Paola

Chris was a fantastic cat sitter for our elderly and high maintenance kitty.  Chris was the perfect combination of responsible and on top of her medication needs while also being calm and relaxed about her picky eating habits and the need to monitor her food and medication consumption.  He was prompt, easy to get a hold of,  responsible, and overall, a great sitter.  I would definitely recommend him and most certainly hope to have him stay with her again.

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 :)

Deb

Rick and Sally are marvelous cat sitters and we would gladly have them back anytime. We highly recommend them to any and all pet owners.  They arrived when they said they would and were ready to go when we returned, making sure our cats were present before departing.  Our home was left spotless, undoubtedly better than we left it for them.  We can't urge you enough to engage them if you can!