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

209 replies

Mellowyell292 · 23/07/2022 16:36

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!).

OP posts:
Cervinia · 24/07/2022 14:46

I would definitely pay £10 a day for two visits, ask that the bowls are washed out and water replaced and the cats get a little stroke if they are around. It's a lot less than the cattery.

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 14:49

I pay a professional agency £8 a day for doing this and that includes them changing the litter each day. They also have their petrol costs to cover themselves etc. Some of you must just be loaded and have no idea of money in the real world.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 14:58

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 14:49

I pay a professional agency £8 a day for doing this and that includes them changing the litter each day. They also have their petrol costs to cover themselves etc. Some of you must just be loaded and have no idea of money in the real world.

Is that for two visits a day or one?

I don't know a single pet-care professional that charges £4 a visit, that's not even minimum wage.

Mellowyellow222 · 24/07/2022 15:03

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 14:49

I pay a professional agency £8 a day for doing this and that includes them changing the litter each day. They also have their petrol costs to cover themselves etc. Some of you must just be loaded and have no idea of money in the real world.

I hate these types of real world comments. We all live in the real world!

honestly if you can get a pet sitter to come to your house twice a day to feed your cat and change the litter for £4 a visit that is absolutely amazing. As I said up thread it’s £12 a day for one visit in my city.

where do you live and would you mind sharing the name of the company? I am really interested of you recommend them?

Mellowyellow222 · 24/07/2022 15:09

@FitAt50 I have just done a quick internet search and the cheapest I can see is £8 a visit, and that price list is a few years out of date.

honestly you are getting an amazing bargain - please do share😊.

Cascais · 24/07/2022 15:12

£10 per day

FridayiminlovewithRobertSmith · 24/07/2022 15:18

Live in London teen on my road offering to do this for£20 a week. If we needed someone I’d have paid it. Wouldn’t pay £50.

Tillow4ever · 24/07/2022 15:23

I'm gobsmacked at this post - it's been eye opening to me. I've looked after friends and neighbours cats multiple times for free. I'd never even considered charging them! To me it's just a neighbourly thing to do and it's 5/10 mins twice a day.

There was one neighbour who had 2 cats - they didn't get on so they put one cats stuff in their en-suite upstairs, and the other in the kitchen. I had to make sure the door was always shut. There were no cat flaps, so I had litter trays to deal with too (and one of the cats used to do really, really runny shits and always seemed to perch on the litter tray to do it outside of the tray for me to clean out - probably in protest to the situation! He was also a really nasty cat who attacked everyone for no reason) and despite all that I'd never have accepted payment for doing it.

We have a cat too, but we rarely go away so it's not as if we are doing tit-for-tat in terms of cat sitting.

My two youngest sons (10 & 14) absolutely love cats and beg me to come with me/let them do stuff for the cats - I like to think when they're old enough they'd cat sit for their friends/neighbours without wanting payment for it.

If I were the OP I'd look to find a friend or neighbour with cats too that you could do cat sitting for each other, if they don't want to pay out for someone to do it. Otherwise, I'd probably think around half of what you'd pay a professional cat sitter (because they won't have tax, insurance, etc to pay on top of it) would be a reasonable rate for a teenager looking for a bit of cash in hand.

Itsnotwhatitlookslike · 24/07/2022 16:57

@Mellowyell292 has good points @Tillow4ever Good of you to help out free of charge but a teen shouldn’t be expected to do it for free.

“this isn’t a favour between peers, or helping out an elderly neighbour in need.

it’s probably not even minimum wage - if you include the time take to wash the cat bowls and fork, replace the water, stroke the cats a little if they are home.

m it’s important that even at a young age kids learn the value of their time - and that other people will sometimes take advantage.”

ShrillSiren22 · 24/07/2022 16:59

@Tillow4ever your neighbour is absolutely taking the piss expecting you to do that. Cheeky bugger.

Westfacing · 24/07/2022 17:04

£50 sounds reasonable - it's quite a responsibility coming in/out of your house twice a day, and you what him to be happy doing it.

When DS was around 12 he did this over a weekend and was paid £10, and that was 30 years ago!

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 17:27

Honestly @Tillow4ever , your neighbour is taking the piss out of you.

SammyScrounge · 24/07/2022 18:14

I paid £70 for 5 days care. The girl came twice a day to feed the cats and she also stayed a while and played with them.
It was worth it because she loved the cats. When she was little she used to sit on my wall and pet them. When she was bigger she never passed them by without petting them
She is only 15 but I knew she could be trusted absolutely. That matters a lot so what does a few quid matter?

Mellowyellow222 · 24/07/2022 18:29

@Tillow4ever i am an adult so of course I wouldn’t charge a neighbour for the favour I the same way I would babysit for free.

but we are talking about a teen. Very different.

cheapest I know in my area is £12 a visit. There is a painter who claims she pays a company £4 a visit - but I really don’t understand how anyone is making money from this!!!

I agree you should pay less than a professional service if its a neighbour. But OP is proposing £2 a visit. You still need to respect the effort and shouldn’t have expect favours from neighbouring teens.

TwoBlueFish · 24/07/2022 18:32

I pay £50 for the week, 2 visits a day.

We used to use a cat sitter who charged about £14 a day for 2 visits so half that seemed about right.

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 19:59

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 14:58

Is that for two visits a day or one?

I don't know a single pet-care professional that charges £4 a visit, that's not even minimum wage.

Minimum wage is per hour. It does not take an hour to put out some cat food and change the water.

caringcarer · 24/07/2022 20:10

£40 for week plus a small gift upon return.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 20:24

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 19:59

Minimum wage is per hour. It does not take an hour to put out some cat food and change the water.

You didn't answer my question - is the £8 for two visits a day or not?

It may not "take an hour to put out some cat food and change the water." but you're forgetting all the other factors involved in providing pet care in someone's home. My minimum charge is £8 for 15 minutes, or there's no point going to the job.

If I charged £4 per 15 minute job, it might technically be £16 an hour, but it's impossible for me to do four visits in an hour as I need to travel between
clients. So, you're probably looking at two 15 minute visits per hour - which would be an income of £8 per hour. Well below minimum wage before I even think about paying for fuel, insurance, pension contributions, money towards saving for sick days, time off, emergencies, tax - and all that before I even think about profit so I can pay my actual bills.

If I had an income of £8 an hour, I would probably make £5 an hour after expenses. Do you really think adults can survive off that?

Mellowyellow222 · 24/07/2022 20:39

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 19:59

Minimum wage is per hour. It does not take an hour to put out some cat food and change the water.

So it’s one visit a day then?? Why not just say that?

it’s still a good price for where I live - but don’t pretend it’s the same as what OP is asking if the teen. She is asking £2 per visit - you are paying £8 per visit.

LemonSunchines · 24/07/2022 21:13

You sound miserly OP.

NeverHadANickname · 24/07/2022 21:17

Ratched · 23/07/2022 18:24

I'd say £50 sounds right.
I pay my catsitter £14 visit, she only comes once a day. For twice a day, it would be £25. So, £175 for the week.

I'd snap anyone's hard on for £50 😁

🙈😆🤣

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 21:56

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 20:24

You didn't answer my question - is the £8 for two visits a day or not?

It may not "take an hour to put out some cat food and change the water." but you're forgetting all the other factors involved in providing pet care in someone's home. My minimum charge is £8 for 15 minutes, or there's no point going to the job.

If I charged £4 per 15 minute job, it might technically be £16 an hour, but it's impossible for me to do four visits in an hour as I need to travel between
clients. So, you're probably looking at two 15 minute visits per hour - which would be an income of £8 per hour. Well below minimum wage before I even think about paying for fuel, insurance, pension contributions, money towards saving for sick days, time off, emergencies, tax - and all that before I even think about profit so I can pay my actual bills.

If I had an income of £8 an hour, I would probably make £5 an hour after expenses. Do you really think adults can survive off that?

My comment was not about you it was about a 15 year old neighbour. My cat sitter comes once a day but changes the cats litter, food, water, takes a pic of them and updates us each day.

JePréfèreLesChiens · 24/07/2022 22:07

FitAt50 · 24/07/2022 21:56

My comment was not about you it was about a 15 year old neighbour. My cat sitter comes once a day but changes the cats litter, food, water, takes a pic of them and updates us each day.

So once a day then.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 22:19

So your sitter comes once a day, in which case £8 a visit is reasonable.

Why not just answer with that in the first place? 🙈

Mellowyellow222 · 24/07/2022 23:02

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 24/07/2022 22:19

So your sitter comes once a day, in which case £8 a visit is reasonable.

Why not just answer with that in the first place? 🙈

Beciase it doesn’t help make the point that the rest of us live in a middle class bubble and not in The real world like @FitAt50 😂😂

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