I had to be away for 5 days and I needed someone to look after my cat. After consulting Yelp, I phoned Pattie of Critter Sitter. She came to the house to go over things with me, get the keys she needed, meet Jasmine, her charge for the few days, and see what else I needed. My initial reaction was positive. I felt Jasmine was in good hands when I left.
Each day Pattie came, she sent me a text with a photo of Jasmine and she let me know how she was doing. She didn't just feed and go. Part of her way of operating is to spend some time with the pet, something I'm sure Jasmine cared about because she had been alone before.
Now that I've found Pattie, I will use her services again when I go on anticipated trips.
For this trip, I learned that Rule #1 is always to consult Yelp before making a decision. Rule #2 is don't forget rule #1.