Waynesville North Carolina

Hi there! I'm looking for a cat lover to look after StellaMae and my 10 chickens. Stella is a formerly feral, rescue who can still be a little shy at first. She is quite independent, but LOVES to be brushed. No worries if you haven't cared for chickens. It's easy.

No worries either about the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene. My house, neighborhood, and Waynesville at large are doing really well, and Asheville is coming back on line daily.

My car could be available for this sit, but I would need a ride to and from the Asheville airport which is about 45 minutes away.
There are no Ubers or taxis from here. I'll need to be there by 3:30pm on 2/11 and picked up at 4pm on 2/23. No need for rides if you are not using my car.

I always have done an in person hand off both coming and going as I find this really helps my critters. Plus, I like to give a complete and thorough walkthrough before leaving, so you're entirely comfortable with everything, but I've just lost my elderly dog, so perhaps an in person hand off on the front end is all that's necessary now. We can discuss.

For this sit, I'd like you to arrive by noon on the 11th, so you can meet StellaMae and the hens and get comfortable with the house and your sitter duties.

Let me know if you're interested in caring for Stella, the chickens,, and my home so we can set up a video chat.

I have fifteen, 5 out of 5 stars reviews on Trusted House Sitters with a number of repeat sitters.

The house: 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1450 sq ft, modern cabin/cottage with a tin roof in beautiful Western North Carolina, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. 20 minutes to downtown Waynesville and 35 minutes to downtown Asheville.
Very quiet, secluded, country home with a great deck and a fantastic view. There is also a backyard fire circle with tons of seasoned wood at the ready. I have a well equipped kitchen, new high end queen mattress on the sitter's bed which was formerly the master bedroom, A/C, heat, Starlink wifi, NO TV (I watch Prime and Netflix etc on my laptop or iPad). No smoking inside or out, please.

Responsibilities: First and foremost: daily loving care of pets and home with the pets being the priority. :-)

All animals fed or otherwise tended to 2-3 times a day, morning and evening and maybe once in between.

Be sure chicken water buckets (2) are clean and always available, calcium as well. In the winter, the heated water buckets will be plugged in so the water doesn't freeze.

Clean and fill the two outdoor waterers daily or as needed.

Let chickens out to free range daily and make sure they are all back inside the coop every night and gate to run is shut. I have an automatic door on the coop that will open and close on its own allowing them into the large run.

Scrape chicken poop board daily into the poo bucket every morning (takes less than 2 minutes) and collect eggs daily.

2 wild bird feeders filled when needed. 2 Hummingbird feeders cleaned and refilled every 5-7 days, summer only.

Water the indoor and deck plants as needed.

Bring in the mail every few days and send me a photo of anything that looks important.

Regular communication with me regarding pets, house, mail etc.

Garbage/Recycling will need to be taken to the Convenience Center a couple of miles away.

Keep home and decks clean, clear of possible snow/ice, and tidy throughout your stay and please leave everything as you found it.
ENJOY the view and the serenity of the mountains!