Catherine

I am a 65 yr old nonsmoking female who likes to lead a quiet domestic life. I am a homebody, enjoy simple vegetarian cooking and I love the company of a dog or cat. I consider myself house proud.
I enjoy keeping a garden alive, taking walks and love nature.

I am on my 61st sit and have many good references both with this profile and in the review section. The review section has more recent reviews.

I love the company of a cat or dog and they seem to love me too, so you can be reassured you will return home to a happy loved pet and a clean house.

At present, if taking care of a dog I need one who can walk well on a lead without pulling. I am known for my clean living habits. I love being near the water, enjoy music, reading and having a dance round the living room. lol

I grew up in Lindfield NSW and in my early 20's I moved to the USA where I raised 3 beautiful children. I lived in the US for 25 yrs where I designed jewelry and owned a jewelry store in Bridgehampton New York. After having some health challenges I moved back to my home country.

I returned to Australia in 2012 and housesat for 3 1/2 yrs (23 sits) till 2015. I settled in beautiful St Helens Tasmania where after landing a long housesit I decided to buy a block of land and have a little house built.

I have returned to the mainland as the health system is better here so I am housesitting whilst I decide where I would like to settle down.

I am very grateful to Aussiehousesitters and the many homeowners that have entrusted me with their abodes and loved animals.

I rejoined aussiehousesitters in 2017 which shows with my endorsements.

I have enclosed some references below. If you would like contact details for any of the references please let me know.
The Review section also has more recent references.

Please call me if you have any questions.
Cheers, Cate

1 a. Cate is a wonderful house/pet sitter.
Cate's communication is prompt, friendly and professional, and engaging her was a smooth process.
When we met Cate to introduce her to our 15yo cat, we immediately felt at ease and had complete trust in Cate's care for our cat and our home. She was confident and relaxed, yet asked sensible questions about medications etc.
Cate kept us up to date while we were on holiday, and we were able to completely relax and enjoy our time away.
When we arrived home, our cat wondered who we were! They had bonded nicely, and he was in great shape - well fed and a glossy, smooth coat from lots of brushing.
Cate left our house spotlessly clean and tidy.
Cate is highly recommended, and we'd have no hesitation is having her look after our cat and home again.

Jeff & Tracey Harrison
Byron Bay
March 2020

1b. It is with much pleasure to provide a glowing reference for Cate who has done stints (the longest up to 7 weeks) for us during the past few years. Cate has cared for our now 7 year old dog, including wash and regular grooming plus our 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home and garden. Cate was also allowed to drive one of our cars during her stays. On our return from various holidays all of our property was in perfect order, including the car plus a very healthy happy Kerry Blue Terrier dog named Taj. Cate has always been resourceful in getting unplanned issues done in our absence which has given us peace of mind.
Peter & Ann Wesley
Carine PERTH

2. Cate is a thoroughly reliable, honest and caring pet and house sitter. Last year she cared for our precious beagle while we were overseas for four weeks. She took him with her to the local cafes and in other ways indulged his particular needs, regularly communicating online with us and with photos. There was a nice meal awaiting us on our return and the house was as neat and clean as we had left it. We found Cate to be resourceful, thoughtful and kind with a genuine love of animals. She would be our first choice next time we need a sitter.
Leith April 2014, March 2018, December 2019
Graceville QLD

3. I turned to Aussie House Sitters, registered as a house owner, and drafted an ad. Then, I browsed through the list of sitters who would be available in my area during the time I would be away. Catherine's name bobbed to the top of my list, along with a few others. After exchanging messages, I felt that she'd be the right one for the job, and that proved correct.

I didn't have one second of worry about my house and cat while I was away for 3 months again. Cate kept me up to date with the antics of Minx, including sending photos. Minx was a happy, healthy cat when I returned home, which was just wonderful.

Cate also took good care of my house, so it was a treat to walk in after the flights from Europe, to a clean home. My garden pretty well takes care of itself, but Cate organised my local handyman to come in and deal with the weeds, and to spread mulch.

Cate has set a high standard for house sitters; if I can't get her next time I go away, she's left big shoes to fill. I certainly recommend her, you won't be disappointed.

March 2018: I have since been fortunate to have Cate sit with Minx again, for a six week period. She gave exactly the same excellent care to my cat and home, so once again I had a worry-free vacation overseas. I have no hesitation in recommending her to you. She's definitely 5 star material.

Yvonne
Atherton QLD & Myrtleford VIC

4. Vicki - Byron Bay NSW
Jan 2018 & November, December 2018
Cate looked after our property and our beloved cat for 5 weeks. I can not recommend her too highly. She kept in close email contact with us, regularly sending us photos of Charlee, reassuring us as to his wellbeing and contentment. We felt able to fully relax knowing that our pet was loved and cared for, and that our home was in good hands. On our return from overseas , all was well. Cate had looked after Charlee and our house as if both had been her own! We very much hope to be able to welcome Cate to our home again in the future.


5. Cate looked after our home and our dog for just over three weeks 1st - 24th October '17. She has been an absolute pleasure to deal with during this time. Cate left our home spotless and our dog very content. While we were away Cate kept in touch via email, even sending photo's of the dog. I cannot recommend highly enough for other people wanting a house sitter to undertake Cate's services, you will be very pleased as we are.
Mandy
Mitchelton QLD

6. To whom it may concern
Cate house-sat for us over a 3 week period in March 2013. During that time she cared for our 10 year old Ridgeback cross and our 7 year old Belgian Shepherd cross. She was required to walk the dogs daily, feed and care for the dogs, bring in the mail and generally take care of the house. She treated the dogs exceptionally well and took great care of them. This included giving them warm baths with organic shampoo!

We felt totally relaxed leaving the dogs, car and house in her care as it was clear that she was very reliable, honest and conscientious.

When we returned from our holiday the house was very clean and the dogs in A1 condition. Cate did an outstanding job and I strongly recommend her as a house-sitter.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Regards Jane
Mullumbimby Creek
NSW 2482
March 27, 2013


7. To Whom it may concern,
Cate looked after our house for 3 weeks. Along with the house, Cate did a wonderful job looking after our dog Gemma. We are sure she was spoiled rotten while we were away. We came home to a spotless house and Cate had even done a load of washing we left behind. Cate kept us up-to-date with everything going on with Gem, we were never far away via our email chats. If you want a reliable and tidy person to look after your place I would recommend Cate for the job. Our Gem is a big strong girl and was quite the handful for Cate, but she was walked and fed daily and I think they formed quite the bond. Kaleigh and I wish Cate all the best on future housesits...hopefully somewhere a lot warmer than Melbourne. Matt

8. To whom it may concern, Cate kindly house sat for us from Wednesday 19th September through to Saturday 6th October, 2012. We needed her to look after our 10 month old Staffy dog called Daisy and on fIrst meeting it was obvious Cate loves dogs. The whole time we were away Cate kept us informed about Daisy and how she was going without us. We arrived home to a very clean house and a very happy, healthy dog so it was a pleasure to have Cate stay at our house knowing she was home most days for company to Daisy and security for the house. I would have no problem in recommending Cate to sit a house for any of my family or friends in the future and wish her all the best with her travels in Australia.
Kind regards, Michelle
Mont Albert, Melbourne


9. To whom it may concern,
Cate looked after our home and basenji for a month, late 2012. It was the first time we had used the services of a house sitter and were a little nervous about leaving home and loved pet in the hands of a stranger. We asked her to arrive a day or so before we left and she was more than happy to do so. After meeting her, we were quite happy to leave and enjoy our holiday.

Cate is a kind, lovely lady and we returned to a clean home and a happy healthy dog. We would quite happily utilize her house sitting services again and would recommend her to others.

Rae & Tony
Lake Macquarie NSW


10. 22nd September 2012
Ashburton,
Victoria 3147

Dear Sir/Madam To Whom It May Concern

Cate looked after my house and dog, Eddie, for two weeks in September 2012 while I was away in Perth. I have a large recently renovated house in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

In seeking a house sitter, I was particularly concerned to get someone who would be responsible in looking after my dog and the property. In my initial contact with Cate prior to asking her to sit my house, I was pleased that she returned emails/texts promptly and arrived exactly on time to view the house and meet my dog. I satisfied myself that she had the experience and maturity to look after my house and felt that it would be in good hands.

On the morning of my departure, Cate arrived at the time agreed and the "handover" took place smoothly. While I was absent, Cate informed me by text of any significant phone calls or events that she thought I would be interested in.

When Eddie got a minor cut on his foot, Cate properly contacted me and she then acted responsibly in taking the dog to the vet and administering the treatment.

Cate looked after the house well and all was clean and tidy on my return. She collected my mail and newspapers and kept these aside for me. I was especially pleased with her ability to look after my dog and be firm with him when required.

I have no hesitation in recommending Cate for house and dog sitting.

Yours faithfully,
Bruce R