Laura  (July 2017)

“If you want cat lovers to take care of your cat, Mark and Maria are it. From day one, I knew that they would provide the utmost care, love and respect that animals need when their owners are away. Our communications were very easy, pleasant and smooth. When we did finally meet to go over all the details at our house, they were instantly adoring Menue (our 9 year tabby) and payed more attention to her than us! Ha. I loved that and it put me at ease that she would be in good hands.

And boy, was she ever. We were only away for 3 days but Maria stayed at our house, brought her own cat toys and gave her plenty of love. I could see that Menue was content with all the pictures Maria sent. And before she left, she went the extra mile to make sure we had clean sheets to come home to and the house was cleaner than when we left. If you hesitate to contact them for your next vacation, you are missing out. I’m going to call them right now to book again!”

Christin & Alex, Berlin, Germany (August 2016)

“Maria and Mark were our very first live-in cat/house-sitters and the experience was far above and beyond what we expected when we first started thinking about doing this. In fact, I fear that we (and the cats!) might now be a little spoiled for any future house sits!

They took perfect care of absolutely everything and our cats not only could remain within their usual routine at home but also enjoyed meeting truly cat-enthusiast, kind, and considerate people (as did we!) who brought lots of new and exciting cat-toys with them.

Maria and Mark are nothing short of cat-specialists and very organized, professional house/pet sitters. They did a great job communicating specifics about the house-sit and the timeline beforehand and took the time to meet the cats and get to know their usual routine before they stayed with them.

Our boys are certainly not very low maintenance and Maria and Mark spend countless hours taking wonderful care of them during our holiday: brushing Mephisto’s teeth (who has a gum infection), putting up their cat-balcony every day, keeping-up with their clicker training, chatting with them about their day, introducing new toys during many many play sessions, brushing their fur, cuddling with them, and just caring for all their needs. They even removed a potentially hazardous fungus from one of our plants which had been growing unnoticed so far!

Maria also sent daily updates with pictures and videos of our cats and our holiday was very relaxed knowing that Mark and Maria took such incredibly diligent and affectionate care of our boys. We came home to two happy cats that clearly had enjoyed their holiday as much as we did and to an absolutely spotless apartment.

Maria and Mark, thank you so much for everything! It was such a pleasure meeting you guys and sharing our boys with you for a little while – we hope to see you again soon, as do Jon Snow and Mephisto (who is still looking for his mouse-toy !!”

Anna & Mat, Munich, Germany (July-August 2016)

“Mark and Maria are truly outstanding pet (cat specialist) and home sitters.

They have an in depth understanding of cats and their behaviour and do everything to make your cat feel at ease. Your pet is their priority and nothing is too much trouble for them – cuddles, playtime and grooming are all part of the sit.

We needed Maria to visit the vet whilst we were away and not only did she do this, she also asked lots of questions and got as much information as possible to help us make decisions. We felt Mark and Maria cared for and loved our cat as much as we do.

Maria was great at staying in touch, sharing photos and videos of our cat and It was the first holiday where I’ve not worried about my cat at all – I knew she was being extremely well looked after.

They are completely trustworthy, reliable, organised and very clean. We returned to an immaculately clean home and the garden had also been looked after. We cannot recommend Mark and Maria highly enough. They are both wonderful, caring people and we hope to see them again in the future”

Daria, Milan, Italy (July 2016)

“It was my first experience with house sitting and I must confess I was a little bit worried. After meeting Maria and Mark I just wonder why I didn’t use this service before, instead of bothering family and friends! We meet via Skype to settle the respective requests and rules where clear on both side since the beginning: it was my first house sitting so they help me think about the information I was supposed to provide as well as the information should be important to know as house owner.

My cat just felt in love as soon as he saw them. Usually he is shy and frightened with strangers but Maria and Mark won him over in few minutes. During their stay they sent me whatsups and photos to update me on the cat or other issues related to the house. He is spoiled (i.e. he wants to eat dry food just from people hands!) and they manged him perfectly. When I came back the cat was just fine, maybe I little be bored I was back! The house was actually clean and tidy: better than when I left.

Maria and Mark are trustworthy people and I would recommend them to anyone.”

Aine, Dublin, Ireland (June – July 2016)

“Maria and Mark were an absolute dream as a petsitters to my cat Ava. They are super organised and I felt confident that all would go well right from the first Skype call. They take great care before the sit to ensure they have as much information as possible about the pet and the home and that does make a big difference. I was away for a month and I never worried once about Ava (the cat – who I adore!) because Maria sent warm whatsapp messages and photos that tole me Ava was ‘happy as larry’! without me!

They kept her entertained with toys and games and managed to wean her off her addiction to ‘treats’ without her even noticing. Maria and Mark are extremely knowledgeable about cats and were able to work with Ava’s quirky personality.

In terms of the the house I can honestly say that it is in cleaner now than when I left it (and I thought I was house proud!). I spent a day with Maria and Mark on my return and it is clear that they absolutely treat the pet and the house as if their own – in the very best sense. They lavish love on both and it is really lovely to see. When I came home Ava was still referring to Maria and you could see the bond that had built up between them.

They are gems, I feel lucky they visited and furious that the Irish weather will probably put them off ever coming back again! Because I’d have them back in the morning (please, please!!).”

Antje & Robert, Wuppertal, Germany (June 2016)

“WOW! Maria and Mark really made a great job!! This was our first time we got the opportunity to get a house sitter of this Website [referring to TrustedHousesitters, where they found us] and we were really more than happy. Both of them weren’t faced with the easiest location here in the woods, and the weather was simply terrible here for most of the time – anyhow we knew from the very beginning, that we made the right choice to get Maria& Mark to look after our Cats, Fishes, Chinchillas and all the other creatures around the house here. The first Skypecall a while before our holidays confirmed that the “chemistry” would definitely work for us – from both sides.

All the preparations they did before the arrival, assured us that we wouldn’t forget anything to explain how things work here – as our house is really old (build 1833 in the middle of a forest) there were a lot of little things and tweaks to be explained.

Really everything worked out perfectly – sure we borrowed them our car – got it back with full fuel tank – they looked as well after our plants – even in the greenhouse, they survived thunderstorms and permanent rain for nearly two weeks, and even informed us online about all detail going on here. This all made us feel totally secure and calm about our cats and all the rest – SIMPLY THANK YOU Mark& Maria!!! Hopefully we get the opportunity to see you soon – regardless where – we would really like to book you for our next holiday if possible and promise to organize better weather :)))”

Hannah & Dominic, Battle, UK (March 2016)

“This was our first experience using Trusted Housesitters and it’s hard to believe we could have chosen better sitters than Maria and Mark to look after our home and cat.

They were extremely professional, informative, warm and reassuring and put our minds completely at rest by sending regular photos and messages during our time away. They made a big fuss of our cat Poppy, showing her genuine love and attention – she was clearly very taken with them. On our return the house was immaculate and they had even made us a delicious meal.

We would not hesitate to recommend them extremely highly and we would love to have them back again.”

Gemma & Simon, Staffordshire, UK (January – February 2016)

“From the outset Mark and Maria have been a pleasure to deal with and we would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone. We have five cats which is quite a handful for anyone, but they went above and beyond to look after our little ones and made sure they were happy, settled and stimulated with play whilst we were away for six weeks.

We came back to a clean and well cared for house, with our cats all very happy. In fact, our most nervous boy Fergus has completely changed in personality – before he was timid and clingy, and now he comes for fussing, is playful and even likes to sunbathe on the patio which was unheard of before! It’s clear Maria has spent many hours giving him the confidence boost he needed and we are so grateful.

We also have another cat who needs medication every few days and this was handled brilliantly too. They kept good communication with us at all times, and sent updates with photos whilst we were away which was great for our peace of mind. Having never had house-sitters before, we had obvious reservations, but if you are considering Mark and Maria then relax, because your home and your cats are in very safe hands. Highly recommended and wouldn’t hesitate to have them back again – so thankful for their efforts.”

Geert & Maryse, Ghent, Belgium (July – August 2015)

“Maria and Mark were wonderful cat sitters! They did not only take care of our 3 furry boys, they also gave them lots of love and joy by playing and “talking” with them. We did get updates with pictures and they made us feel even more relaxed on our holiday. They took care of the little issues our cats had without worrying us and just solved it with our vet.

From the first minute we met, we felt that Mark and Maria would be ideal for our cats and house. And those expectations were even exceeded. The house was perfectly cleaned and cared for as well, the garden was trimmed, the fridge was fully stocked and there were even flowers to welcome us back home!

We can only recommend Mark and Maria for the periods we ourselves are not on holiday, as we hope they always want to come back to cat sit for us :-). They are such responsible, lovely and caring people that we feel they were not just cat sitters but good friends doing everything in their possibilities (and I can assure you that is lots!) to make our cats and us happy.

A million thanks for all you did Maria and Mark. We hope to see you soon! And the cats very much too!”

Sue, Arezzo, Italy (May 2015)

“Mark and Maria took great care of my 17-year old blind, and very special, little girl named Anna. They were supposed to watch 2 cats, but Kati, Anna’s sister, had gotten sick and I had to have her put to sleep while Mark and Maria were there. She had been sick for 6 weeks, and everything was uncertain, but Mark and Maria arrived anyway and were willing to take care of her should she get well enough for me to travel.

That being said, I was reluctant to leave Anna since the two girls had been together almost 17 years. However, Anna was well taken care of by my trusty pet sitters. I received pictures and texts almost on a daily basis. She was pampered just the way she expects!

Everything at the house was in good shape and we had no problems. They are very trustworthy people and I would recommend them without hesitation.”