Henry and Clara

We did a Trustedhousesitter sit for Henry and Clara, two bengal kitties, in the upper Southwest of Portland, OR near council crest from Dec 14-26, 2023 for Kim and Marion while they enjoyed some sunshine in Phoenix.

They had a beautiful ranch home that had recently been completely updated.  We were excited to be able to watch some bengals.  They were loud as they tend to be but not obnoxiously so.  Clara, the smaller female, is completely blind.  We really didn't notice it because she was so good at navigating around.

Henry and Clara got along for the most part.  Occasionally she would hiss and bat at him but never at us.  They were sweet to us but not lap cats.  They liked to be close and so if we were by the gas fireplace watching TV or something, they were right there.

Both of them had unique and interesting personalities.  Henry liked to perch at the top of the catscraper in the basement a lot.  Clara liked to use her exercise wheel down there too.  She enjoyed encouragement on it.  We could rub our fingers together in front of her so she knew we were there and she would walk.  Henry also liked to drink from the bathroom sink.

Each pet sit has a level of complexity involved with feeding.  Some are very straight forward and others are fairly complex.  Henry and Clara had more of a complex schedule and we followed their handy printed instructions for each of their specific feeding requirements.  They did okay eating and we didn't have any issues.

They also liked to play.  They enjoyed the boxes we got during Christmas as well as their play tunnels and various toys.  

We enjoyed our time with Henry and Clara and would definitely sit for them again if the opportunity presented itself.

Review:  "Ed and Jeanne were fabulous pet sitters! They took amazing care of our home - and even more importantly, amazing care of our kitties! Usually, when we return from a trip, our cats scold us for hours. But this time, it was as if we’d never left. The kitties were calm and serene. Ed and Jeanne left our house spotless. The dishwasher was emptied, the linens washed and the bed remade. They kept good communication and sent us lots of photos. It was a real pleasure having them at our house and we would love to host them again!" This was a Trustedhousesitter sit and the review can be found there as well.  Contact info is available on request.

Rip and Rosie

We did a Trustedhousesitter sit for Rip and Rosie, two black kitties, in the Multnomah Village area of Portland, OR from Dec 2-12, 2023 for Barbara and Mike while they enjoyed the Christmas markets in Europe.

They had a beautiful home that was just recently fully remodeled.  Rip and Rosie were a bit shy and cautious the first two days we were there.  Rip liked to hiss and even bat at us at first but it was all just his way of dealing with change and soon we were just fine.  They both had very different personalities.  Rosie was more shy and ate on her own schedule whereas Rip wanted his food right away and like to be part of and get into whatever he could.  As with many cats, the Christmas tree was a particular inviting target to play with and we would sometimes have to resort to the water bottle to warn him off.  We probably did that less than their owners might, but that is the way with sitters versus owners.

Their meal instructions were a bit complex but Barbara left very detailed instructions and because we are local to the Portland area 9 months of the year, we were able to go over ahead of time and go through the process.  Both cats had allergies and so their food was specific only to each of them.  Rip loved to try and eat Rosie's food so to solve that, she had chip activated food dishes that would seal and then only open when the right chipped cat went to eat. It was a great high tech solution except that the unit for Rosie stopped working.  We downloaded the manual, tried everything, called the company, tried resetting it, all to no avail.  But after working with Barbara, I suggested we take Rips working unit and reprogram it for Rosie because Rip was the only cat trying to get into the other's food.  That worked, and so Barbara ordered a new unit but it wasn't coming until after we were done sitting.  Problem solved in the temporary.

We got a lot of play time with both kitties, but mostly Rip, who liked to be around more than Rosie.  Other than manage the cats, we just had a few house plants to water and the usual mail and garbage duties.  It was an enjoyable sit and we would be very happy to repeat a sit with them should an opportunity arise.

Review:  "Jeanne & Ed were fantastic! One of our automated pet feeders broke while we were gone. They tried everything to fix it including contacting the manufacturer. They texted to let me know the situation and we came up with a temporary solution. They sent pics of the cats and let us know what they were up to. They stayed until we got home late at night and gave us a rundown of everything. We would happily have them back again!" (you can see review on Trustedhousesitters and contact reference available on request).

Bobo Kitty

We did a Trustedhousesitter sit for Bob Kitty in Lake Oswego, OR from Nov 20-29, 2023 for Frances.  Bobo Kitty was an indoor cat that used to be an outdoor cat when she rescued him during a time she lived in Hawaii.  He was the sweetest cat.  He was very vocal but not in a bad way.  He just liked to vocalize that we should pet him or that he would like his treats.

Bobo liked having people around and so we were a good fit as we really didn't have to leave her place very often because one of us were almost always there while the other was going to the store or exercising.

Like most of our pets we sit, Bobo had a specific routine we had to follow.  It was pretty straightforward though.  When he got treats, he always got them inside a little snowman that he could rock and have them come out.  That was the only way he would eat his treats.  You couldn't just feed him them.  It was cute watching him fetch them from it.

Bobo had a lot of cat furniture to enjoy.  As it was cold outside, he would enjoy the gas fireplace in the living room and sit in front of that a lot.  He also liked to sit atop a cat stand by the front window when it was sunny out because he could watch the goings on from there.

We were instructed that he might make a mess or have an accident around his kitty box but during our 10 days, we never had an issue.  All of our house duties were basic and we really enjoyed our stay at Francis' place.  She is moving to southern California soon but if she needs a sitter down there (and the timing is right), we would love to sit Bobo again.

Review: "Jeanne & Ed were the best! They gave BoBo the attention he craves for. He is a very social cat & coming home after 10 days away I can tell he was well taken care off.  Next year we will be moving to San Clemente,California & would love if jeanne&ed come &house/BoBo sit again!" You can see the formal review on Trustedhousesitters and Frances is available for references if requested.

Oscar and Honey Bee

We did a month long cat sit for my friend Dave.  We like to mix up between sitting for friends and family in addition to our pet sits on the apps we are part of.  In this case, we sat for Oscar and Honey Bee from October 15 to November 16 in West Linn, OR.

We already knew Oscar from before and so he knew us.  Bee was new to us but she was quite the lap cat.  They were both very easy to care for as they had kitty doors allowing them to come and go as they wanted.  

Both kitties were playful at times.  We would regularly have play sessions along with just pets.  They had very specific feeding directions but nothing too complicated.

In addition to Oscar and Bee, we represented Dave and Tamara at their farm produce program where they pay and get fresh produce each week from a local farm.  It was also autumn during the sit and so we did a lot of yard work to help them keep up.  We typically don't sign up for a lot of yard work as we tend to just focus on our pet sit responsibilities but each sit brings on something additional that helps the owners.

We had a great time in their home watching Oscar and Bee and miss them already.  As Dave is a close friend, we didn''t bother asking for a formal review but he is certainly available for references.

Josie

Sometimes we do short pet sits when our schedule allows it and we have a gap between the longer ones.  We sat for David and Diane in Vancouver, WA from October 13 - 15, 2023.  They had a 4-year old labradoodle named Josie that we got to love on for a few days.

Josie was such a sweet girl.  She has some medical issues.  She gets seizures and has some skin hot spots.  Our time was short and although we were instructed on what to do for a seizure, this wasn't her cycle time and we didn't have to implement any of that with her.

Instead, we took her for two walks per day.  The morning walk she got to do her sniffing and exploring and the afternoon walk we did a proper couple of miles.  Their neighborhood was gorgeous and there were an abundance of trails through a park and even up to the university.

Josie had a few supplements to add to her eating routine which was fairly easy to do.  We enjoyed our short stay there.  As we use our SUV at all of our sits, we were also able to give David and Diane a ride to and from the airport, saving them some money on an Uber service.

Review: "Jeanne and Ed were wonderful dog/house sitters, and warm, caring, thoughtful, gracious, and interesting people. They were kind enough to give us a ride to and from the airport, and our pup hardly seemed to notice when we left, she was already so comfortable with them. They gave her 2 walks a day, one at her sniffing pace, and another 2 miler, along with all the snuggles and love she could handle. Don't hesitate to host them if you can get into their schedule!"  (This was a formal Trustedhousesitters sit and the information can be found on the app.  Reference contact provided upon request)

Oby

We did a Trustedhousesitter sit for Oby, a 4-year old labrodoodle.  Nate and Steven, Oby's humans, had a wonderful home in the Multnomah area of Portland, OR and we sat for them from September 23 to October 6, 2023.  We came the evening before and stayed overnight so we got the opportunity to go through the routine first hand and get ourself introduced to Oby.  Nate and Steven were nice enough to let us stay the evening that they arrived back home so that we could do our 8-hour drive into Washington the following day.

Oby was a wonderful dog to sit for.  He was happy, smart, energetic and lived to chase his ball!  I would eventually have to say "ball tired" and give him a rest sometimes during the day.  We got to explore a natural area right by the house that had several hiking trails and Oby loved going for a hike each day.

Oby was an excellent passenger in our SUV too.  He was real relaxed and got in and out without any excitement.  Nate and Steven made it easy to take care of the house.  We had everything we needed for the stay and, as always, left it in as good or better as we started.

We really enjoyed our stay with Oby and hope we can do it again.

Review:  "Ed and Jeanne were amazing. They took care of our home and dog for two weeks, and they were clean, responsive and reliable. We can’t recommend them highly enough!" This was a formal Trustedhousesitter sit and the review can also be found on the app.