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.
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.
Kimberly was a wonderful sitter who watched our two cats for us while we were out. She was willing to come a day early to help acclimate herself with the animals, and this was exceedingly helpful in making sure the cats would be comfortable with her during our absence. I would highly recommend Kimberly if you're looking for a responsible, caring sitter.
Lindsey was super communicative, friendly, responsible, and an excellent sitter for our two cats. When we returned, our home was clean and our cats relaxed and happy as if we had never left ! She sent us photos and updates every day, as requested, and when a random mishap occurred in the apartment, she let us know right away and was proactive in handling issue. We felt like both our cats and our home were in very caring, capable and respectful hands. Excellent! Thank you Lindsey!
Kimberly was absolutely wonderful, and we couldn't have had a better sitter for our first experience with zeewoi. Marshmallow loved Kimberly instantly and our cats (who can be a little standoffish) opened up right away with her. She asked great questions that helped us tailor our Welcome Guide to make sure we could be good hosts. Thank you, Kimberly!
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Kathryn! I needed to extend dates for the sit after we had set it up and she was able to accommodate this so was actually here from 10/4-20. She was timely and communicative throughout - and she is a very nice person. She kept the house really tidy and followed all instructions well. My cats took to her quickly. When I returned, they had been very well cared for and seemed fully content even though I'd never left them for long before. While away, I reached out to Kathryn by text several times regarding deliveries, etc. She was very prompt in responding and adept at handling issues as they arose. I highly recommend Kathryn as a house sitter - and would happily work with her again!
Lindsey watched our cat and dog for a long weekend when we went out of town. She was a very communicative sitter sending frequent pictures and voice notes with updates. She did a great job of following their schedules and giving them attention. The animals seemed to be happy and relaxed when we returned home and I believe Lindsey enjoyed getting to discover all of the eateries our town has to offer. A win-win for everyone!
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.
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!
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.
Is it better to board cats or leave at home?
Veterinarians advising to leave cats at home with a pet sitter who will stay overnight in your home, boarding is not recommended for cats as they are stressed in a new environment, you can find a sitter who will care for your cats and home for free at Zeewoi.
How much should you pay someone to watch your cat?
At least $20 per visit, $60 per overnight watching in your home or $40 for a cat boarding, otherwise you can find a free sitter at Zeewoi.
What do people do with their cats when they go on vacation?
Inviting a cat sitter to your home, boarding the cat with a local business, asking a friend, family or neighbour to feed and check the well-being. The most efficient way to leave your cat during your vacation is with Zeewoi cat sitters for free, in this way, you will save cat sitting costs and make vacation not only for you but also for your cat sitter!