Phillip R.— In-Home Pet Sitter

I grew up on a pretty large property in Texas with goats, an older dog and my aunt and uncle’s two cats. I was responsible for a lot of the goats caretaking and took care of their babies, which was adorable. I remember the cats were some rare breed and very intelligent, they were trained to only go outside for a certain time a day. I moved to Europe when I was 17 and didn’t really have pets there but after moving back to the US I did a lot of house sitting for people I knew. My former boss had a hilarious tuxedo cat that would wake me up by putting his paw on my face. I got my first two cats about eight years ago. They were two bonded sisters and had been at the shelter for a while. I remember seeing their photos on the Berkeley humane society website and just having a feeling that they were mine. About five years later I came home from the beach to a tiny cat on my porch and she really fit in perfectly with the sisters, she’s made them so much more relaxed and happy. I couldn’t ask for a better group of cats. I think cats have the ability to bring out the best of my humanity. I’m more patient and reliable. I have more empathy and I feel like I’m more intuitive after years of figuring them out. It’s also a great feeling when they give you their trust and you know you earned it.