Cat Sitting in Hiawassee

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.

Amneris

Ally was great! 
We got to meet for a few minutes before I headed out and I felt super reassured that both Goose and my home were in good hands. 
My cat is picky when it comes to strangers, but he was comfy in Ally’s lap right away the first night! 
She communicated well and sent cute pictures while I was away. My home was clean and Goose was happy when o got back. 
I highly recommend Ally as a sitter and she’s welcomed back anytime!

KOLBY

Becca was fantastic - we cannot say enough about how great she is as a pet and house sitter and as a human being! Becca committed to the sit 8 months in advance and was great  with her responsiveness in communication during the long lead up to the sit. She arrived early and got the low downs on the animals and house stuff prior to us leaving. She woke up crazy early to help us get to the airport and picked us up when we returned, which made the traveling so much easier on our end. She left the house spot-less (and this is no exaggeration), with the linens cleaned, and a wonderful meal waiting for us upon our return. She is an absolute gem of a person with a great sense of humor and a kind and compassionate nature, and she really enjoys the animals in her care. Our dog and cat were very well cared for and totally at ease upon our return. If you are lucky enough to have Becca sit for you, you will be very pleased at how well she does the job!

Nina

After seeing the numerous positive reviews, I knew Cung would be an easygoing and professional cat sitter and house guest, and he was :-) Easy communication, prompt updates and clear concern for Boz & Artie's wellbeing, and pictures of cozying up on the couch together all made our time away secure and stress free. Upon returning home, the cats were chill and the apt was left spotless, as though he hadn't even been there.

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.

Thea

Hannah and Joseph were brilliant sitters - totally reliable and trustworthy. Quick to respond to queries and their past experience with dog/ housesitting was very apparent. Our 2 dogs and 1 cat were well looked after and the house was spotless on our return. We are totally happy to recommend them.

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!!:)

Inma

Jenima is an excellent sitter! She is organized, communicative and flexible throughout the stay. We needed a sitter at the last minute because Jazz got sick, and Jenima saved us. We left a little worried about him, but Jenima took care of him really well and kept us informed. Cats love her! We definitely recommend her to take care of your pets!

Claire

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!

Francine

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.