Cat Sitting in Mcgillstown

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.

KATHLEEN

I was fortunate to have Hillary return for a second sit. She took excellent care of both my cat and my home. She got on well with my neighbors and even allowed my friend to come visit Suley while she was there. I especially appreciate how flexible and accommodating she was regarding arrangements for a sitter who would be taking over for the second part of my very long absence. All in all, Hillary is a gem!

Andrew

Cung is a diligent and communicative cat sitter and house guest, and we'd highly recommend him! We hope to have him back again soon

Oliver

Susan and Miranda are amazing! I've had the pleasure of working with many sitters and they are truly exceptional. 

They were great at keeping in touch, sent lots of updates, asked good questions, really bonded with the cats, clearly very experienced working with animals and understanding their needs, and generally lovely to deal with.  They were really patient putting up with a whole bunch of deliveries and even assembled a spare bed! They also left the place spotless with clean sheets on the bed.

I'm pretty sure the cats loved Susan and Miranda more than us by the end of their stay! I'd highly recommend them to anyone and would love to have them stay again any time.

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!

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. ⭐

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!

Marni

Danny and Jo did a great job caring for our 3 cats and fish AND lots of plants (and home of course) while we were out of town for 3 weeks. We came back to a very clean house, sheets, and towels all clean and folded and fresh sheets on the bed they were using. The plants were all alive too, which is a first for us (again, we have a lot of plants!). The cats were happy to see us and they were all accounted for (a past sitter lost a cat for a week - they escaped outside as a non-outside cat). Everything was in its place and looked great. We received regular updates (via text) with photos of the cats lounging about which was important for us. Danny asked good questions when they visited us before the sit, and when reviewing our pet/house sitting instructions. The only thing we noticed that was different was that our 2 young cats were a little lighter (not necessarily a bad thing) but we understand that being gone for that length of time can be stressful on our furry family, which almost always affects their eating habits. All in all, we would definitely have them again!

Clare

Karen was able to step in a sit for me on short notice after another sitter canceled. She was very thorough and communicative and I felt I had left my apartment and cats in good hands with her. I came home to a clean apartment and happy cats. I definitely recommend Karen as a sitter.