Cat Sitting in Estrella

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.

Michele and Hugh

Joi did a wonderful job caring for my two cats and two guinea pigs, as well as caring for my home!  She is coming back in November for a long sit while I am out of the country and we all can’t wait.  Joi had experience with rabbits and jumped right in with guinea pig care.  She is so calm around them that they were sitting on her lap day one!  She spent time preparing their vegetables and kept their enclosure and room clean, which requires daily effort.  She even washed the floor mats in their room so it was fresh when I returned home.  She went above and beyond sending me daily photos and videos so I could see that everyone was healthy and happy.  It was apparent to me that she spent a lot of time with my pets, which is very important so they don’t become stressed and lonely when I am away.  Joi also took excellent care of my two cats.  They receive daily wet food with some medication and she ensured that they received it on time.  My cats barely noticed when I returned because they got so much attention from Joi.  She took excellent care of my front garden flowers and my tomato and herb hydroponic gardens.  These take some daily attention and time in the summer, and I returned home to them looking great!  Joi is a very caring, clean, and thoughtful sitter and I hope she comes back many more times!

Noelle

Daniel and Vasylyna were incredible house sitters and we would welcome them back to sit for us again any time they are available! They were fantastic communicators, making sure to work out details far in advance and they sent frequent picture updates of our animals which made us so happy while we were away. When the power went out in the neighborhood while they were here leading to a technology issue with our alarm system, they handled everything well. Upon our return, the house was clean, the garden was thriving and well cared for, and our dog and cat were clearly very loved while we were away - in fact our dog was sooooo sad to see them leave! I had the pleasure of getting to know them a bit before I left, and they are such a kind, adventurous, and great couple. I would highly recommend having Daniel and Vasylyna take care of your house, plants, and animals!

Nancy

Kathy and Ron arrived at our home with a most fantastical toy for our cats and a giant apple pie. Need I say more? They are very experienced sitters and brought personal items that they prefer. We knew we were leaving out cats in good hands. 

A large part of their 'job' was hand watering our garden and Ron took that in stride. Everything is thriving. 

Our cats are usually distant with new people but we received photos of them keeping Kathy and Ron company in various situations which was reassuring. They clearly won our cats over. 

Although Ron and Kathy had a ferry to catch on their last day, they took time to wash  their linens and hang them on the clothesline. They also left us a gorgeous plant for our garden. 

We would very much like to have them back for a longer sit if possible.

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!

Monica

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.

Bridget

Lindsey watched our cat and dog for a long weekend when we went out of town. She was a very communicative sitter sending frequent pictures and voice notes with updates. She did a great job of following their schedules and giving them attention. The animals seemed to be happy and relaxed when we returned home and I believe Lindsey enjoyed getting to discover all of the eateries our town has to offer. A win-win for everyone!

Lorie

Amazing sitters - I feel so fortunate to have had them stay. Chapeau was treated to daily walks and belly rubs, and my cat Tica was overflowing with contentment from having been taken care of so well. The house was cleaner than I left it and I was treated to a nice note and a lovely candle upon my return. Also, they left a checklist of item that they had done while here. Truly above and beyond!

Ned

Pennee and Bill were the BEST pet sitters and guests ever! I really wanted them to stay forever ! Our cat, Miss Kitty bonded so  much to them, that she really wasn’t that happy to see me when I got home .Our cat is a finicky eater and they tried all different types of food and treats for her.  They sent me regular photos of miss kitty and I knew everything was great when most of the pics had miss kitty on their lap. Our cat doesn’t take to many people but she immediately fell in love with them. 
Pennee sent us our mail and prescription meds  on a regular basis , and went out of her way to take care of any issues .  They fell in love with the neighbors and community and just made our lives so easy . We experienced the Covid 19 virus outbreak  quarantine  during this time and Pennee and Bill agreed to stay a month longer at our home . They were extremely flexible with their travel plans so that everyone would be safe. 
Upon our arrival home, we were greeted with a bouquet of flowers , beautiful hanging basket of flowers for outdoors and a beautiful bottle of wine .  And our house had never been cleaner ! 
 Bill and Pennee are a pet owners dream couple !I felt extremely lucky to have found such a great petsitter and new friend . We will be visiting each other in the future .