Pet City Sitters

We’ve been using Michelle for more than 2 years now, on 5 or 6 separate occasions. I thought I’d write another quick review, as we just returned from an eight day vacation to find my cat, once again, in great shape (kitty #2 sadly passed away a year ago). Michelle is great with quick daily updates via text or email so you know everything is going okay. I’m glad we found her, and my chubby cat is too :)

It’s been three years after I first contacted Michelle, and I use her more than ever. She is now scheduled to walk my dogs twice a week and she happily fits us in (provided she is available) when I am busy and need more help. She also pet sits for us several times throughout the year. We take our dogs on trips when we can, but when we can’t, Michelle is who we call. She always has her furry clients best interests in mind and treats them as if they were her own pets. There is no question that she is dedicated to those that she cares for.

I’ve written reviews for pet sitting services before, and as I’ve said before, they are very difficult to write. Mainly because the service is provided when we aren’t there to see it, and the cat can’t talk. So the only way to evaluate the quality of the service, is based on the cat’s general health and happiness when we return.
This said, Michelle is awesome. She is super thorough on her initial visits to get acquainted with your pet, and keeps us informed with texts and photos during her visits. We always return to a happy, healthy, well-​fed cat.

This was our first experience using a cat sitter and Michelle was very professional, organized and personable. While we were gone, she sent us email updates including pictures every single day as to how our kittens were doing, and left detailed notes about each visit! She even left a cute little toy for the kittens. Upon our return, it was clear to us our kittens had been given good care while we were away. We cannot recommend Michelle highly enough!

Michelle is a professional who has an innate sense of what is right for animals, and excellent judgment. As a business owner in a similar industry, I recognize that it is a very honorable thing to prioritize caring for a pet over simply pleasing a client. To elaborate: in pet-​sitting there are few indicators of how the visit went aside from the care-taker’s word. This has always been troubling to me, as I know that it is easy to be neglectful without much accountability. Despite this, I never worry about how Michelle’s visits with my puppy, Austin, have gone (aside from whether he pulled her arm off on the walk with his boundless energy!) From my numerous interactions and conversations with Michelle, I am certain that she has a strong sense of what is right; and THIS is what makes for an ideal pet-​sitter. I would pay more than she charges for the level of care she provides.
For more details…
–Michelle was available for me on short-​notice.
–Michelle came to my house for an initial consultation after a long day with another client who’s pet had an emergency. She played with my puppy immediately, and wasn’t phased by the other dog in the household’s terrorizing run through the living room (yikes, embarrassing). She had paperwork for us, and I found it incredibly tactful that she asked me the questions and filled the answers in herself, rather than just handing it over to me. She asked many questions about Austin’s behavior, diet, routine, fears & likes. She didn’t — like other services i’ve used — try to win my dog over for appearances by feeding him treats from her pocket. Thank you, Michelle.
–Michelle texted me during and after her visit with Austin, so I knew that it was in fact happening on time. She also left a hand-​written note since I indicated that I would like that (though I didn’t expect it in addition to the texts). It was a very concise report of how the visit went, WITH THE EXACT TIME NOTED of when she was there. I write this in all CAPS because I hardly ever see this and it is so, so appreciated.

There can never be enough good things I could say about Pet City Sitters. I will use their services forever and will always recommend them. From first meeting Michelle I found her to have a genuine love for animals. She is very organized, prepared, experienced, and truly understands the bond that forms between people and their four legged kids. A great example of just how wonderful Pet City Sitters is below…
My kitty Jessiebell has some special needs that recently became severe and I had to go on a business trip for several days out of state. It was the first time I had to go away since learning Jessie’s illness was terminal and the situation has been evolving from one moment to the next. I was left with quite a dilemma since my husband couldn’t take care of Jessie’s needs alone, particularly with medications.
One call to Michelle and it was all arranged. Michelle came by twice a day to administer the meds to Jessie as my husband held Jessie in his arms. Knowing I was an anxious a kitty mom having to be away, Michelle updated me constantly with emails, phone calls and texts. This communication and reassurance allowed that I was able to concentrate on my work and really didn’t need to worry about anything at home. I became perfectly at ease.
When I got home I learned further how Michelle had continued to go above and beyond in my absence. She had brought Jessie a new toy to play with, a kitty dvd to watch, and treats that Jessie could actually have even given her special needs.
Jessiebell doesn’t warm up to people easily, but believe me when I tell you she and Michelle have been fast friends from the start.

After a couple of truly awful experiences with students and «professional» petsitters (e.g. tried flushing clay litter down the toilet, didn’t clean the litter box properly, didn’t clean up cat sick etc.), I was completely paranoid about leaving our feline trio in the care of another stranger, but I couldn’t speak highly enough of Michelle — I’m able to go away safe in the knowledge that our furry threesome are getting the best care possible (and my husband can relax too, without having to put up with my constant «do you think the cats are ok?» gibbering). She is super-​friendly, very professional and completely potty about kitties. Our neurotic Siamese adores her! She sends a text message or email after each visit so I know that everything is ok, which is wonderful. We sorely missed having our friend (who «emigrated» to California) look after the cats, but now we’ve found Michelle we’re finally ok :)

Michelle at pet city pet sitters is the reason I made this Unilocal account. Both my dog Dub and myself look forward to her visits. Dub used to be a very low maintenance part of my life but he’s getting old, and sick, and we need Michelle’s help during the day! She is amazing with him and I always know he is happy, fed, walked, and properly given his meds. Plus, Dub gets excited whenever she comes over and I often get pictures from their walks as Dub has to take a lite of rests.
Michelle has a special understanding of animals and I would recommend pet city pet sitters to any pet owner.

Michelle is a wonderful pet sitter. I honestly believe that Winston thinks of her as his nanny. She is very thorough and keeps me up to date with texts, emails and photos regularly. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is very capable, professional, and I would recommend her to anybody who has pets. When I go out of town, I am certain that Winston is getting as good of care as he would if I were with him.

Michelle is the most conscientious, thoughtful and loving pet sitter in this area. We both offer cat sitting services, and sometimes when she is booked up, she sends clients to me. But I can tell they are disappointed Michelle is unavailable. And that’s because she lovingly spends one-​on-​one time with each cat and dog.
She intuitively interprets what the cat or dog needs, and gives them extra special care, knowing that it can be stressful when owners are away. She never hesitates to go out of her way — whether it’s bringing her own treats and toys to visits, offering to pick up necessary items like food or litter that have run out, or spending hours in an emergency room with a sick animal.
Michelle amazes me. She has set high standards for herself and the business of pet sitting. If I had a cat, Michelle would be our cat sitter without question. And I’d never hesitate to recommend her or ask her to cover for any of my own cat clients.

Michelle (and her husband Pat) are the best. I have a totally adorable and «easy» dog — except in cases of lightening and thunder. During storms, Goldie becomes terrified — and I become terrified about leaving her. Michelle is amazing — tailoring walks and visits to Goldie’s (and my) needs. And, always reporting by email or text.
I’d actually consider myself and my partner to be a bit of pain-​in-​the-​ass clients. My partner works FT out of the house and I’m a self-​employed consultant so my needs for walks often change at the last minute. Michelle is totally accommodating.
In addition, Michelle absolutely supports me in developing a well-​adjusted, happy dog. When I’m working on training issues, I pass along instructions to Michelle — I’m 100% confident that Michelle works with me to make Goldie be the best she can be!
I’ve had other dog walkers — none compare. Michelle’s love for animals, expert knowledge, and consistent professionalism are unmatched. My partner, Goldie, and I are lucky to count Pet City Sitters as part of our extended family!

Wow, I *would* have given Michelle 5 stars, however she totally just screwed me over with no real reason given, therefore I have to write this review. I trusted the care of my kitty to her, and all was fine, she took care of him, gave him his meds on many different occasions. This last trip all was fine too, she sent me texts of how he was and an email picture, however when I got home there was a mess of catnip all over the couch and the living room, so I sent her an email thanking her for the service and asking her not to use cat nip next time. Immediately I get an email back stating that she can’t work with me anymore due to «philosophical differences». I remain unclear as to what those philosophical differences are, however I find it extremely unprofessional as she gave no indication that we had differences prior to me asking her not to use cat nip, and she even booked my cat on weekends through August and now I am stuck trying to find a sitter at the busiest time of the year. I work in a business where if you can’t do the job, you provide a referral of someone who can, the responsible thing for her to do would be at least to find someone to take over the bookings if my philosophy (of what I wonder?) is really that offensive to her.

I don’t want to write a review for Michelle at Pet City Sitters because I’m worried she will become too busy, and I need her in my life and my kitties’ lives! She is absolutely wonderful to work with. She loves animals, and is very knowledgeable about all their issues, and I trust her completely both with my furry friends and in my home. She isn’t in this business for the money, but she is well worth whatever she charges.

If you have a pet, you know how nerve wracking it can be to leave for a week or two on vacation. You want to relax, but your mind keeps wandering back to how depressed your little fuzzy one must be in your absence. Well, not this time…
I am SO glad we found Michelle!
Our kitty is slightly neurotic, extremely clingy and very people dependent. Generally, it takes him a month to rebound after we get back from holiday. He’s usually full of self inflicted scratches from being nervous. Yes, he’s a cutter… Again, not this Christmas. Michelle was so great.
Michelle came over before we left to meet us and answer any questions we might have. She’s extremely professional, yet easy going. You can tell she just loves her job. In the past, I’m pretty sure other cat sitters I have used have come by for 2 minutes, thrown some food down and hit the road. Michelle spent quality time with Milton. She brushed him and gave him the much needed affection he craves. Not only that, but she sent me daily text messages (sometimes with pictures) updating me about how Milton was doing. All that great care showed when we got home. Milty was happy, wound free and pretty relaxed (for him).
It was also the extra little things she did for us. Like bring the mail in, keep our place tidy and disposing of all the litter box cleanings in our outdoor garbage so our house didn’t stink when we got home.
Seriously, you will not find a better pet sitter!

I was really nervous about leaving my two 16-​year-​old cats with a pet sitter. Especially since one of them has very peculiar habits and needs to be hand-​fed medication on a daily basis.
The second Michelle showed up at my apartment in her Sea Shepherd t-​shirt to meet my cats, I knew I had made a great decision in choosing her. She is incredibly thorough and responsible with her questions, and very amicable and pleasant to work with. She is obviously a serious animal lover, and I felt so comfortable leaving my beloved pets in her hands.
While I was gone, Michelle sent me an e-​mail each day to let me know how the cats were doing. She even requested that I email her when I got home to confirm that I made it and that the cats no longer needed her.
Anyone who has a pet knows how important it is to trust that they are in good hands while you are away, and Michelle is the perfect person for the job. I will definitely be hiring her again — in fact, I’ve already booked her for several days in November!

Michelle is a great pet sitter.
We have a young, large, energetic dog, Rags, and a small apartment in Somerville.
When I first called Michelle and she was very accommodating about setting up a consultation at a time that was convenient for me. When I had to cancel due to work, she found time in her busy schedul to fit me in. The consultation was both friendly and professional. She had had me fill out a form from her website and we took Rags for a walk together. Walking my dog (who can be rambunctious) with Michelle made me feel more at ease. She handled him perfectly and I could tell that the two immediately bonded.
When I left on vacation, I felt utterly confident that my dog was in great hands. During the trip Michelle sent me frequent texts and pictures of Rags. When I returned home I found a very happy dog. He was calm and relaxed as I walked in the apartment, which tells me he was happy and exercised while I was away.
I will not think twice about who to call for my sitting needs !

I’ve always been skeptical about pet sitters. Honestly, my husband and I travel a lot and were always fortunate to be able to leave our pets with family. But, when we moved to Cambridge in December, we were faced with having to research and interview pet sitters to take care of our sweet Yellow Lab and our mean old Kitty. After trying two others, my husband found Michelle and Pet City Sitters. I simply cannot say enough about how wonderful she is.
Michelle fit us in last minute for the Labor Day weekend. She was so kind and accommodating and even ended up adding visits (at no charge to us) because our dog got sick and needed more love and more frequent trips outside. She kept in touch constantly with texts and messages (this is actually a great benefit — Michelle will update you as frequently as you want) to reassure us that our girl was okay. Even after we came home, she was sending us pictures of our pets that she had taken the weekend we were away.
It is abundantly clearly that Michelle is an animal lover. I’m a VERY picky pet owner and after meeting and working with Pet City Sitters, I’ll call on her time and time again. She’s someone I trust unconditionally to take care of my pets.
It truly doesn’t get any better than Michelle and Pet City Sitters!
Update: Michelle and Pat (her husband) took amazing care of our lab when she had amputation surgery for bone cancer. When my husband had to travel shortly after her surgery, they came by nightly to help me carry her outside. And when our kitty hid under the bed for hours, Michelle and Pat patiently waited and coaxed her out to give her her medicine.
They are really the best people you could ever find to love and take care of your pets when you’re away.

Michelle is professional and reliable, and was great with my cat Coco. She knew exactly where Coco would be hiding and yet she still managed to coax her out from hiding. Even though Coco has a strange litterbox habit, Michelle handled it unflinchingly.
Michelle provided a follow-​up letter and e-​mail when I returned. It was nice to see her Twitter updates while I was away, too!

Michelle is clearly an animal lover — she made instant friends with our cats — and is great for nervous pet parents as she is happy to send text-​message updates & photos. She’s nice, she’s responsible, the cats like her, and she seems to be less expensive than the other places I’d checked out.
What’s not to like?
Update: Michelle gets better and better. We’ve since had her watch the cats for over a week while we went to get married, and didn’t think to stop the mail. No problem: Michelle hauled up a bunch of packages that arrived, spent enough time with the cats that they’re perfectly happy, and sent a bunch of cute pictures to boot. And she suggested a different brand of cat littler that turns out to be considerably better than what we’d been using.

Pet City Sitters are wonderful! I have an elderly cat with special needs who also requires daily medications. I hired Michelle as a live-​in sitter during a two-​week trip abroad, and was taken by her friendliness, compassion, acute sense of responsibility and in-​depth understanding of animal behavior. She managed the cat duties effortlessly, and I returned to a clean and tidy home and a cat who didn’t seem to have missed me!
Be assured that your pet couldn’t be in better care than with Michelle and Pet City Sitters.