Cat Sitting in Forrest Hills

Anne

I never met Joi because due to her work, she arrived after I left and was gone before I returned home.  This wasn't a problem at all.  She was very self-sufficient and seemed to find all that she needed in my house.  The house looked exactly like I left it and my cat seemed very content when I returned.  Apparently they had a nightly routine of Luna getting brushed.  Joi is a very experienced sitter and it shows.

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.

Joel and Esme

Kathy and Ron have sat for us several times in the past and have always been excellent. They are our "go-to" pet and house sitters and we always check their availability before we post a sit. They are trustworthy, organized, communicate very well, and take great care of our cats and our house. We hope they will continue pet sitting for many years to come!

Destry

If you are fortunate enough to have Anna as your sitter you will have peace of mind that your pets will be in very good hands. Anna is gentle and a natural with animals and seems to understand what they need without words. Willa, our golden retriever and Rosie, our cat were both enamored with Anna. They wanted to be near her, followed her around the house, lay by her feet or on her lap. We enjoyed Anna's company, her conversation, ideas and sense of humor. Lots of laughs! She asks good questions about the pets' needs and routines. She is very appreciative and is a compassionate person. We did not want Anna to leave!

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.

LEANNE

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. ⭐

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!

Stacey

Florence is everything you want in a cat sitter!  We have two cats that need a lot of human attention.  One takes multiple medications twice a day and they both are used to eating on their own schedule and having people around so it is always very important to us to find a pet sitter that will be spending a lot of time in the apartment and that doesn't mind being very attentive.  We were able to meet Florence before our trip and felt 100% confident that she would take great care of our cats.  Florence is comfortable giving medication, she sent us photos and updates and left our apartment spotless.  We were so happy that we had her come back the following week when we went away again for a short trip!  We will definitely contact Florence again whenever we travel and hope that she is available!

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!

Steven

Greetings Pet People, 
I am a bit late leaving my review for Kristine who is local to us and has taken care of our kitties Max and Luis a few times this year. 
After COVID-19 was announced in March, our travel plans came to an abrupt halt. We had to cancel a lot of trips we had planned but decided that it was safe to go camping a couple of times this summer.
We called on Kristine as one of our favorite sitters on this site. We discussed safety protocols and agreed to cleaning that we would do to leave the house safe for her to enter. She shared protocols that she had taken with other homeowners and had sound processes to make us feel safe leaving our cats and our home in her care. 
She even purchased batteries for our automatic cat feeder when it failed to let one of our confused kitties to eat. 
Kristine is a smart, humorous and a thoughtful person. I would not hesitate to recommend her for your sit.  She truly loves animals and taking care of your home. Highly recommended! Thanks Kristine!