Cleaning up cat sick

[BerylStreep]

I try not to venture into AIBU too often, and have donned my hard hat in anticipation.

I came home from work today to find a note from my cleaner 'Cat has been sick in the landing' - I went upstairs to find watery cat puke on the carpet.

I was a bit that my cleaner hadn't done anything about it, but instead had left it to soak into the carpet for 5 hours until I got home.

I know it isn't a pleasant job to deal with, but I got a baby wipe and cleaned it up - it took all of 1 minute - I can't see why my cleaner couldn't do this. The cats are normally kept in the kitchen when I am out, so the only reason they were upstairs was because my cleaner had let them out.

Even if she didn't want to deal with it, a text letting me know straight away would have meant I could have popped home to deal with it (I work 5 mins from home).

I normally hate seeing threads by people moaning about cleaners, and generally mine does a great job, but aibu to expect her not to just leave it?

(P.S. the cat isn't normally sick - a very rare occurrence - so not a conversation we have needed to have before)

YANBU. I have been a cleaner and have had a cleaner. I would do it and I would expect my cleaner to do it. It's part of the job!

My dog does mine - get a dog ;)

And no, YANBU. I think.

Maybe she saw it as outside her remit.

Also maybe she didn't know how to clean it up?

I mean we would know, but if she doesn't have pets she might not know what you prefer to use,

I know it seems obvious but anyway, my first thought is it was just too disgusting for her to face

I'm not sure how I would feel if I cleaned someone's house and their pet went to the loo on the carpet, for another example...would you have expected her to deal with that, too? I mean clearly she should have let you know, but maybe she didn't realise it would need cleaning up sooner rather than later .

FWIW I'd have been annoyed too. I am v good at cleaning up cat sick. Our old cat when I was growing up was constantly throwing up. Every day sometimes. You get used to it.

Why do you keep your cats in one room for over five hours at a time?

Apart from that one point, I'm not sure on this one. You seem a fairly reasonable person but as Flightty said, if she doesn't have pets herself it might be big deal to her. I am a cat person but wouldn't like to clean up dog sick for example.

Umm if I was a cleaner I would clean up pet sick and poo. However I would point it out angelically and expect a little treat/bonus at Christmas for going the extra mile and being a great cleaner or some such!

Perhaps she thought you needed to examine it for diagnosis purposes.

Maybe she'd already finished and was on her way out?

I would have cleaned it up though...or just pretended I hadn't spotted it

How could someone who works as a cleaner possibly not know how to clean up a bit of cat sick?

I missed the bit about them being kept in the kitchen...it must be hard for the cleaner not to let them out though.

I'm not sure how she would manage that if she has to go into the kitchen.

Do you think she encouraged the cat to vomit just there? You know, in a sort of passive aggressive move.

I keep mine in the kitchen when she is in the mood to piss on the carpet. But she has access to food and water and cat flap so it's not cruel imo.

I disagree. I think YABU. I don't think it is part of a cleaners job description to clean up cat sick, it is not part of the usual domestic mess you would expect to deal with. Obviously if she has a job description and that lists cleaning pet mess then she is being unreasonable.

She should really have sent you a text, perhaps she was worried you would call her back and ask her to deal with it.

How do you keep the cats off the kitchen units?

Flightty, I think it's fine to keep cats in one room if they have a cat flap. i just worry they might be bored if they haven't!

Flightty, you are being naughty .

When I say the cats stay in the kitchen when I am out, it is a huge open plan kitchen leading on to a family room, but all of it is hard flooring, so not an issue for clean ups. They have loads of room, and scratching posts, food, water, toys, curtains to climb, stove to sleep beside etc.

I don't care one way or another if the cats stay in the kitchen when my cleaner is here, but I think if she doesn't want to clean cat sick from the carpet, she needs to keep them contained.

Anyway, I plan to leave a note saying if it happens again would she mind wiping it with a baby wipe so it doesn't sink in.

Vaseline WL or barbed wire.

LOL

actually my mum used to use lemon juice/lemon spray stuff. Apparently that kept the cat off the tops.

Cats off the kitchen units? I dream of the day when my cats don't taunt me by walking over the worktops.

They get sprayed with a water spray when they do it in my presence, but other than that I spend a lot of time disinfecting worktops and always using chopping boards. The up side is that we never have dishes lying out, so it gives an illusion of a tidy house!

I'm loving the Vaseline idea...I could watch them for hours