Cat Sitting in Shinfield

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.

Diane

Wow!  Just wow!  We cannot say enough about the care and compassion Trisha and John provided to our cats and our home.  We are always somewhat nervous about a new pet sitter in our home, but that all faded when we met this wonderful couple.  They provided daily updates as requested, complete with pictures, videos and personalized captions.  Upon our return, we were greeted by happy and content kitties.  There was no sign of anxiety in Tika!  Yea!!!  Our home was clean, the sheets and towels were washed and bed remade!  They even left behind thank you notes and little gifts!  What a breath of fresh air these two individuals are!  We hope to have them back again soon.

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.

Brandon & Travis

Ruoyi was the perfect sitter for our cat Toni! We would highly recommend her to any pet owner, and hope she can sit for us again in the future. Ruoyi was very thorough - she made sure there was full alignment on all the specifics of her pet duties, and she asked thoughtful questions regarding details we forgot to include in our guide. She always provided us timely updates at the agreed cadence, and gave us a ton of photos. From the photos, it's clear she got in a lot of play time with Toni, which we really appreciated! :) We were able to enjoy our entire vacation stress-free knowing Toni was in such good hands. Ruoyi left our apartment completely clean and offered to wash linens.

Kaori

Elyse was one of the best pet sitters we've ever met! Couldn't recommend her more. We hope she stays at our place again. She sent many pictures of our beloved cats throughout our absence. We returned to our cats seeming relaxed and happy as ever. She also left our apartment sparkling clean. 10/10 :)

Anne Laure

Caroline is an amazing sitter ! We were far away, had never left our cat for such a long period of time and we felt really confident with her. She took great care of our cat Honey as well as she did for the house, pool and garden. She was even able to handle the end of the refection of the bathroom which was a last minute surprise…
We felt Caroline was reliable and self sufficient. We had a great communication with her during our stay abroad.
We even found many nice intentions when we came back from our vacations such as fresh fruits and bakeries for a nice and welcomed breakfast after a night in a plane !
We definitely recommend Caroline for your sittings and we will obviously call her back !

Jim

Heidi was an outstanding cat sitter for my Luna!  She was very communicable via calls or texts.  She followed all my guidelines for feeding and care of Luna.  Luna was very content when I arrived home thanks to Heidi!  My home was immaculate when I arrived and she did some snow shoveling.  She even pulled a large broken tree branch off my roof following a windstorm.  I hope Heidi is available for my next trip because she is awesome.
Jim

Evelyn & Jeff

We couldn't have asked for better sitters than Pares and Mark. Since our initial contact, it was straightforward to communicate with Pares. We were lucky enough to get a chance to meet Pares with our dog Luna, and Luna got along with her immediately. During our time away from home, she kept us informed about how both our dog and cat were doing, and they were both cuddling with her since the first day. We got a lot of pictures and knew that they were safe and happy. The apartment was exactly as we had left it when we came back. Pares and Mark even ran the dishwasher and the washing machine for us. We couldn't have asked for a better sitter, and it made our trip very easy knowing they were taken care of so well. We'd have Pares and Mark back to our home without any hesitation.

Julie

My husband and I reached out to Toby & Chloe after reading their profile and impressive reviews only a week before our trip, since our scheduled sitter had to cancel at the last moment.  They were very friendly and quick to respond to chat from the very beginning, and ended up exceeding our expectations during their two week stay.  It was evident they had thoroughly read our Welcome Guide beforehand, as they arrived knowledgeable and prepared to care for our home and pets.  They were very willing and happy to take the necessary time with us to walk through the house and meet our cats, as we got them acclimated with our daily routines and answered any questions.  Shortly after we left, our city had a heat wave come through, and after immediately notifying us, Toby went beyond the call of duty and inspected our struggling AC unit to pinpoint the issue.  As far as cat care is concerned, we have two seniors (who have more sensitive tummies) that can get irritated after a fur ball or swallowing anything out of the ordinary.  When this occurred, Toby & Chloe stepped in and took wonderful care of our cat duo; softening their food and even cradling while hand-feeding them for extra comfort.  We truly could not have asked for more affectionate and responsible sitters.  We returned to a spotlessly clean home, happy cats, and well maintained plants and pool.  (They even cleaned our dusty Kitchen pendant lighting, which requires a steady hand and is definitely a time-commitment …We felt like professional housecleaners had been there!)  On our way back, Toby & Chloe stayed in communication with us to monitor our arrival time, allowing them to care for our cats until just before we got home.  Overall, they are very reliable and trustworthy sitters whose genuine goal is to provide a top-quality sit, while maintaining your household and seamlessly transitioning to your pets daily schedule.