Cat Sitting in Victoria

Amanda

"A relaxing and long time away from home made possible by the best pet & house sitters we could have asked for!"

Judy and Steph went the extra mile over their entire one month stay at our home. Both our cats became fast friends thanks to the care and dedication provided for them. We were routinely updated with spectacular photos of our furry girls throughout our leave that helped us be anxiety-free the entire time. Even our older shy cat spent time sleeping on their laps or hanging out on shoulders.

As for the house, Judy and Steph left it even cleaner than when they arrived! We had a few tasks to maintain the lawn and potted plants outside, which were completed perfectly. They even tended to our vegetable garden where needed! During a 'risk of severe hail storm' alert, Judy and Steph kept us in the loop and went even further to place potted plants under shelter out of harms way.

In summary, we recommend Judy and Steph and would happily have them return again if our schedules cross paths.

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.

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!

Tonya

Brian is a very professional sitter that does a good job, pays attention to details and is easy to work with. I have a lot of plants. A lot. He suggested me do a video for the plant care so he could be sure of which ones needed what. Brilliant! I’d never thought of that. They were in great shape when I returned. 
I explained that I needed some flexibility with travel dates, he agreed and rolled with the punches like a champ when my dates did indeed change. Unfortunately, he was a bit allergic to my cat but made it work anyway. He was really awesome about everything including a tree that fell next door in a storm and blocked the road for three days. I appreciate that he appreciated how funny and how much personality Boo has. They got along well and I received some great videos. I returned home to a happy cat and a house well taken care of 😊. I would definitely recommend Brian.

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!

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.

Katie

Karen was an extraordinary house and pet sitter who I hope to invite back again soon. You would be extremely fortunate to have her take care of your pets and home. From the very beginning she radiated calmness, knowledge, caring and curiosity. We had a great initial conversation where Karen answered questions I didn't even know I should be asking, and asked excellent questions so she could be prepared and understand the special needs for both my cat and home. She flew into my city the day before I was leaving and stayed at a nearby hostel so that we could meet in person and do a walk through of my home. They say pets have an intuitive nature about people, and I knew Karen would be a winner when my normally very shy/nervous cat came right up and let her pet him. Karen sent wonderful pictures and updates while I was gone and asked questions when she wasn't sure about something. When I returned home everything was spotless and my cat was content. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better house sitter experience. Thank you Karen!

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.

Steven

Kristine was wonderful again as our local sitter from just down the street. 
The boys take to her like she is their best friend whenever she comes to sit with them. She sent us photos of them playing, relaxing, drinking water and eating so we knew they were well taken care of. 
The house and the cats were in excellent shape and excellent hands while we were away. It is wonderful that she enjoys the house and the cats so much and tells us so.
Kristine comes with our highest recommendation!
Thank you Kristine!