Cat Sitting in Lignum

winslow

I am struggling with naming our top adjective to describe Michael and Jeanne.  "Conscientious" will likely be it but then again, "personable," "reliable," "organised," and "animal-loving" are top contenders. 

If you are reading this review and contemplating inviting this couple to watch your pets, then look no further. We have had a number of excellent house sitters but this pair was next level in terms of the love they showed our cats, Maxx and Nala.  When we came back, we could our animals already missed them.  These cats, who have never slept with anyone other than us, were getting in bed with them each night -- and that meant climbing stairs! 

The day before our trip, Nala got an ear infection and had to be put on steroids for asthma.  Michael and Jeanne did not sign up for that when the sit was booked but they took it in stride.  In the last-minute rush, I relayed that Nala needed her oral steroids morning and night.  Michael read the RX label, indicating one dose a day, and contacted the vet to clarify.  So you can see why "conscientious" is right up there.  They saved Nala from an overdose!

We were gone three weeks and they sent us just the right amount of pictures and videos.  They bought cat toys (I forgot to put ours out!) and actively engaged with them, including 20-minute massages for Maxx.  I truly believed them when they said they fell in love with our fur babies.

The house was spotless (which was not important to me but truly appreciated) but I smiled when all six water stations in our yard were filled.  They took seriously my love for and the needs of the wildlife in our yard.  Our plants were all in good condition as well.  

Sensing they were "next level" when I met them, I predicted they would want to leave a meal for us upon our return.  I asked them not to but they found another way to bow out with class.  They made a donation to a nonprofit I work with instead.  This I learned from the lovely thank you note they left. 

I hope they will consider Charles and I friends because we certainly feel that way about them now. What special people.  If you book them, treat them well because they are going to do that for you for sure.

Marc

I feel that Julia is simply the best person and pet sitter I could ask for.  They really cared for our cat and gave him lots of attention.  She is flexible, upbeat, reliable, considerate and great at communicating.  I highly recommend Julia and Chris.

Julia

Kerry and Megan were wonderful sitters and took great care of our two cats while we were on vacation for two weeks. They were responsive, gave us regular updates, and seemed to really care about Tumba and Cappa. When Tumba was more timid toward the beginning of our trip and not eating her meals fully, Kerry was sure to ask for additional suggestions from us on how to coax her to eat more.

Kerry and Megan also left the house just as we'd left it for them. We really appreciated them going the extra mile to ask about additional cleaning products so they could clean our bathrooms. It felt great to come home and just relax without needing to remake the bed.

Thanks for everything, Kerry and Megan! We would certainly entrust our home and kitties to you again in the future.

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.

Sean

Kimberly was a wonderful sitter who watched our two cats for us while we were out. She was willing to come a day early to help acclimate herself with the animals, and this was exceedingly helpful in making sure the cats would be comfortable with her during our absence. I would highly recommend Kimberly if you're looking for a responsible, caring sitter.

Hannah & Dominic

Angel was absolutely the best house sitter we could have hoped for.   She is a very warm, open and diligent person  and our two cats adored her.  She looked after our house and garden with really conscientious care.

She won over our very timid cat, Billie, and sent regular photos of both cats looking supremely content which gave us perfect peace of mind.
The house was completely spotless on our return and the garden was fabulous... no mean feat since there was a heatwave while we were away and she kept everything watered and in great condition.

We would have Angel back at the drop of a hat and cannot recommend her highly enough.

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!

Heather

Jose was a wonderful pet/house sitter for us recently. We highly recommend him. He was wonderfully reliable and responsible and took such good care of our two pets.  

On short notice Jose drove down from Grass Valley to the East Bay for a bit of a quiet get-away while working a really hard job teaching online.  We know how hard that is firsthand and partly why we needed our own get-away for a last-minute backpacking trip.

We have a recently rescued pit bull and a rescued cat that we're still introducing to each other to make sure the dog doesn't eat the cat (as he seems to want to), and the cat doesn't blind the dog (as she would if he tried to eat her). That might be more background than is needed in a review but Jose made us feel comfortable about everything because of how conscientious and responsible he clearly is. We could tell when we talked to him that he was genuinely kind and eminently trustworthy.

We are very grateful and hope Jose was happy with everything too because we know what a value his care was to us. Jose truly deserves any and all house-sitting gigs that strike his interest. Ours was not the easiest and he was amazing.  Get him if you can.

Cynthia

I whole-heartedly recommend Carly and her partner Fanny to sit for you! They were fabulous and reliable house sitters from start to finish. Carly was timely and thoughtful in all of her communications and let us know the state of affairs in our apartment with our cat and plant babies while we were away. They followed our directions to a 'T.' We came home to find a happy cat, thriving plants, a spotless apartment and laundered linens. We would definitely consider contacting them again to house sit for us!