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Do you love to travel? And do you have a kitty friend(s) needing care and feeding while you’re away? Please consider me!
After returning from my own yearlong bike-and-train loop around the United States and Canada in September 2022, I realized I would love to continue living nomadically. Cat sitting came to me as a natural fit, because I have always loved cats. (I love dogs too, but I choose to sit only cats at this time.)
Since then—nearly a year later, as of this writing in July of 2023—I have been cat sitting full time, mostly in the Portland, Oregon (USA) area. But my intention is to travel the world—again, mostly by bicycle and train—caring for cats along the way! (Here is my Instagram photo gallery of many of the kitties I’ve sat for.)
My current rate on my Rover.com profile is $50 per night. (Rover is one way for us to work together–and it includes some insurance–but I’m also happy to work outside of that platform.) This rate is somewhat flexible in either direction, however. I do have a mission in life, and cat sitting is one way to help me live the mission. Part of my mission is my desire for money to flow joyfully and easefully among people for the highest benefit of all. Therefore, if someone needs cat sitting and cannot afford $50 per night, I am willing to consider a lower rate. Conversely, if someone is financially abundant, and wishes to offer extra support to my life’s mission and journey, I will happily and gratefully receive a higher rate, or an extra gratuity. (This can be seen as a small version of fairy godfunding!)
If you are interested in talking with me about sitting for your cat(s), feel free to message me via the green “Contact” button above, or text me at 503-233-1192. I plan to be in the Bay area through November, then Portland for December, then southern California later in the winter. After that I will have to see what unfolds, but ideally I would move east across the southern US until arriving in Florida around mid-February 2024, then slowly moving up the east coast to the DC area around May, then UK and/or Ireland until roughly August, then Europe until mid-November, then US Midatlantic around Thanksgiving, then clockwise back across the southern US to California in the winter, and slowly moving up California toward Oregon in time to arrive back in Portland May 2025. We shall see!!
Below are some reviews from my completed sits, illustrated by photos of the cats in question:
“Maren was wonderful with our two kitties! We left for about 9 days and when we returned, the house was spotless and the kitties were happy. Maren was a good communicator and was very flexible with a slight change in our dates and a couple of snafus that came up during her stay. She sent us pics periodically of the cats being themselves, so we knew all was well at home. We would definitely invite Maren back anytime!”
“Maren was a wonderful house sitter for us! She was responsive and accommodating from the very beginning. The house was in perfect condition, clean, and she even was able to let some maintenance folks in for some repairs. She also took fantastic care of our cat (who adored her). 10/10 and would absolutely work with again!”
“Maren was wonderful with my cat, Mimi. She has a nice, calming energy that rubs off. She took good care of my house too and asked questions when she had them. I appreciated the photo updates too. I highly recommend Maren for housesitting and/or pet sitting.”
“Maren was a wonderful sitter! She was organized, communicative, and took great care of Nala. The house was even cleaner than we’d left it upon return. We’d recommend Maren every time, she’ll take great care of your house and animals!”
“Maren was great with my senior cat—I could tell she really cared, and seemed to enjoy her company as well. She even bundled her up and took her outside during a fire drill! She left my condo spotless, which is important to me. I’m hoping she’ll stay in the area for a while so I can hire her again.”
“We felt absolutely comfortable having Maren in our home, and she went out of her way to meet up with us (and our cat!) in advance to talk about logistics. Our cat turned out to be trickier to administer medicine than we anticipated, but Maren was super communicative throughout and put a lot of effort into ensuring our cat got what he needed. He was calm and content when we arrived home (and the house was spotless). We’re grateful to Maren for being so gracious with what turned out to be a challenging sit!”
“Maren was a great sitter! Communicative and reliable, I really felt like Fiona was in good hands and I would be happy to have Maren sit for me any time.”
“It was such a delight having Maren as a sitter while I was out of town for work. She was kind enough to stop by prior to the sit for a tour and meeting, and asked so many great questions. While away, Maren was reliable, tidy, communicative and sent really comforting updates. I’d absolutely have Maren watch Finn again.”
“Maren is lovely. I was completely confident that my 2 kitties were well and affectionately cared for. She sent me some pictures, one of them of my boy cat, Marty, who had climbed up into her lap. She said ‘I wasn’t expecting this!’ It really shows just how comfortable and relaxed they were with her. That felt great. And she took good care of my house. Everything was clean and tidy, garbage out, mail taken in etc. … Five stars for sure!”
“Maren bonded with my kitty right away (no small feat!), and while I was away I was worry-free (again, no small feat!) because I knew Maren was watching over my very finicky baby. With past trips, I’ve worried a lot and it’s made me refrain from making plans at times, because I couldn’t find the right person to take care of everything for me, especially my kitty. Maren is perfect for house and cat sitting because she’s very low key, and pets and people trust her (with good reason). She sent me a couple of adorable photos of my cat just to reassure me too. And it was so nice to come home and find everything clean and in place, and my precious kitty almost disappointed that I returned and Maren had to leave! As for me, I couldn’t be happier!”
