To not want to look after my sisters 4 cats?

The messages asking where you were when you're not at home would do it for me! . She sounds extremely anxious and high maintenance. However, she does you favours as well. I would only agree to a very slimmed down set of rules about special diet cat. The rest of them will have to muddle through. Plus, eventually you'll finish at university and you might not have all this time. I don't think this is sustainable in the long term. I used to do house and cat sitting for a relative when I was at university but couldn't do it when I started work.

You sound an extremely nice sister to give up 2 weeks a year for the past 5 years to tend to her cats, plus put up with messages criticising you for leaving the house 😮 I definitely wouldn't, so maybe you're a much better sister than me. I would say now if you don't want to pander to the 4 different lists of instructions. She has 7 months to make other arrangements.

I'm a cat lover and I have three cats. YANBU - your sister is taking the piss. She should arrange and pay for 'cat sitters' or put the cats in boarding.

I feel the same tbh, I'd never choose to do it and risk upsetting our two.

I don’t think you are being unreasonable NOT to want to do it at all. However after reading your posts about the lifts and stuff and the fact she’s your sister and you sound close… if it were me I’d just suck it up and do it as it’s a nice thing to do for her. It sounds bloody annoying yeah but I do think it’s nice that she can rely on you and trust you. It must make her feel so much better about going away and it doesn’t sound like she’s taking the piss as such, it’s more thoughtless if anything. She obviously loves the cats so doesn’t see it as a chore like the rest of us would. So yeah you definitely aren’t being unreasonable but i would do it. Sometimes we just put ourselves out for family members, she’s your sister and maybe down the line she can return the favour in an other way 😊

Just tell her the truth. That you’re not comfortable having to care for 4 cats, all with differing needs. That it’s too much responsibility and she’ll need to make alternative arrangements. If she counters, saying oh, but you agreed, point out that was on the basis of 2 cats only.

or adding to my post, can you have an agreement that you will do the special requests but you don’t want to stay in all day with the cats and she will have to accept you are there for feeding times and to sleep over but during the day it’s up to you where you go

So at first I thought your sister was unreasonable but I do think this seems like a fair set up, with all the facts such as you not having a job (being at uni though) no DC, she gives you lifts and she also buys your food for the week when you stay.

However if you really don’t want to continue looking after the cats, you don’t have to. Just say no. You are under no contract too, but just understand she may not offer lifts anymore.

Looking after four cats is usuallty not much more work than one, the problem is the special requests. If only one cat has issues could it go elsewhere and you just look after the straightforward cats? If they all have issues then i agree its too much.

You could just say when you are there your rules apply. All cats have to abide by cat X's curfew. Sensitive stomach cat eats in another room but all other cats eat together and share food as they see fit.

I am a massive cat lover, but there’s no way I’d agree to look after someone else’s on a regular or extended basis unless they lived literally two minutes away. Your sister needs to own her life choices- she needs to either put the cats in a cattery when she goes away, or pay a professional sitter, or stay at home and look after them herself.

Definitely not unreasonable to say you won’t do it any more. May is plenty of time for her to make alternative arrangements.

Oh dear. That's a lot of cats!

If you have already agreed to one holidy could you do that one and maybe broach the subject slowly of pulling back from this unpaid job in the future. You've saved her years of money so far. Could you do some of the holidays but not all? Maybe four cats would be OK if you only looked after them a couple of weekends a year vs several times.

4 cats normally, is no different to 2 really.
It's not like dogs where you have to walk them and pick up shit and they jump all over you.

So in normal circumstances I wouldn't mind at all BUT she is making it an issue with the notebooks of instructions for each individual cat, fuck that.

A cat is happy with a warm radiator and a packet of whiskas.

I take it just popping in a couple of times a day isn't an option?

I think with the lifts, it's fair.

Just have a think about the big sister / liitle sister vibe though (if it applies). She can track you on the app like your mum. She ferries you about at times like a mum. You babysit the little kids, I mean cats, at times. If it's all nice family dynamic then fine. If you get the impression over time that you don't feel like an equal adult, then quietly disentangle a bit if you can.

Honestly, with the favours you describe and her feeding you for the fortnight, I'd probably just tell her that four is your absolute limit and you won't be feeding them all separate diets, but then I'd suck it up.

If she dropped you an hour journey (guessing 2 hours for her as she has to drive back) once a month, didn’t charge you Petrol then I think fair enough to look after the cats for a week a year. But why are you paying her petrol money if she’s not paying you when you help her out?

Does she feed you when you stay over for the week, fill the fridge for you?

You've no need to feel guilty about this.
You agreed to look after two cats.
She didn't include you in the decision to get another two cats, she's the one changing the situation, not you.

Hmm - bearing in mind your update about lifts, I think if you refuse to look after the cats, she might well be a lot less willing to run round after you in her time off. So I guess it's how much you would miss her doing these favours for you. If you do do it, and mention a couple of times that four cats is a lot more hard work than two, then it might feel that she is returning a favour rather than doing one for you.

I still think she should fork out for microchip cat feeders though.

Sounds like the real issue here is the attitude and treatment of the cats. We had cats when I was growing up - we out down food twice a day and they had a cat flap. Almost zero effort involved and the cats were very happy.

Do you pay petrol?

Just read that she ferries you around as you don’t drive yet - how often does she give you lifts?