Pet Sitters in Bayview Montalvin, CA

Michelle

Let’s just say this was an interesting sit.  I thought A would be a good fit for Mars so when my first choice fell through, I eagerly responded to A’s application.  We had an extensive video chat as I do with all potential sitters to explain what the sit would entail, including Mars’ schedule (waking up and going out at 5 am, being fed every 3-4 hours, and coming home when it rains and when its time for bed), his sleeping habits, the need to keep the (cat) door open and other little nuances. I try to be as thorough as possible as I know Mars is not like any other cat (even the outdoor ones!) 

They (A) reassured me several times they were up for it and accepted my invitation to arrive a day early and leave a day later.  I asked this of all my sitters since after being Catnapped once before, Mars does not take to strangers unless we’ve all spent time together.  Besides, I also like to spend time with my sitters, get to know them, show them around, go over the responsibilities, and build the trust needed for Mars and myself. Also, there’s always the chance of stuff going wrong with travel which it did., multiple times. For these reasons, I always add a day of buffer time at the start and the end of the sit. This has always been received very positively and led to many nice experiences together, however not in this case. 

I left feeling relieved after meeting A and showing her around the house and neighborhood. I made sure to show them where I keep all of the Mars and house essentials, from the feeding schedule posted on the fridge to where the extra toilet paper, food, and treats for Mars are stored.   I felt like we had built a bond of trust, at dinner A even mentioned they wished they got there sooner so we could spend more time together. 

I left feeling confident so when my flight was canceled due to the global outage, I immediately contacted A as there was a slight possibility I would have to return home.  A was wonderful in reassuring me I’d make it to Spain for my birthday, and I did.  During that call, I asked for their help to administer Mars’ flea medication and change the batteries on the thermostat, which I had forgotten to do the night before. They assured me with confidence, tehy were up for the task and I was very grateful.  

On the second day, A messaged me to ask if it was normal that Mars had not been home in over 12 hours and that they had found his GPS in the middle of the street.  If that’s not enough to make a cat momma panic, I don’t know what is! I asked them a few questions to help me understand why he would behave this way and to keep me posted if there was any sign of him. I immediately called my neighbors who all know and love Mars very much. One neighbor told me she had seen him outside my door when she was leaving for work (around 7:30 am/8am) which I found strange since A mentioned he hadn’t been home all day.  Nevertheless the goal was to find Mars and I was glad someone had seen him. When A found him later that evening, he didn’t want to come home, so A called me and I guided them through a few tricks and it worked - Mars was home!  Later, I would put the pieces together and figured A probably slept through the morning feeding and Mars probably felt abandoned having seen me leave the day before (he’s a bit dramatic!). I didn’t say anything because I figured they (A) just needed some time to adjust and hoped for smooth sailing - so I thought…

A was super proactive in sending me photos of Mars.  With the daily pictures, general updates and friendly conversations, I didn’t have much of a need to reach out to  A.  Just a few days later, I reached out to A to let them of some important updates including changing my flight and asking them to keep an eye out for my bag since it was still missing and I requested the airline send it back to Miami once they found it.  I also wanted to ask her if she received a package that was delivered yesterday. (I found it strange that she didn’t mention it during her usual update).  Because of the time difference, I waited until 8 am EST to message A.  I figured it was Mars’ feeding time so they should be up. When I didn’t hear back from them two hours later I sent a follow-up message asking if everything was ok. A responded three hours later with a very defensive message in which they stated they are not available to respond to my messages immediately and that I should have no reason to reach it because “we’re doing great over here and I sent you updates and pictures often more than once a day without you messaging me first”.  I was completely taken back by this message and the several others that followed which made me feel like I had done something wrong by sending them two messages over a 3-hour time span.  I thought we had built a great relationship with strong communication but I quickly learned it was all one-sided.

From there, I felt really awkward initiating any communication, so I didn’t until I was alerted they found my bag and it was in Miami! I immediately connected with A and they reassured me they would be on the lookout.  However, when they arrived with my bag a few hours later, A was nowhere to be found.  I had to ask a neighbor to open the gate and the delivery guy was able to leave the bag outside my apartment door.  A would message me 12 hours later to confirm they had the bag.  There were also a few times when A reached out to ask where I kept spare items in the house, which made it clear that they either didn’t read or didn’t pay attention to the welcome guide, video chat, or orientation I had provided. All of this was strange but again I didn’t make a fuss - I was just grateful my bag had been found and my cat was ok!  I didn’t even make a fuss when the building manager contacted me earlier that day to ask if she has permission to let Mars into the apartment because he was outside my door and it was pouring rain.  Again I found this strange because I asked A to keep the cat inside (there was a hurricane!) and even so, I also asked them to keep the cat door open for him and even bought tape to facilitate this.  I asked my neighbor to knock first and we were both shocked to learn that A was inside the whole time.

Later I would learn that A was gaslighting me the whole time.  They talked to me as a friend and reassured me Mars was on his best behavior (which was shocking for me to hear cause I know my cat is sweet and adorable but definitely the best behaved lol) all the while she was bad-mouthing and speaking ill of me to my neighbor - which is strange because my neighbor is Mars' auntie and a really close friend of mine.  They told my neighbor how I took them out to dinner but they didn’t enjoy it because I’m so “intense”.  (You’re welcome for your meal, A) and how upset they were because I didn’t make closet space available for them (I live in a studio apt with one closet! - my bf doesn’t even get closet space when they visit!) And when I thought things couldn’t get weirder they told my neighbor how I had all these crazy expectations of them that were never communicated: they stated I “forced them” to arrive a day early and leave a day later (!!!) and how I am forcing them to do my laundry (I ask every sitter to wash the sheets they used on their last day - not to do my laundry! - that’s insane!) She asked my neighbor (who has an in-unit washer/dryer) to use hers because they were too distraught to get quarters and use the building’s unit! A told my neighbor that they felt miserable because I never communicated Mars' schedule—something that just isn't true. From the initial listing, to the video chat with potential sitters and the detailed welcome guide, I'm always transparent about what sitting for Mars involves and the expectations for each sitter. Even my past sitters' reviews highlight my high level of communication. That’s when my neighbor knew something was off - not only does she know my character but more than anything, as my close neighbor she knows I keep Mars' schedule posted on the fridge!  

When I arrived, I found my neighbor’s lockbox wide open and food left in the fridge—but thankfully, my cat was fine, and that’s what mattered most to me. I’m not here to call out unresolved trauma (it’s what I do for a living), but if you’re uncomfortable following guidelines set by others or prefer more flexibility to do things your way, then TH may not be the best fit for you. While I appreciate that you cared for Mars, you won’t be invited back. Your sense of entitlement, victimization, and dishonesty is truly shocking.

Learning all of this from my neighbor and piecing the puzzle together left me feeling deeply betrayed and hurt. It’s one thing to have misunderstandings or differences of opinion, but being gaslighted by someone I trusted into my own home is incredibly painful. Knowing that A reassured me everything was fine while simultaneously bad-mouthing me to my close friend and neighbor feels like a major breach of trust. I’m especially upset that they twisted the truth, making me out to be intense, unreasonable, and uncommunicative when I’ve always tried to be transparent and accommodating. It’s confusing and hurtful to think that someone I went out of my way to be kind to, even taking them out for a meal and buying souvenirs, would turn around and criticize me so unfairly. Involving my neighbor, who knows me and my routines well, only adds to the sting. This has been a truly disheartening experience.

Kayra

Kayra and Pamela were excellent hosts and very kind people! They invited me out a day early to meet the pets and let me stay a day later to align with my flight schedule. 

The pets were fun loving and well trained! Klaus is a big pup who thrived with companionship. Rugby is intelligent and spoke to me with intentional barks. Lewi is a cutie who loved to lounge with the pups outside and roll in the grass. Purrl is a simple girl and will let you know when she’s ready to play.

Overall, this opportunity was amazing for me. I was able to meet kind hosts with playful pets in a city I explored for the first time!

CAROL

Carol & Kim are lovely hosts, and helpfully left detailed instructions, as well as being reachable whilst away. Pumpkin is an affectionate old lady and welcomed me immediately, curling up on or next to me. Undeterred by arthritis (she takes her meds like a champ), she'll either snooze on the back patio or head out surveying the 'hood - be sure to leave lots of time to get her in before you go out! She'll re-appear if she hears voices, like chatting to the next door neighbours, who were incredibly welcoming and great for neighbourhood tips.

A characterful old house that's compact and comfortable, with a  sunny kitchen and a shady bedroom (great on hotter days). I feel the cold easily, but there are extra blankets and I had warm PJs for the cooler nights. The garden is chock-full of veg, and I was lucky to be there at the height of raspberry season! On a quiet street near the bustling Commercial Drive; and an easy walk from loads of cafes, vintage & book shops, a bowling alley, and The Bunny Cafe. About 15-min walk to Commercial-Broadway Station (Expo & Millennium Lines) and major bus routes including the 99 Express, and only 30min to downtown. Was sad to say goodbye to Pumpkin!

Patricia

Thank you Patricia and John for a lovely stay at Dowgill Farm. We really enjoyed looking after Albert, Jim-Jam the chickens and duck. We really had fun and games with Albert and Jim-Jam they were a joy to look after. Hope to look after them again soon.

Iris and Halldor

What an icredible time!

We are so happy that we found Iris and Halldors listing and that we had the unique opportunity to look after their amazingly loveable dog Dreiki and their super cute - sometimes nasty and miauing :-) - cats! 
We spent an amazing time in Bangkok and we are grateful for the experience of taking care of such cute and loveable pets! 

It‘s difficult to describe Dreiki in a few words since he is such a loveable companion and we really felt in love with him (which made it really hard and sad to leave Bangkok on our last day). Dreiki is a passionate player and he will reward you with all his love and affection if you spend time with him (and his favorite orange toy) in the park. Also the Thai people really love him - thus, you will need some time on your way to and back from the park since everyone enjoys playing with Dreki!

Every cat has its own unique character and you will get to know them better after a few days.

Chomsky - the big cat - he quickly becomes your best friend and loves being cuddled over and over - always observing the house entrance when we left for a walk with Dreki.

Freya - the ultimate MIAUING cat - she exactly knows how she can melt your heart and get what she wants :-) - in our case „the rule over the bathroom empire“!

Oshima - the quiet ladylike cat. She also loves being cuddled - especially by people with similar calm character like hers. She will always chill somewhere around you - even if you cannot see her immediately - she enjoys the human companionship.

Iris and Halldor are a very warm and welcoming couple and we felt home from the very beginning. Thank you so much for your generosity and the wonderful time we could spend with you and your cuties! 

We arrived one day before their vacation so that we had some time to get to know each other which was amazing! From the beginning we felt really welcomed and comfortable at your place and it was so nice to keep in touch during our whole time. 

You are an amazing couple and please let us know if you plan to come to Zurich so that we can meet again!

joanne

When we thought about spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve away from home we knew it needed to be in a special place and with great company and that’s exactly what we found.

Joanne is an amazing person and host. I felt connected with her since the very first time we texted and talked. It felt like talking to a friend. 

She helped us to plan the trip and provided valuable information to make our journey to London easy. She and her family welcomed us in a such a special way that we immediately felt at home. 

Communication with Joanne was easy and fast before and during their trip. She was always one text away when I had questions and never felt bother to answer with details. 

The house has a loving and relaxing atmosphere. It is incredibly spacious and cosy and had everything we needed for our stay. Super well located with several restaurants and shops very close by and has easy access to the main attractions in London. We loved having lazy days with the pets at home and exploring the neighborhood with the incredible recommendations that Joanne gave us.

Marshmallow is a super energetic, loving and cuddling kitten. She was always around, playing with us and making us company. She and my son became best friends very quickly and were always together. Her routine was easy and we loved watching her to grow while we were with her.

Fluffy and Dave Jr are very easy going bunnies and easy to take care of. I really enjoyed talking to them every morning while they were hopping around and relaxing in the garden. Fluffy was more shy at the beginning but would let me pet her in the last days which was a great goodbye gift.

Thank you again Joanne for having us! We couldn’t had been in a better place and with a better company than in your house and with your pets. It was truly a special experience that will be in our hearts forever and we’ll be happy to do it again if we have the chance.