to ask friend if she is going to pay my teen for cat sitting

? You saw her today didn't you?

Yes, well my pet company do all that too. You must live somewhere very expensive because we have quality care at £10.75 per visit. I think £200 is a lot to pay a teenager to do those jobs. So you may find your friend agreees and prefers to pay a professional company next time. I think £100 is sufficient but clearly you don't so just get your teenager to speak up and ask for more next time, before she does the jib.

For £20 a day we get a professional pet care company coming in to see to our cat when we're away. They don't just feed her but spend time with her, play with her, groom her and feed our fish too. I wouldn't be paying a teenager the same price as a professional carer especially considering the child is just feeding the cat. £100 is a decent amount considering you were also partly doing it as a favour for a friend. Op, tbh you sound very money orientated and a bit grabby. You don't charge friends the going rate.

I actually think for a teen that's decent. Unless it cost her loads to get there? Professional cat sitters near us charge £20 a day.

That’s really good news. I hope it was a good amount!

It’s good you didn’t have to ask her

I don't pay and never have done. I bring something nice back. But then I don't ask children to feed my cats and adults don't expect paying.

If I was paying i may as well book a professional cat sitter not just a friend.

Who would expect this for free, unless you'd previously mentioned your teen loved cats or wanted some experience or something, 20 visits is loads and a lot of effort... I suspect she'd assume when she asked that you'd say "she'd love to and happy for a tenner a visit" etc to set the rate and when you didn't she became a CF and thought she'd get away with it.
A good way out would be to say maybe;
"Oh I didn't give you teens bank account details did I"
"Oh gosh I realised we didn't agree a rate before you went away, teen was just working out her clothes budget and wasn't sure what to factor in from your pet sitting?"

I wouldn't blow up the friendship over it, I'd just play on social awkwardness and make her be the one to either pay or awkwardly go "oh no, I'm not paying I wanted it for free"

It's Friday today. It's hardly a long wait.

I have voted YABU for not asking in the first place.
Maybe she specifically asked you, a friend, if your teen would do it as she didn't want to pay someone this time. I don't know who the teens were that did this for her in the past but as you are friends maybe she was hoping to save some money by not having to pay a proper cat sitter or a teenager who does odd jobs. Yes this is absolutely cheeky, but maybe she thinks she can return the favour at some point for you (and therefore avoid any costs).

you’re just waiting till Friday because you’re too embarrassed to sort it NOW. You owe it to your child to get this sorted. The longer you wait the more awkward it becomes. Just send a text now. Plenty of good suggestions for text have been made here. Copy one of them. She needs a reminder that it was your child cat sitting, not you (who’s always done it for a free).

I see this thread is on Facebook now so I wouldn't be surprised if the friend has seen it.

Maybe she is waiting to see you and give you money for your DD? I hope so anyway!

Ans also its not just the physical time and the travel... It's the fact it's a commitment... And a pretty heavy commitment... I wouldn't want to have to commit to a 20 min around trip twice a day except on an emergency.

So the daughter is then tied to not being elsewhere /doing homework /hanging out with friends...

Did you refer to it as a job in this text?

If so it's kind of obvious she expects to be paid

This happened to me twice as a teen/young adult- both babysitting jobs that I never got paid for. Pisstakers.
I was like you OP and embarrassed to ask but do yourself and your daughter a favour and learn how to communicate assertively. It gets easier the more you do it and you will grow on self esteem.
you have had lots of good suggestions for wording but something along the lines of a text that says ‘Dear friend, we should have discussed this upfront but DD and I had assumed the cat sitting was a paid gig. Here are her bank details. Looking forward to our coffee Friday!

I’d mention it with the facts. It wasn’t a one off-favour. You’d expected minimum wage for doing it, not 20 visits for free.

10 minutes each visit not including travel = 3 hours 20 minutes. Minimum wage is £7.55ph. She should pay at least £25. That is £1.25 per visit which is shockingly low and no cat sitter would ever charge that little!

What teen would volunteer for a 10 day, twice a day job for nothing?

This meant she was tied plans wise for 10 days.

Any person who would assume it was free is a tight disgrace and there is no way they would get away with using my child like that.

Happy to accept £60 for her child but nothing for yours for a much bigger longer job.

If that is the case, she's NO friend.

Shes a user that thinks you are a mug who would allow her child be used.

OP, it is hard to believe that you are making this all about you and your awkwardness.

I would have too much respect for my daughter, too much regard for her to allow such a ridiculous situation to drag on.

Your daughter made 20 visits, you drove her.....she should have been paid immediately.

The modelling you are doing to your daughter is frankly shocking.

I'm mortified for you, that you wouldn't see how genuinely awful this is.

Your daughter did a great job and you allow her to be treated like this by a so called good friend?

Good friend my arse.

I wouldn't tolerated this and most mothers wouldn't either.
They would get the hell over themselves and spell it out to their so called friend.

She was expecting to be paid and you are embarrassed that she hasn't been paid promptly for her efforts.

I am sick of young adults being disregarded and messed around when they do a good job.

It would sour the relationship for me.
But then I definitely am more loyal to my children than friends.

Now you are going on about paying your daughter money you don't have?

Unbelievable.

Apologies if this is harsh but you need to give your head a firm wobble.

This life lesson is worth its weight in gold. And one you have also just learnt. Work=Pay and find your voice.