Paws and Claws Pet Service

I guess cat sitting isn’t their thing.
I met our cat sitter prior to when we would be away. The meeting felt rushed, like she had somewhere better to be but I went with the company anyway.
During the meeting I showed her where the food was, where they eat, how much to feed them, etc. I confirmed that I could receive email or text updates while I was gone and she said she often sends picture updates, this was really the selling point for me. I do worry about my cats when I’m gone, they’re my fur babies!
Prior to leaving I left a reminder check list, where the food is, how much they eat, and several people to contact if something goes wrong.
Our second day of being away I still hadn’t received any update. My first concern was, she didn’t show up (because how would I know if she did?). So I texted asking how things went. Things were fine, so I was told. I thought me prompting for an update would indicate that I would like to be more in the loop. I didn’t receive another update until we were only a few hours shy of being home that my cats were doing well. After being gone 5 days with only one update. I’m pretty sure I can wait because obviously what’s done is done at that point. But thanks I guess?
Once arriving home I saw my cats had NO WATER in their bowl. Their water bowl sits between their food dishes… how do you miss that it’s completely empty? Not only does that mean it was never changed (as indicated on their website, it’s changed daily) no water was even added to it. On top of them having no water they were completely over fed. My cats never leave food in their bowls, they still had half a bowl each and my months supply of cat food was down to about a day and half left of feedings. So she fed my cats at least three weeks worth of food in one week. My cats didn’t eat much for about a day and half.
I really wanted this service to work out, it would have been an ease of mind to know I had someone to go to but I wouldn’t recommend this service for cat owners. I’m hoping to find someone who IS a cat person and who knows how to properly care for animals.
I’m giving two stars instead of one because my cats didn’t starve. If you book this service, expect your sitter to disregard your instructions and give a shit less about your animals.

I used this service once for my cat — it was fine, though I never received updates while I was away, nor received a daily «report card» that accounted for what happened during the visits.
I was willing to give it another shot, since my cat was healthy and happy upon my return, but I never got a response when I tried to schedule another visit by contacting the company (via email and then via the website). I have moved on to another company.

Paws and Claws is a life saver! They set a meeting beforehand to get to know you, your pets and their routines. I have had nothing but great experiences with them. Paws and Claws not only takes care of your animals but will take in your mail and water your plants. I even get photos of my two cats texted to me while my husband and I are away. It’s completely relieving knowing that my girls are in great hands.

I sent through a request on their website for service. No response. Then I called and left a voicemail. No response. I sent an email and requested to set up a consultation, which they responded to but then never responded specifically about my request to set up a consultation. If they are this disorganized I would never trust them with my animal. There are better sitters in the Madison area for sure.

I hired Paws and Claws to care for my cat. I confirmed daily TLC visits by email. We were on a cruise for 5 days, when I got back to port I had no status texts as I requested. I contacted the owner and was assured that all was well and she would have the sitter get me an update. I didn’t feel good about it, so I had my condo building manager check on my cat. The sitter had not been by the entire time we were gone. Cat was out of water, papers piled up. It was really abuse of an animal.
After I told them to return my key, I get were so sorry text. I don’t know how you were left off the schedule.
Don’t use this service.

We had an unfortunate experience with dog sitting over the holidays. The sitter they sent was not appropriate for my active dog’s needs. Regardless, we left home and the sitter fell ill while we were away. Nobody contacted us from the service. Instead, my neighbor contacted me and took care of the dog himself. I returned home for one day between trips and had a car left in the middle of my driveway blocking the garage! When I left again the sitter assured us she would be fine for the remainder. While we understand falling ill on the job, she went to the hospital a second time on this last leg of our journey. Again, we weren’t contacted by this agency. We only heard back from our neighbor about what was happening at home. This lack of communication has been disconcerting at best and meanwhile the dog has been lost in the shuffle. We are lucky we have such good neighbors because we wouldn’t rely on these folks. Suffice it to say we will not be using this service again.

When we moved from the state of Oregon, I engaged Paws and Claws to walk my Dad’s elderly dog 4 times a day, 7 days a week. They are so dependable and timely that they put my Dad (who has dimentia) at ease. Holidays, snow storms, you name it, dependable and on time. We have worked with Jenny, Hillary and Becca. Becca and Hillary even followed my Dad out to Middleton (when he moved from downtown Madison) and continue to walk his dog. I just can’t say enough good things about the girls. Hillary has also taken care of my dogs, and my sisters and we trust her implicitly.

Paws and Claws has provided reliable, affordable, and flexible service over the several months our household has been using their service. We were looking for a trustworthy local dogwalker for regular midday walks for our young puppy, and after asking around and looking at reviews online, we met with Nicole of Paws & Claws. She was friendly and professional, as she continued to be after we hired her service. Even in those times where our schedule became inconveniently unpredictable, the Paws and Claws team were able to respond flawlessly every time. We also really appreciated the note they left after each walk, detailing how it went, what «business» had transpired, any any other neighborhood dogs they had met up with. Overall, Paws and Claws comes highly recommended, they served wonderfully as a critical piece in our residential day-​to-​day operation.

I have used Paws and Claws several times while I was away for my three kitties and have always had good service. They come over for a meet and greet before the first visit and document all neccessary information about the pet (s). Good communication, conscientious, and professional. Highly Recommend!