Cat Sitting in Parkwood Maintenance

sandi

Florence and Robert were outstanding sitters.  We asked them to arrive a day early as our guests to learn the routine on our farm.  In getting to know them we found them to be good hearted, down to earth people with a love of animals and diligent in learning our routines to care for our poultry, cats and dog as well as our garden and orchard.  Not a typical or easy sit.  We travelled with ease knowing our critters were being well taken care of.

Arriving home, the house was very clean and looked well cared for.  The animals were healthy as were the garden and orchard.  Out pets missed them when they left – our dog stared down the driveway after them until their car was out of sight.

It is nice to find sitters we would like to hang out with and we look forward to having them sit for us again.

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.

Esther

We are thoroughly pleased with and impressed by Daniel's kind, generous, and careful care of our cat and our house. He is a committed and experienced sitter who completely understands his role and responsibilities and also how to gently win the confidence and affection of a pet. He is an excellent communicator, and he kept us regularly up to date on our cat's well being--sending us texts and photos at least once/week as we requested. Our cat who is a little afraid of new people, grew fond of him, and we have returned to a very calm, contented cat. We highly recommend Daniel, and we ourselves would be thrilled to engage him again when the need arises.

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

Tracie

Sharon and Milton are two of the nicest people I've met in my life. This is my first time having a sitter fly in from out of state and it was so simple, stress-free, and didn't affect any part of me getting ready for my trip, leaving for my trip or returning from my trip. Sharon was very communicative before, during and after I returned. It just couldn't have been more wonderful! If you're considering applicants stop looking  and  choose Sharon and Milton.  They are just delightfully wonderful wonderful people!! They go above and beyond just housesitting and pet sitting! Tidy, clean, respectful down to earth and the most kind and loving people.  I do believe Milton really is a cat whisper!! They slept with my sweet babies, and even  followed silly grooming instruction on one of my cats. Would have them sit for me absolutely anytime.

Anne

Wow, what a find Justin is! I feel as though I won a lottery. As I was revelling in the communication we were having during his stay, I looked over his profile and realized either that he had updated it during his stay OR I never even read it. I was so impressed with his initial application that described multiple stays taking care of cats in Turkey that I knew he was going to be a great choice. So I'm not sure that I even read his profile or reviews. Turned out...he was more than I could have EVER hoped for.
Justin is VERY organized and clear with his communication. Just  as--or maybe more--important, he is a poster child for what zeewoi can be: more than just an economical way to get a pet sitter or a place to stay.
Justin embraces the barter economy and the opportunity it presents to get to know people. Although we only met the day that I turned the house and my 2 cats over to his care, we had delightful communication throughout his stay. He wanted to be sure he was providing the right care to all living and non-living elements of my home as well as just chat beyond what we'd had an opportunity to cover when we were face to face on the handoff day.
Bottom line: I'd have Justin back even if I wasn't going anywhere! I've met a friend. And my neighbors did as well!
Oh yes, and my two cats were well looked after, the house was in ship shape, and Justin was able to brief the next sitter in person (I'd had to extend my time away and Justin already had another commitment). To say I felt confident leaving my pets and home in Justin's care is an understatement.
Justin is a real adventurer and believer in the power of both human and animal connection. Without a doubt, I would recommend him as a sitter...and a friend!
Thank you, Justin for a great example of how to wrestle so much more meaning out of zeewoi.

Alison

Anna was a wonderful sitter for our furry friends.  My dog, Luke, bonded with her and was sad when she left.  My cats would crawl under the covers and curl up with her at night.  She is a true animal magnet and lover.  I highly recommend Anna to anyone who wants their pets to recieve first class love while away.

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.

Paola

Chris was a fantastic cat sitter for our elderly and high maintenance kitty.  Chris was the perfect combination of responsible and on top of her medication needs while also being calm and relaxed about her picky eating habits and the need to monitor her food and medication consumption.  He was prompt, easy to get a hold of,  responsible, and overall, a great sitter.  I would definitely recommend him and most certainly hope to have him stay with her again.

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.