The Cat’s Meow

Chelsea is amazing. On her initial visit she went through a full sheet of information, asking about our cats’ eating habits and times, medications, toys and other things I’d never thought of! During our trip she sent long texts with detailed information and photos every day of our kitties. Our male cat, Max, is a little shy around new people but warmed up to Chelsea right away (which is pretty amazing!) She also cleaned up a puddle of water in our basement without us asking. We will definitely ask her to watch our kitties again!

Chelsea is professional, quick to respond, keeps in great contact while you are gone and best of all, our cats are healthy and calm when we get back from our vacation.

Where do I begin? Chelsea is incredible! I almost don’t want to share her! ;) I have asked Chelsea to watch my kitty, Brooks, so many times in the past year I can’t even count. Right off the bat, Chelsea started out asking questions and taking notes about his eating habits, his health, his nearest vet, etc. and I was amazed by her professionalism from the start.
A few examples for why Chelsea is so wonderful:
— I was gone for over two weeks over the holidays and she came in every other day to watch Brooks, play with him, brush him (which he loves), scoop, check food/​water and just hang out! I got back and the litter box and his food area (as well as my living room ;)) was cleaner than when I left. I can’t tell you how nice that was to come home from a long day of travel to such a clean kitty zone ;)
— Chelsea sends updates from each visit! I LOVED that she sent several pictures of Brooks for each of her visits. I was so grateful that she took pictures so that I could see his happy little face when she was playing with him. I would brag and show my friends how awesome Chelsea was and how happy I was to find her in Portland
— I can tell she puts the kitty first! She went above and beyond in what I expect every time :)
Thank you, Chelsea, for watching Brooks and he’s looking forward to your next visit! :)
Kim

I don’t usually do Unilocal reviews but I really wanted to for Chelsea. I had arranged quite a few weeks in advance for her to watch my two cats a week around the Christmas holiday. At the start of the inquiry she was very prompt to respond, answering all my questions and confirming the dates were open. My husband was wary about a stranger coming into our house, but Chelsea made us feel completely comfortable. She quickly responded to my email letting me know that she’s both insured and bonded (since early 2013 — this info is also on her website), but was also willing to provide proof by scanning and emailing us her documents, and would provide references. She came to my home first to run through a list of questions (most I hadn’t even thought about) and walked through the daily feeding routine with my cats. I should mention that one of my cats is sick and she was careful to understand his specific food requirements and medicines. After that first visit she followed with a very thorough email listing all the information to make sure she got it all correct. Then a couple days before we were going to leave my cat took a turn and after a trip to the vet I made the decision to cancel my trip and stay home with him. I felt bad having to tell Chelsea because I hoped she hadn’t missed out on another client due to my booking. She couldn’t have been more gracious or understanding, mentioning concern for my cat and not asking for a cancelation fee (which I would have gladly given her — but I think I had canceled before her required notification period).
Even though she didn’t actually get a chance to watch my cats I highly recommend her and will use her in the future. She’s very sweet, responsive, kind and professional, and her business deserves to grow and be successful in the Portland area.

We found Chelsea shortly after moving to Portland. We didn’t know anyone here and needed someone to take care of our two kitties Liz and Maybe while we’re away. Chelsea is a gem! She clearly loves kitties and made sure to take lots of notes prior to her first visit. It really puts me at ease when we’re away knowing she is checking in on them. She sends me text updates and pictures everyday. We have used Chelsea’s services several times now and I wouldn’t think of going with anyone else!

I found Chelsea on some petsitting board or other… I don’t really remember. I am just delighted that I did find her. One of my kitties was diagnosed with diabetes in June 2015 and I knew I had to find someone other than the random friend/​neighbor to make sure he gets his shots twice per day on time when I am out of town, as well as someone experienced enough to know when things aren’t «right»…as cats love to hide their symptoms! Chelsea had just moved to Portland from the Bay Area and I *knew* I needed to get on her list of regulars before she booked up. There are so many cat lovers in Portland, and not enough professional cat sitters! Chelsea came over to meet my kitties and took copious notes on her personally designed checklist (I think it was 4 pages long?). We sat and talked for about 90 minutes about everything to do with my kitties. I have since had Chelsea take care of my kitties 4 times, and will never call anyone else! She plays with them, texts pictures and updates, and keeps their dishes and litter boxes clean (as well as the floors around the litter boxes). Twice per day I know I will receive a detailed account of her visit, and once she needed to call and ask about something my cat was doing that concerned her. I know she won’t skimp on visit time or call off at the last minute, as this is truly her calling and her career. She is a rare find and you’ll be lucky to make it onto her client list before there’s no more room!

I found Chelsea here on Unilocal and she totally delivered. From the first meet and greet with the kitty, I could tell she was a cat enthusiast and my guy was in good hands. She was very professional about getting all of the details straight beforehand and being sure things would go smoothly while I was away. I also appreciate how intimate the business is so I can reach out to her easily and get a quick response. I have used cat sitting services in the past that were larger companies and it becomes corporate without the individual attention you’d like. While I was away, Chelsea sent me detailed recaps of how each visit went along with some photos. The personal attention and care is really appreciated. Getting updates about your cat while you are away is the best peace of mind. I have had some bad experiences leaving my cat in the hands of others in the past, so finding a sitter is not something I take lightly. Chelsea is a real professional and I feel that my cat is in great care with her.

We were heartbroken when we heard that Chelsea was moving from the Bay Area to Portland, but our loss is Portland’s gain. Chelsea has been our favorite cat sitter by far! She has always been incredibly responsive, responsible, and respectful of our cats and our home. We always come home to happy cats and a house that more or less that looks exactly like how we left it. Chelsea has always been incredibly professional and kind when making arrangements around picking up and dropping off keys, even with our crazy work schedules. We trusted Chelsea so much that we just ended up giving her an extra set of keys that she always kept so that she’d be ready to go whenever we needed cat sitting.
Most notably, Chelsea was amazing during one of our longer trips where one of our cats ended up getting sick. This cat was ironically the one that didn’t have cancer and didn’t need medications, and it would’ve been very easy to ignore her. However, being a consummate caregiver, Chelsea made sure to check on her and discovered that she was very ill and hiding. Chelsea was very responsive in contacting us, getting our baby to the vet, and then helping to make arrangements to transfer our baby to the cat hospital so that she could get emergency care. If it hadn’t been for Chelsea’s attentiveness and amazing care, we would not have been able to come home and say good-​bye to our baby in her last moments. We will be forever grateful to Chelsea for that, and we will miss her very much.

Ok Portlanders, lucky you, Chelsea and The Cat’s Meow is now in your area!
Chelsea is by far the best cat sitter I have ever used, in my 30 years of using cat sitters. Chelsea has a real affinity and love for cats. She takes the time and patience to understand each and every one of them in her care. She also understands cat parents and how protective of our kitties we are. My current brood of 4 run the gamut — shy to gregarious, can’t eat fast enough to a picky eater. Chelsea works wonders with all of them. And those daily updates with pictures let me know my cats are happy and content. And when I get home they are so calm and well adjusted, it’s like I never even left. I completely trust her in my home and with my cats and cannot recommend her enough.

My husband and I are SO thankful for Chelsea. She’s been our cat sitter for over three years and we trust her with our home and our pets. She keeps our home immaculate, and the cats seem super happy with her. I think she brushes them and plays with them more than we do! She updates us daily with pictures and anecdotes so that we know our cats are content. We’ve had previous pet sitters who couldn’t even send us pictures of the cats because they would hide whenever the sitter came in — but they loved Chelsea right away, which really put us at ease (and is unusual with our cats!). I highly, highly recommend her! You will not be disappointed, and will likely continue to use her services for years to come.

Unilocal needs to add 5 stars and a PLUS for anyone that is more than 5-​star and that is Chelsa and Cat’s Meow. I went through a few cat sitters before I found Chelsea. My 2 cats are generally afraid of everyone and I had learned that one of my PREVIOUS cat sitters had never even SEEN one of my cats over an entire 2-​year period because the cat would hide under the bed!
After I found that out, I looked for someone else to care for my cats when I was out of town, and I found Chelsea and switched.
Sasha, the paranoid cat, CAME OUT FROM UNDER the bed on Chelsea’s very 1^st visit! She is dedicated to cats and her love, compassion, and quiet nature was felt by the kitties and made them feel safe to come out and play/​visit with her. When I was away, Chelsea updated me with photos and notes about how they were doing I had COMPLETE trust that they were in the BEST CARE out there!
Her services are worth every cent.
~Debra
& Sasha, & Bodhi (my 2 feline friends)