Cat Sitting in Melbourne

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.

Regina

Hannah and Joseph housesat our three kitties for a week and a half while we were traveling for the holidays. They were very communicative and conscientious. We received daily updated on our cats with cute and funny pictures. When they noticed our 17yo cat, Amber, wasn’t eating very much, they let us know and we were able to resolve the problem quickly. They were also very resourceful and understanding when we ran out of some cat supplies. Hannah and Joseph took great care of the house. Everything was very clean and tidy when we arrived back, and we had a short time to get to know them on our arrival. We would be fortunate to find more house sitters like them, and would of course love to have them back in the future! We wish Hannah and Joseph luck in their travels!

Carol

Raquel was simply terrific! She and her husband, Miguel, had to fill in at the last minute for another sitter who had a death in her family. This meant that the length of the stay and sitting they had originally signed up for doubled. Completely undaunted, they did a GREAT job for us. Our cat and dog got lots of love and affection, and plenty of exercise, food, and rest. Our house and yard were cared for with equal conscientiousness. It was wonderful for us to be able to rely so completely on these super zeewoi. We recommend them 100 percent!

Donna

Summer was a very top-quality pet sitter and house sitter.  She not only took excellent care of all four pets (three cats and a dog) but even achieved a very close bond with one of the cats.  She went over and above the call of duty with our dog, who developed a serious skin condition while we were gone.  We're so grateful that Summer was able to identify there was a problem, took the dog to the vet several times, and ended up having to apply topical medication and give pills and even keep the dog dressed in a t-shirt, which she did flawlessly.  She communicated with us frequently, sending photos and updates, and the house was spotless when we returned, even cleaner than when we had left.  She did an amazing job, knew how to handle any situation, always had a very upbeat and positive attitude, and we really enjoyed getting to know her right before we left and right after we returned.  We would very very highly recommend Summer in all respects!

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!

Carrie

Oh wow! Everyone should be so lucky to have Nicholas and Veerle watch their house and pets. These lovely people are pros! They communicated early and often, were super accommodating to some last minute changes (it was originally going to be only our cats to watch but we decided to keep the dog home as well so that added to the schedule and care needs) and they left the house spotless and all set up for another sitter who came in after them. 

We didn’t get the chance to meet because my departure and arrival times but I dearly hope I get to in the future because they were just great! I even heard how nice they were from My neighbors who say them out walking our dog. :-)

They also sent regular pictures of the pets which look like pro-photography! 

Cannot recommend this couple enough! Your pets and house will be in good hands!

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

If Cung ever applies to your post for a house or pet sit, I strongly encourage you to jump at the offer. You will not be disappointed. Cung is among the top (if not the top) sitter I’ve ever had and I’ve been on this site for years.

Primarily, Cung is very organized. In the weeks and days leading up to the sit, Cung kept me abreast of his plans and status. I felt very comfortable in the days leading up to the sit because I knew the plan we made to exchange the keys and walk him through the instructions would work as planned. 

Second, Cung really cares. When he got to my apartment after what I assume was a long day of traveling, I explained the care instructions and he was very attentive and cared about the details - asking very specific questions on how to care for my cat and apartment. I had some pretty specific rules about how to feed my cat and take care of him and Cung followed those exactly.

Third, Cung makes you feel comfortable while you are away. I got daily or twice daily updates about my cat. I got pictures which made me feel like my cat was having a good time. My cat came out within an hour of me being away - very fast for my cat as he is shy. Cung must have a calming energy towards animals. Cung was also very responsive when I reached out first - replying within 5 minutes. I really appreciated that. My cat threw up at one point and Cung answered all of my questions to assess whether my cat was sick or had just eaten too fast.

Fourth, Cung will take good care of your apartment/house. I came back to a SPOTLESS apartment. The sheets were washed and folded on my bed. The towels were washed. The apartment had been vacuumed. The kitchen was clean. The dishwasher had been run. Everything was in its place when I returned. Honestly, cleaner than when I left it which is difficult since I am a very clean person. Cung also respects your property. I have an extensive computer setup that he used for work and he was very respectful of that equipment. He asked if he could use it beforehand, which was incredibly polite since he could have used it and I wouldn’t have known. 

In sum. You need to jump at the opportunity if Cung offers to sit for you. I came home to a very happy cat. Hope he will sit for me again sometime!

gretchen

Tonya was great and filled in after our other sitter had to cancel. She was very self sufficient and navigated acclimating herself to everything since she arrived after we left. She gave thoughtful updates on my cat and I could tell she really enjoyed her, so that means the world to me! She left the place immaculate and we will certainly have Tonya back!

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.