I see these guys walking dogs all the time, and maybe they're good at that. But, seriously: worst…read morecat sitter EVER.
I hired BPLC to take care of my cat for an entire month. I had previously used them for short trips, and it was fine, but for a long trip, I really wanted to make sure my cat got some playtime and stimulation. I paid $580 for my cat to receive a 30 minute visit every day.
I was asked to leave written instructions. I typed them up and left them near the door, and also emailed a copy to Elizabeth, the coordinator.
Since I knew my cat was shy and might not come out the first few days, I bought a bunch of big, new toys (collapsible cubes and kitty tunnels) and left them near the instructions. I specifically said "If the cat doesn't want to come out, please put these toys out, and just rearrange them each time you come so she'll have a new landscape to play with when she's alone." I also left a battery powered Bolt laser toy that will run for 15 minutes after its button is pressed, and I suggested, obviously, that the catsitter press the button before leaving.
After I'd been gone 5-6 days with no update from the catsitter (I think an email after the first visit is pretty standard, to let the person know the sitter was able to get in, etc.), I emailed and, after waiting nervously for a few days (I was abroad without a phone), I got a reply that didn't actually mention seeing the cat. After a few more emails, Elizabeth said that, no, the sitter had seen no sign of the cat. I suggested sitting on the couch and reading a magazine for 15 minutes -- the cat always comes out once people have been sitting still for awhile. No response.
After a few more days, I got a friend from the neighborhood to stop by. She reported that the food bowl was full, but took a cellphone photo of all the unopened cat toys still in their packages, the Bolt untouched, and of the food and water bowls filled up NOT the way I said in the instructions: the guy had left huge amounts of wet food rather than a tiny plop on top of the dry food (that's as much as she'll eat at a time) -- the way he was doing it, the wet food would run out wayyyy before I got back. Not cool.
Those cat toys? Would've taken two minutes to put them out, and two *seconds* to push them to a new spot on the floor each visit.
Now that I was suspicious, I emailed the building manager. Fortunately, management at my building (20 Exchange - read my review, I am by no means an unpleasable person!) is excellent.
Since the catsitter has to check out the keys from the front desk, the manager was able to look in the computer and tell me how long the sitter had stayed each visit -- 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 12 minutes, etc. NEVER all 30, and I NEVER got any confirmation that the sitter played with or petted the cat. Probably because he didn't follow instructions, and ripped me off by not staying the amount of time he was supposed to.
As a final insult, one service BPLC says it offers on its website is watering your plants. I asked in the instructions that one tiny bamboo plant get watered. Of course, I came back to a dead bamboo plant.
This service will keep your pet alive, but that's about it. Did they send an illiterate person to my house who couldn't read instructions? Maybe someone who doesn't know English? I was afraid my cat would go insane from lack of contact or stimulation, and that made it pretty hard to enjoy my trip. I returned to the country furious.
If you're a cat sitter, it's your job to sit on the floor for awhile and try to earn an animal's trust. If you're not willing to do that, don't offer a catsitting service. This guy did about half of what I hired him for. I'll be happy when they refund half my money, and bring me a new plant.
Next time, I'll hire someone who actually likes and cares about cats.
