Cat Sitting and Boarding
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Need a cat sitter
Nov 2011
Does anyone have a cat sitter they really like that they could recommend? Someone who comes to your house, feeds the cats and cleans the litter box, but also hangs out and plays for a little bit? I looked at the archived listings and there haven't been any recommendations since early 2010, so a recent recommendation would be most appreciated. We're in North Berkeley. Thanks for your help. christa
I highly recommend Donna Ferino at 510-524-6783. She is truly a 'cat person,' and has lovingly cared for many cats over the years I've known her. In addition to her 'Experienced Pet Care with Love,' she also works as a vet tech. Julie
I know someone who still does this type of service, makes house calls to take care of cats and dogs and look after their wellbeing. Her name is Donna Martin and can be reached at 367-6464. Angel Pet Care I think is the name of her business. Paul
2007 - 2009 Recommendations
petsitter who is great with cats
Nov 2009
I'm looking for the names of a few good pet sitters who are great with cats. I'd be interested in knowing about both types of sitter--those who stop by and feed the cats, and also those sitters who will stay overnight in your home and spend more time with the animals. Thanks! Elizabeth
I highly recommend Sue Tomasello at Berkeley Pet Patrol. Her website is: http://berkeleypetpatrol.com/index.htm. She has reasonable rates and is great with our 2 cats. She even took our cat to the vet one time when he was sick but we were out of the country and could not be reached immediately. She also is good about following up after visits and letting us know how everything went. We have always used her services of just coming and feeding/playing with the cats, but I think she might also offer overnight services. Our cats love Sue
Hi Elizabeth, For pet sitting, use East Bay Pet Play. They do any type of visit/home stay you want. If you just need feeding a couple times of day or want an overnight service, they will do it for you. I have heard nothing but good things about them. The person you want to call is Chris, he is great! Good luck!! Heather
Need a neat, clean cat sitter
May 2009
We are looking for a neat, clean, fastidious cat person (as opposed to a dog person) to come in and feed our two cats for 10 days while we are on vacation. Someone who doesn't mind taking their shoes off in the house, and is extremely responsible and with references. Prefer high school or older. cat devotee
I can recommend Barbara Samuelson, bds [at] barbarascamera.com, who offers excellent cat services and who offers consultation services as an Animal Communicator. I have hired her and been very satisfied. Louise
Robin Mello: 510-278-9541 is an amazing animal person - she cares for our cats and dogs with equal love and attention! Maggie
Pet sitter who can give cats insulin shots
April 2009
My 12 year old cat was just diagnosed with diabetes last weekend. Fortunately, he is doing well on insulin shots, which he gets twice a day at 12 hour intervals. The complicating issue is that I have plans to take a two week vacation this summer (late June through early July). I need to get a sitter who can give my cat shots, feed all three cats, clean the potty box, and feed my goldfish, who now have 71 babies. So, my questions are: 1. Does anyone know of anyone to recommend for the job, who can give twice daily shots, who is reliable, and who can give my kitties the TLC they love to get? 2. What is the going rate for such services? I am clueless, since I usually do pet-care swaps with friends, but this time I don't want to saddle any of my friends with administering insulin shots, since there are always risks involved in doing it and I would rather use someone who knows how to administer insulin shots and possibly even do random glucose testing. Thanks for any assistance you can send my way. Lisa
Just Cats has the person you need. I've been using them for a couple years now for my two cats. They board cats as well as visit your home, though I've only used the petsitting service. I had Jessica twice, and someone else another time and both of them were great. Jessica is a vet tech at Cheshire Cat Clinic, so I'm sure she can do insulin shots. At least one of the other ladies they work with is a vet tech at the same office. [Bonus: my cats are much less freaked out at the vet now because someone familiar greets them in the room] http://www.justcatsboarding.com/ 510-531-2287 happy cats at home
I would recommend Mekelia Drake (8413246). She is wonderful with animals. your animals will get alot of love and TLC. She is experienced in giving medication. Mekelia is very responsible and will tke the best care of you kittens. Rates are higher for overnight care. You may be able to get a bit of a better price if you offer to help Mekelia take her things to your house. Mekelila is quite resoanable. I think you can pay anywhere form $30+ to 55+ a night. Keep in mind it is wonderful to have someone in your house you trust and who is responsible. i made the mistake of havingsomeonewho was not. Not fun. Peace of mind and good animal care and house care are wonderful. good luck. dog and cat parent
Wendyann Cardwell has been really helpful caring for our dogs/cats. She is a vet assistant so can handle any medical issues in addition to regular care. She was great when our old dog needed attention and we were out of town...and has managed to keep four cats straight with various medications, etc. She will also pick up mail and other odds/ends, but the pet care is what I really need. Has always taken last minute requests, which I really appreciate bc we don't always plan too far in advance. She has a key to our house so I just call and leave the dates, she confirms, and I leave her payment and our contact info at the house for when she arrives. She can be reached at 223-2609. Good luck Julie
2004 - 2006 Recommendations
Cat boarding in Contra Costa County
Feb 2006
We have a fairly new cat and will be going away for a few days in April and are wondering what to do with the cat while we are gone. We can't bring the cat where we are going. Does anyone have any recommendations on places to board the cat? (a sitter won't work because my parents will be stayig in our place and they are allergic.) We live in Concord, so central Contra Costa is preferred (Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Concord,etc.) but we are open to other places if they are exceptional. Jennifer
Hi! The perfect cat sitter for you is Denise Christopher. she takes the cat into her home, and since she has no pets of her own, your cat is the queen (or king!)Denise is licensed and bonded, and she adores animals. Her number is (925)202-7422 and she is in Alamo. Her business is called A Pawsitively Pet Sitter Julie
The only really good cat boarding facility I've found in the East Bay is the Feline Bed & Breakfast at 11074 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito. The phone is 510 233-1400. They take only cats (and an occasional bunny). The facility is clean, calm and right next to a veterinary hospital -- handy in case of an emergency. The staff all take their jobs seriously and are well-trained. The cubicles are a comfortable size for cats. They are each let out for a little while every day. I have to drive 30-40 minutes to get there myself, but it's worth it, knowing that my pet is going to be fine. Happily Purring
I know a great place, though it is not very close to you. It is the Feline Bed & Breakfast in El Cerrito. They are really nice and treat the cats great. Also, they share a building with Abbey Vet, which made things so much easier for us when our cat was elderly and on meds. The vet even stopped over to check on our cat once when we left her there for a week and were worried. anne
2003 & Earlier
Nov 2004
We need a housesitter/catsitter for over thanksgiving and throughout the year. The main request is to keep the cats company and to feed them jane
A young woman who does childcare for me is also looking for regular or occasional work taking care of pets in the Oakland/Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito area. She has veterinary tech training and a love of animals. She will walk dogs, bathe pets, come to feed pets, and bestow all the love and attention you'd like to give your pet if you had the time. She provides affordable, reliable, and enthusiastic services. See her website EastBayPets.com or contact her by phone at 510-409-7189 or by email at EastBayPets AT Animail.net. nancy
Oct 2002
I am going to be gone for about 3 weeks over the Christmas holidays and would like to find a resonably priced petsitter (or petsitter/housesitter) to check on my cat while I am gone (in the Oakland/Piedmont area). Has anyone used any of the petsitting services in the area, or could anyone recommend a petsitter? Nicole
I highly recommend Mother's Love for Your Pet -- the owner, Wendy Burch, has been caring for our dog and cats for seven years. Her services include daily dogwalking or visits to the house to spend quality time with pets, take in the mail, etc. She is extremely principled, bonded/licensed etc. and just a very sincere and caring person. She really treats your pets like the family that they are. Her web site is www.ourpetsitter.com and phone is 531-1954. Noreen
Someone to come over and feed out cats?
May 2002
I'd like to find experienced reliable people who can just come over once/day, feed pets, clean the cat box, and water flowers a couple of times. Anyone covering Richmond who doesn't expect to live in? Padma
Most kids already know how to do these things as they are required chores at home. Try calling the local camp fire or girl scouts troop in your area. These kids would do the job for an affordable price, plus they could probably earn a badge for doing it. Talk to some den mothers. This will also give you an opportunity to know some of the young people in your neighborhood in case you need other things done.
Try VCA Lammers Pet Hospital, on San Pablo Avenue in San Pablo. Also call other VCA pet hospitals in Berkeley and Albany. If the VCA hospitals don't have what you want, ask them for referrals to other places which board pets. Since they're in the biz they will know people who can help you. Good luck! - Bay
Need to board cat for 5 weeks
July 2001
We are going away for 5 weeks this summer and are looking for a place where we could leave our cat. So far, I've found only kennels, and the last time we did that, it felt he was completely distressed for days when we came back. He is an indoor/outdoor cat and when we have left in outside the house with a neighbor to feed him, he always had an infection when we came back (I'm starting to think that cat somatize!). House sitting is problematic since he likes to sleep in the house during the day, comes home whenever he feels like and often goes out around 2 am. Does anybody knows a facility which would have a large outside fenced area for cats to roam ? I heard of such a place in Lafayette, but cannot find it anymore. We leave in Moraga, but can board him anywhere. Thanks Sophie
Try the Feline Bed and Breakfast on San Pablo in El Cerrito. I haven't personally left my cats there, but I have seen their facilities and I would definately choose them. I like that it is not a kennel, it is a bed and breakfast Leslie
I highly recommend Cat's Cradle in San Rafael if you want to venture towards Marin. Easily found on East Francisco Blvd with great access from the Richmond/SR bridge. My sister-in-law(who works in a local vet's office) highly recommended them as well. Each cat has their own kennel/caged area with food/water/litte box but the thing I really liked was the large open areas/rooms for the cats to roam around in throughout the day. They've got sunny window seat areas for those inclined to nap in the sun, catbeds for the guests, toys to play with, an aquarium full of fish for them to watch, and a loving/knowledgeable staff that takes care of the animals AND plays with them. They charge $12/day-check it out. Mary
I know you didn't ask for this, but we have used a wonderful pet sitting service for our cat when we travel. We've used Pets n Plants for five years for our now-11-year-old cat and we've never had a problem. The sitter comes once per day (you can arrange for more visits), brings in mail, cleans litter, refreshes food and water, and attempts to brush and play with our cat (she's not too social with new people). The last couple of years we've requested the same sitter each time and she genuinely cares about our cat. She leaves a log of each visit so we know went on during our absence. Their number is (510) 278-1234. Carolyn
Hi Julie, we had a very good experience w/ a cat sitter through Trusted Housesitters. Vetted pet sitters can apply to stay at your house for the dates you're gone, and no money changes hands except the annual website fee (maybe $125 or so?). We've had lots of applications for the dates we've listed and just had a lovely person stay here for 3 weeks, it was great. Here's a referral link if interested! https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF680391/?utm_source=copy-li…;
Emily Ziebell was our cat sitter for years until we moved - she’s the best! I was very sad when she wasn’t going to be able to take care of our cats anymore.
catsitteremily [at] gmail.com
Hi Julie,
We have a lovely pet sitter named Rachel who may be able to help. And for others too, she has stayed at our house when we have been away which is great when you have multiple pets as we do : ) Feel free to contact her directly: 510 772 4829
We hired Jenny to take care of our two cats for five days when we were on vacation recently. She came twice a day and did a great job of following directions and left everything clean and neat. We would definitely hire her again when we leave next time. Her home phone is: 510-570-5826 and mobile is: 510890-7996.
Erika Bunnin is very responsible, attentive and caring. I highly recommend her. My elderly cat Yogi is very shy and scared of almost everybody. But Erika is so calm and patient that he will happily cuddle with her when she cat sits, even though she also has to give him insulin shots twice a day. She does dog sitting as well. She is open to staying overnight or coming by however often you’d like.
Ebunnin [at] gmail.com, 510/734-3460
Adding another strong recommendation for Erika Bunnin Ebunnin [at] gmail.com (Ebunnin[at]gmail[dot]com), 510/734-3460. She took care of our very shy cat and was amazing. She was professional and kind and great with our finicky kitty. She sent photos and videos and a note every day. She brought in mail and watered plants and was truly a pleasure to work with. She gave us great peace of mind. Our cat who normally hides while we were away played with her every day. Erika is terrific and we feel lucky to have found her!