Shaina was a great sitter for my cat Lionel. She was great with communicating before the sit and was willing to come meet me in person before the sit. She also kept me updated throughout the sit, with photos and little notes. When I returned home the flat was tidy and Lionel seemed happy!
"A relaxing and long time away from home made possible by the best pet & house sitters we could have asked for!" Judy and Steph went the extra mile over their entire one month stay at our home. Both our cats became fast friends thanks to the care and dedication provided for them. We were routinely updated with spectacular photos of our furry girls throughout our leave that helped us be anxiety-free the entire time. Even our older shy cat spent time sleeping on their laps or hanging out on shoulders. As for the house, Judy and Steph left it even cleaner than when they arrived! We had a few tasks to maintain the lawn and potted plants outside, which were completed perfectly. They even tended to our vegetable garden where needed! During a 'risk of severe hail storm' alert, Judy and Steph kept us in the loop and went even further to place potted plants under shelter out of harms way. In summary, we recommend Judy and Steph and would happily have them return again if our schedules cross paths.
Florence and Robert were outstanding sitters. We asked them to arrive a day early as our guests to learn the routine on our farm. In getting to know them we found them to be good hearted, down to earth people with a love of animals and diligent in learning our routines to care for our poultry, cats and dog as well as our garden and orchard. Not a typical or easy sit. We travelled with ease knowing our critters were being well taken care of. Arriving home, the house was very clean and looked well cared for. The animals were healthy as were the garden and orchard. Out pets missed them when they left – our dog stared down the driveway after them until their car was out of sight. It is nice to find sitters we would like to hang out with and we look forward to having them sit for us again.
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.
Amanda is truly our trusted sitter "find"! She comes back regularly, so much so that our kitties think she is their secondary owner! Always reliable, clean, responsible and most of all loves our cats as much as we do! Good communicator, self reliant - all in all a perfect "10"!
Toby and Chloe were one of the best house sitters we have ever had! As a small animal vet I have seen many types of pet sitters and these guys are top notch. Our pets are not easy either. We have special needs dogs, cats on medication, dogs with behavioral issues, horses, chickens, goats and a large (100 lb) Sulcata tortoise who needed close monitoring of the temperature in his barn. Everyone was thriving and happy when we came home. They read through the packet and asked thorough, thoughtful questions. They went above and beyond grooming, mucking and grazing the horses and goats everyday. They chopped greens and fruit daily for our tortoise. If we had known how amazing they were we would have booked a 3 week trip instead! Can't recommend them enough.
We can not exaggerate the care and love Juliet and Laurent gave to our cat, Piero, during his the last few weeks of life. While we left for our trip thinking he merely had a bladder infection, his symptoms turned for the worse a weeks into their sit and later revealed he had cancer. No one would wish their sitter to need to hospice their cat but Juliet and Laurent showed such compassion for Piero and volunteered to be with him when we made the decision to put him down. It was an emotional time for all of us and we will be forever grateful to our two caring cat and house sitters. We have had many fantastic housesitters through zeewoi but Juliet and Laurent top the list. Their professionalism, constant communication and compassion were exceptional. Should you have the opportunity to have them in your home, do not hesitate to book them, you will have no regrets. We do, however, regret that they had such a short time with Piero and had to experience such a painful event.
Tracy was an ideal pet sitter when we left for 12 days. She was communicative, friendly, and most importantly took perfect care of our two cats and our house. I would highly recommend her for any sit!
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.
Steven was a great sitter for our black lab Souris and cat Pinot. They were well looked after and really liked Steven. Our house was in good order when we got back and Steven was kind enough to give us a lift to and from the airport. He was very flexible, arriving day early so we could show him around.
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, per overnight watching in your home, 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!