I have no doubt the cats were fed and watered properly - clearly the greatest priority - however there were a few issues pertaining to lack of common sense: 1/Keys not left after last visit. I was one day late in returning from my trip, but texted as soon as I saw they were missing. (I had no communication from sitter about forgetting to leave them, which would have not been a problem, and would have been a relief. Simply missing and unexplained is a problem.) Rita replied she was very busy and would drive up to the building and could I come down to the driveway to collect them. I also was very busy and exhausted from trip, and, after all, the error was not mine. Pushover that I am, said yes. Sitter appeared to be on the phone and there was a wordless hand-over. 2/Catfood tins were not washed before being put in my recycling bin. Recyclers require items be clean. Also, it's not sanitary to have food around, even if it's in a bin. I didn't specifically say so but tins should be cleaned - common sense. 3/Dirty silverware left in sink. No, sitter is not a dishwasher, yet take 45 seconds = common sense. 4/A small but full vial of catnip, and two new packets of cat treats were empty. True enough, my detailed instructions said nothing about how much to give, as I relied on sitter with knowledge of cats to work this out. A few treats, maybe two pinches of catnip is sufficient, and not necessarily every day - left it to the sitter's discretion. Neither is a meal, the treats package has instructions on it about how to use, etc. Three of the cats' many toys that I left on the catnip plate for their amusement were still there when I returned; made me wonder if they'd even been given any catnip as my cats, all cats throw toys about and generally make a small amount of chaos. Catnip vial seems to be gone - again, no problem, I wouldn't have kept it - just a small indicator of potential problem. One cat clearly spit up treats = too much. (I told sitter not to bother cleaning up spit-up - she's a sitter, not a carpet cleaner. Spit up not the problem, just possible clue of one.) 5/Quite minor: photos texted must be mandated by Rover, because those I recieved seemed to reveal nothing. One was of a plate. If there is a Rover rule I'd revise: send pics only when cuteness exhibited by pet, or to indicate some minor problem the owner can address, or when owner especially asks for them. I'd told sitter she might never see my timid cats but that if she did and was able to snap a fleeting sighting, that would be great, but no big deal. But if you don't see them, what's to record? 6/Why is Dunkin' Donuts cup with coffee in it and cover in my recycling? Rinse it out = fine. To sum up, but for the keys there were no staggering issues, so fine. Yet, the above show to me a lack of experience with cats, and basic lack of sense. I wondered if someone other than the responsible-seeming person I met was the one who actually looked after the cats, or, say for example, a family member filled in. I have no solid evidence of anyone helping Rita out, which again, I'd not be fussed had I'd been told of it at any point someone was, and the person knew what he/she/they was doing. In a sentence: Cat sitters must understand and hopefully like cats, and use good judgement.

Did a great job, all the animals were well cared for and she checked regularly to give updates.