"Cats are not dogs. They have different needs and having a pet sitter that understands this is golden! This is why as a lifelong cat owner I can 100% recommend The Comforted Kitty!
I have had different pet sitters in the past, and as of last year I’ve had a dear friend who has kindly watched them. And she will continue to do so for very short trips when she’s available to help out. But for longer trips and also to have a permanent go-to sitter, I will often be relying on The Comforted Kitty.
Here’s how it works:
- they send you the link to their system
- you have a LOT of paperwork online to fill out, be forewarned. Mine took a few hours as I have many cats due to an unforeseen and unplanned situation (you have to fill out info for each cat and it’s a LOT, but I was able to cut and paste for much of it). PLAN TIME for this, you cannot knock this part out in a few minutes. However it’s very complete info and it’s basically the equivalent of you being there in person and them writing every single thing you say down. This helps with matching you to the correct sitter, but also gives them all food, medicine, doctor, emergencies etc info. And it’s one and done. You don’t fill this out each time. It is a lot of work upfront but then you’re done and it’s on file for any of them to see. So in case your sitter due to something unforeseen cannot make it, another sitter can easily pop in and replace because she or he will have access to everything on your cats’ profile(s). It makes for a seamless transition if needed.
- they have a free meet and greet of 30 minutes with your potential sitter they have chosen for you (I believe you can also choose someone directly but I may be mistaken on this)
- you can go in on the app or the website (both worked well) and choose the dates needed and the times needed. You can have specific shift times like between noon and 5pm amongst others, or you can select “any time.”
- if you need to cancel or add days, it’s very simple to do there as well
- they charge your credit card on the day you get back not before you leave which I really appreciated
- you can leave a tip for your sitter in case at your home or arrange with the sitter after to send a tip (I left a small amount in case since this was a new service and I didn’t know how well the sitter would do - when I got back I sent her more via Zelle, she earned it!)
- unlike any previous sitting service I have used, this one is very business-like. You’ll get a notification both in app and email that your daily report is waiting. And it’s very detailed: the time entering and leaving, how much the cat(s) went to the bathroom, ate, drank, and updates on play time and activities including pictures. You can reply to the sitter in the portal but it also comes through as a text so it was easy to communicate. I was on my first ever trip to Europe for a choral tour and I had no glitches at all in communication.
Shannon here in Dallas, Texas was the young woman that was selected for me based on my cats and time slot availability. I want to give a shoutout to her for helping me with a very unexpected event that happened while I was gone! It was 330am where I was and I ended up needing to call her because of it. I know I was very out of it and she was very patient with me and my half-awakeness. She handled the situation perfectly and I was able to relax knowing things at home were ok. This is exactly why you pay a pet sitter well - they’re not just watching your pet, they’re also watching your house. They have limits legally on what they can do, and understandably, but it was a relief knowing my situation was taken care of (it dealt both with one of my cats and the house - too long a story!).
I will gladly recommend this company to my veterinarian, neighbors, friends, and anyone who asks me. Thanks The Comforted Kitty!"
