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Original poster

Our cat feeder hasn’t been feeding our cats!

110 replies

CalmDownBoris72 · 21/12/2021 15:05

We’ve used the same person for about 4 years with what I thought was 0 issues. We go away for a week x5 times a year (normal times) to visit family and the place I’m from.

We’ve recently installed a video doorbell so get updates when someone goes in and out of the front door.

We left on Saturday and on Sunday the cat feeder turned up and spent 3 mins in the house. He hasn’t been back since!

I’m so shocked and annoyed that I trusted him. My poor cats. I always thought it was much nicer for them to stay in their own home and have someone come to feed and fuss them in their own home.

Luckily friends of ours have a spare key and have fed the cats yesterday and today. They’ve said they are happy to help until we get back too.

I need to write a message to tell him to F off but
In a less aggressive way. I hate confrontation but I really want and need to say something. We pay him a bloody day rate Angry

OP posts:
icedcoffees · 22/12/2021 08:54

I'm a cat sitter and I charge £8 per 15 minute visit and the vast majority of cat clients want two visits a day - I charge £15 for that.

I'm sure I'll be told that's extortionate but what I charge doesn't just have to cover my time. I have to pay business insurance, fuel, pension and cover my holiday and annual leave out of that, and make a profit on top. It's not comparable to what you'd earn in an employee position as all those costs (except fuel) are already taken care of by the employer.

That said, this man is obviously a lazy fucker if he's not been going in to feed your cats and that's obviously indefensible. I will say though that I have cared for cats in the past where I just go in, feed and leave because the cats don't want interacting with and will just fuck off once they've been fed Grin

Diana8 · 22/12/2021 08:58

@CalmDownBoris72

I texted him to see how it was going then he went in an hour after that, then replied. Ironically, 5 minutes after our friend so they almost met.

I’ve said we need to cancel so he’s dropping the keys through tomorrow morning. Once we know they’re there I’ll message him about him not turning up.

Re. The food, our cats are quite fussy and would only eat fresh out of the packet wet food, wet food that has been left out gets all congealed and dry so that’s what our friend had previously seen.

We got him from a company called paw shake although started to just use him directly which is when I guess the issues must have started.

I’ve no idea why he thinks he knows better than the Ring doorbell but neither that our the alarm motion sensor went off so he definitely didn’t come in and we know the exact amount of time he spent there- 3 minutes on Sunday and 5 minutes today. We pay £8 per day FFS.

£8 a day is a joke. Far too cheap. You used a company and then cut out the company and used him directly, probably to save yourself some money. You got what you paid for. Never stint on people that are
  1. Coming into your house when you aren't there
  2. taking care of children or animals.

I pay £19 a day for two visits. all they have to do is feed her and do her tray (and they report anything amiss in the house). They have a pet sitting company and are retired teachers. They have never let me down in ten years. Could I get it cheaper? I don't want to! They need to be paid properly!

HelloNope · 22/12/2021 09:03

Vet nurse of 15 years here, I used to charge £10 a visit and visit usually twice a day as most cats I looked after needed medication.

£8 is pretty cheap per day!

However, leaving them with a pile of wet food which is going to go dry and be horrible for them to try to eat is not on.
Can he not see that you've got a ring doorbell?!??!! Definitely have words with him once you get your keys back.

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Cats
Agapornis · 22/12/2021 09:09

I'm a catsitter, according to the contract I have with the company (Cat In A Flat) I have to send a daily photo/video update to the pet owner. I'm also not allowed to encourage clients to book directly (though some people decide they prefer that). Definitely report him to the middle company, even if this booking wasn't through them, he probably does this to other pets.

TangfasticsAreFantastic · 22/12/2021 09:19

@CalmDownBoris72

£8 for 5 mins is great I think, no one I know gets paid to commute to work and back!

He lives a 5 minute drive away anyway.

Hi online reviews are 5 stars, I think this is his main job.

If he's got such great reviews I'd hazard a guess to say he's totally swamped with work, not turning any of it down and is now trying to cut corners to get it all done.

That's by no means excusing it, but possibly an explanation.

I worried that our cat sitter wouldn't have time to spend with our cats as she's very popular and does lots of other pet sitting and dog walking but the woman's like a machine! One day she got to our house at 5am to sit with the cats for 30 mins and feed them, etc. Cats didn't know what had hit them as they're firmly in the land of nod normally at that time!

HarryBlackberry1 · 22/12/2021 09:28

This sort of thing really disgusts me. When our dog was a pup we found out our dog walker hadn't been coming in to walk her. She was charging us £200 a month. I later found out that this woman has a reputation for doing this kind of thing, and took loads of dogs on to fund her lifestyle. Maybe I should have questioned why she was driving round in a £50,000 Mercedes. Ironically, her Facebook pages were full of photos of her as a doting dog lover. Makes me mad.

Dilbertian · 22/12/2021 09:29

@sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea

Really, really wouldn't recommend petpals. We used them once to dogsit for a week. Came home to an absolutely trashed house, furniture moved all over the place, drawers rummaged through, etc. I could kind have coped with that, grim as it was. What we found out later was that after the 3rd day, our neighbour was so worried about our dog that he took her in for the rest of the week. Turned out the professional sitter had been feeding her bird food (I really wish I was making that up). So we paid the sitter £500 to have a holiday in our house, trash it, and not even open a tin of pedigree chum.

I did contact petpals. They were 'very sorry'. That was as much as I got from them in response. I would have chased it up, but the vets bills were rather more pressing at the time.

That is also appalling! You have had a really bad experience with them and I'm not surprised you feel that way. All I can say is that my experience with Petpals has been completely different.
curlymom · 22/12/2021 09:41

Wow unbelievable. I look after friends cats for free. If you lived near me I would do it. I love animals and the more time I spend with them, the better I feel. Please get rid of the lazy guy after you get keys back

DumplingsAndStew · 22/12/2021 09:52

Oh thats awful. I would be heartbroken if this was my cat(s).

If we go away for a night or two, I'll just leave him with some food. Up to a week a friend or their teenagers come and feed twice a day, and often use the house to get some peace and quiet whilst giving him some attention. Anything a week and over, and it's the cattery.

I'm so sorry your trust has been betrayed like this. Cats definitely due lots of snuggles when you get home.

alienbaby · 22/12/2021 09:58

This would really piss me off. 3 minutes isnt enough to check for signs of illness/injury, check that cat flap is working, etc

AnotherOneWithNoGoodName · 22/12/2021 10:08

Did you pay him in advance?
I'd be furious. Poor cats.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 22/12/2021 10:10

Oh my God I would go absolutely ballistic.

AyeOop · 22/12/2021 10:13

@Hope478 how can someone just forget to feed a pet? I'd be wrapping the plant round their neck
I'd be fucking livid OP, it's cruel & lazy
Your cats could have decided to wandered off to find food
I'd change the locks and really rollock them

ScaredOfOverDiagnosis · 22/12/2021 10:18

I really don't like cats.
However, I leave a bowl of food out once a day in case there is a stray that needs food.
It's not about not liking cats.
It's just being a nasty piece of work.
A normal person would not let a plant starve let alone a cat.

Hope478 · 22/12/2021 10:18

[quote AyeOop]@Hope478 how can someone just forget to feed a pet? I'd be wrapping the plant round their neck
I'd be fucking livid OP, it's cruel & lazy
Your cats could have decided to wandered off to find food
I'd change the locks and really rollock them[/quote]
I'm sure you didn't mean to tag me in this, I'm equally baffled about someone forgetting to feed a pet/do their damn job

beenthereboughtthetshirt · 22/12/2021 10:46

i would change your locks.

what else has he not been honest about..

beenthereboughtthetshirt · 22/12/2021 10:47

p.s i would look after your cats for free. I just love em. so cute.

acatcalledjohn · 22/12/2021 12:52

We had one who did the same. Paid a professional pet sitter for two visits a day, after we got back the neighbours kindly pointed out she turned up once a day. So we simply stopped using her.

Now the neighbours and their kids feed the cats. They spend time with them and entertain them for a bit. They love doing it, we come back to happy cats and we pay the neighbours for doing it.

billyt · 22/12/2021 15:29

When my daughter and SIL are away I go and see to their cat.

I send them a photo every time. Not because they think I won't go, but because they miss the furry pest Grin

WhatAHexIGotInto · 22/12/2021 16:58

This is such a shit thing to do to your pets!

I found out that my dog walker wasn't walking my dog (for £15 a day) when my friend was parked across the road from my house making a call and noticed that she went into my house and came back out less than a minute later and drove off. DDog's lead was always moved from where we kept it, so it looked like she went into the hallway, moved the lead and just left straight away.

Original poster
CalmDownBoris72 · 22/12/2021 17:02

@Diana8 it’s actually exactly what we pain him with pawshake Hmm thanks for assuming the worst though! Everyone is the same price, it’s the going rate where we are.

OP posts:
Original poster
CalmDownBoris72 · 22/12/2021 17:03

The cat flap is this one, www.amazon.co.uk/Mate-Elite-Microchip-Timer-Control/dp/B009GODTTK?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

OP posts:
Agapornis · 22/12/2021 18:32

Ignore the people who say you should pay lots. I charge the minimum fee (£10) on the platform I use. It's not my full time job and while the money is nice, I do it because it's nice to hang out with cats and rub bellies.

PestoSugarPlumFairy · 22/12/2021 19:07

Whatever you pay is irrelevant anyway. The pet sitter agreed to look after the cats for that amount and he hasn't. I'd be fuming 😡

Winniemarysarah · 22/12/2021 23:56

@PestoSugarPlumFairy

Whatever you pay is irrelevant anyway. The pet sitter agreed to look after the cats for that amount and he hasn't. I'd be fuming 😡
I agree. I don’t get all these posts justifying her cats being neglected and starved because he apparently wasn’t happy with the price they agreed upon. If the pays too little then you say so, you don’t take the pay and then leave animals to starve