How much would you pay a teenager to feed 2 cats for a week?

[Mellowyell292]

He lives in our street, would need to visit twice a day. No litter tray to change. What's the going rate? He's 15 and we're in the Midlands (if that makes a difference!).

I'd say £5 a day is very reasonable

@Mellowyell292
Why the box of chocolates? Teenage boys have zero interest in boxes of chocolates.

Why not pay the kid actual money?

If it's a favour then don't pay him.

If it's a job then forget the box of chocolates and pay him appropriately for his time, his commitment, and the level of responsibility involved.

£30 is too little.

My DD does cat sitting for my upstairs neighbour and doesn't even have to leave the building. She cleans out the bowls, digs out the litter box, plays with the cat, gives fresh water and a little pouch of wet food, and new dry food. She also cleans up any fur balls, puke, accidents, etc. For this she gets $100 a week. She also does cat sitting for the cats of her friend's family. She walks to their house, lets herself in, checks the house looks undisturbed, cleans food bowls, gives fresh water, digs out litter boxes, plays with the cats, checks there have been no little accidents away from the litter box, checks for fur balls, cleans as needed, and locks up again, for $100 per week.

I’d pay £10 a day, so £70 for the week.

A week, as in 7 days? Got your be £50 then. £30 would be too little. pp said to hire it costs £15 per day. I do it for 2 friends, for free.

We did £5 a day and I'll also pick up a small bit of chocolate or something on the way back

£30?
Shame on you. You wouldn't get 2 days for that, if you hired someone @ £15 per day.

but they're just putting food in a bowl?

It's a bit more than that. OP is entrusting her entire home to this lad and is too cheap to even pay him a fiver a day.

Speaking as a cat sitter, it's a pain in the arse doing twice daily jobs as it's just disruptive. You have to get up early everyday regardless and then plan your evening around going back there again.

I set my own rates of pay so I can make it worth the inconvenience, but most teenagers won't have the guts to say "not for that little" and will end up being taken advantage of.

This is a 10 minute job at most and only twice a day and only walking to a neibours house. If we are being pedantic £30 is the equvalent of £12.84 an hour which is almost 3 times the minumum wage for under 18s.

Some of these posters suggesting £70 for week must live in an alternative middle class mumsnet world. I know grown adults who would love the chance to make £30 for a week to feed 2 cats.

I agree. As I said in an earlier post if it’s literally just feeding and washing the bowls and making sure there’s fresh water it takes a few minutes for each visit. It’s still more money than I earn if it’s worked out per hour.

I like to keep our local teen keen, so I'll be paying £100 to cover 1 week (14 visits), plus one other overnight (2 visits). That is to feed and fuss 2 cats, plus watering the garden if the weather is hot.

They are reliable and trustworthy, plus they live on our street, so parents on hand for back up/keep an eye. The way I see it we are trusting them with the security of the house as well as the cats, so worth paying for the reliability. Plus still much cheaper than a cattery (which the cats would HATE as they are nervous types)

It's not just about the fact that it's "a few minutes per visit."

It's getting up early everyday for a week, and interrupting your evenings everyday for a week as you need to be around to feed the cats.
It's having the responsibility for the cat - what if he turns up and it's sick or injured, or escapes out of the door and runs off?
It's also having full responsibility for someone else's home and belongings, including the security of the house.

I work as a pet-sitter. I make over £100 a week if I'm doing twice-daily cat visits.

Why do think people should give up their time for such a pittance?

Realistically it’s not 10 minutes to get your shoes on, exit and lock your house, walk to another house and unlock, wash cat bowls get food out, wash and refill water bowls, have a quick check on cats and lock up and return home. And that’s the absolute minimum without sorting out upended bowls or fussing the cats. And you’re paying for the inconvenience of having to do that twice a day. Professional cat sitters are generally not making a fortune and they charge a lot more than £2 a visit

You charge £100 per week for putting out cat food?

I think the danger in paying so little, OP, is that next time you want to go away for a week's holiday that the teenager will be 'busy'. Really - for the sake of another £20 is it worth having someone feeling resentful about a week of inconvenient visits to your house? It IS inconvenient to visit someone's house twice a day at regular times. It interrupts any plans the teen may want to make with mates. I can tell you that my teenager would be looking at the £30 you paid him after a week of this and thinking, 'Nah - not doing that again'.

£30 doesn't buy you much these days and to most teens it's probably not worth the hassle for a week to earn that.

No. When you do a job you're paid from when you arrive at the job. Not from when you put your shoes on.

Presumably you’re also expecting the parents to step in and arrange and transport your pets to the vet if necessary?

I’ve never been in a job that has paid me for getting ready to leave my house and walk there. My children stick on some flip flops and head out, it takes 30 seconds. I’ve worked minimum wage jobs and have spent half an hour getting there plus need to look presentable and clean plus pay for fuel. The kids can go in whatever scruffy kit they’re wearing.

i do agree if plant watering is involved then you should pay more as it’s tedious and more time consuming.

Yep, and that's on the cheap side. I know pet sitters who charge double that.

And it's not just "putting out cat food", is it? It's feeding cats, making sure they have clean water, sorting their litter trays out, giving them fuss and attention, grooming them if necessary, giving medication if necessary and keeping an eye on the owners' home while they're away. I also bring in mail and water any plants, and will take the cat to the vet if necessary.

Two cat visits a day is about an hour of my time once you include travel. I have to make enough money cover my business insurance, fuel costs, pension contributions and annual leave, as well as make a profit. Doing twice-daily visits also means I have to get up early to sort the cats before I do my daily dog walks, and that I can't make evening plans without making sure I have time to go and sort the cats out.

All my clients are MORE than happy to pay my rates and most leave me a tip as they realise that I do a lot more than "putting out cat food".

No actually, that might be true for a full days work at a fixed location but call outs you are often paid from home. And often there’s a minimum rate as it’s not worth someone’s while to get paid for 10 minutes. It’s a bit like asking an employee to commute into work to take a 10 minute phone call, no employer would expect that. It’s just taking advantage

Yeh, but you're an adult professional. We're talking here about a teen that doesn't have to clean up the litter tray
I'm not talking about your job.

Fair point but this is a neighbour in the same road not really a commute.

Anyway, I have no pets so am obviously out of touch, but no wonder people say that pets are very expensive to keep.

It's not just a case of popping in to feed a cat though is it? He'll be responsible for the security of your property. And if your cat falls ill will he be expected to get it to a vet and pay the upfront fees?
This is why I pay a professional sitter. But really in this scenario any less than £10 a day is taking the piss. I know my teen wouldn't do it for any less.

Well, you were talking about my job, weren't you?

Your post literally asked whether I "charged £100 a week for putting out cat food", lol.

I do a lot more than that. The responsibility is no less just because the person doing it is under eighteen.