To think this cat sitting is a bit much to ask

[Italiawithflair]

Ndn is going on holiday in June. We have previously cat sat for her which only involved going over 1x per day to check that the food machine had dispensed of the cat's dry food. This was no bother and I happily did this for the two weeks she was away.

So ndn came over a couple of days ago and asked if I could cat sit again as she was going away on holiday this week. I thought this was rather short notice (4 days before she goes away) but said yes immediately as I like to help out.

Yesterday she came to tell me that the cat now only eats wet food and that I will have to go over twice a day, morning and evening to actually give the cat food rather than just checking that there is food I the bowl. This involved washing the cat bowl and opening the can with yucky content and Will take much longer than what I thought I signed up for. I am a bit miffed that this is more committed net than what I had in mind.

Is she bu to expect this sort of service without flagging it before and without telling me what's involved?

I will do it this time but please tell me how to decline politely in the future.

[pictish]

*put out

[grapejuicerocks]

I much prefer a reciprocal arrangement, then there is no guilt about asking.

Op, do it this time but warn her that next time she needs to find someone else.

[pictish]

Gosh you must be crap at tin opening if it takes you half an hour!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Arf at wet food taking to long.

they have ring pulls. It takes seconds

[Hassled]

It doesn't take ten minutes to open a can and dish it out - and the bowl won't need washing every time. I can see why you're annoyed - it's not what you thought you'd signed up to - but it's not as huge an issue as you seem to think. You can be in and out in moments.

As to what I do - I did rely on the kindness of friends but we go away a lot and I knew I was starting to take the piss, so now I pay a professional pet-sitter who has insurance and all the rest of it. I just factor the cost into the cost of the holiday.

[BertrandRussell]

Love the idea of pulling the ring on a can of cat food being "too much" for someone..........!

[AlternativeTentacles]

don't put yourself out that might take up to half an hour of your precious time.

Yes - it is the OP's precious time. Remember - it isn't actually her cat. Neither is it her responsibility.

[NameChange30]

Just because it's only 4 days before her holiday doesn't me you can't say no. Her problem not yours.

It doesn't matter what other cat owners do, it's not your place to tell her what she should and shouldn't do.

Why get so annoyed with her for asking when really you should be annoyed with yourself for saying yes?!

[Italiawithflair]

giles I have a toddler and a baby! I have no time to "sit on the toilet" in peace

[MistressChalk]

My friend asks me a month in advance to look after his cat. It involves living in his house for 2 weeks to feed her, play with her, cuddle her, scoop the menagerie of dead birds, mice and rabbits off the floor that she brings in. He lives about 3 miles away so it's an extra journey to work and his house is literally in the middle of nowhere. That's cat sitting, you are feeding a cat next door twice a day which you agreed to do. If the cat were still on dry food would you have no problem at all doing this?

[Sconejamcream]

Tell her you hate cans and will only use pouches!! And did washing the bowl!

[Sconejamcream]

And sod washing the bowl!!!!!

[tabulahrasa]

"A question to cat owners. How do you plan who looks after you pet when you go away?"

My neighbour comes in twice a day to feed and medicate (one of them needs medicine) and I do the same for her when she's away and my sister comes in to play with them every couple of days.

I'd check before booking anything though that my neighbour will be about to do it.

[NurNochKurzDieWeltRetten]

The best pet sitters are people with children of age 10 or so who aren't allowed pets - DD'S 9 yo friend lives "looking after" our rabbits, fish and mice when we go away and her lovely mum overseas while the dd does the actual feeding and playing etc - the mum says it's like having a pet for a week or so and as she's not going to let her DD have any kind of animal of her own she's happy to facilitate her "borrowing" some sometimes :o

Wet food twice a day is more effort than just checking a dry food dispenser is working - presumably your neighbor forgot that the change had happened since you last cat sat (though it's feeding the neighbor's cat not really cat sitting - my parents demand someone moves into their house with their cat and dog each time they go away!). Do it this time and say no because the wet food makes you queasy next time.

[Italiawithflair]

I said yes as I assumed it was like the previous cat sitting which was no bother. She only told me after I said yes that more is involved this time.

Of course I can be annoyed with her giving me us ch short notice. Why not?

I know I find saying no very difficult so I feel I have no choice. She comes across as demanding, but I a am push over too so of course I am annoyed with myself for not asking more questions and being more assertive.

[BeaufortBelle]

Food dispenser with two compartments both individually timed. They cost about £37.99 and would mean you only have to go in once a day.

I used to pay a cat sitter to come in for my cats then she put her prices up to £16 per day for the three of them. Now I pay a local responsible teenager £77 a week (usually rounded up to £80 or £25 for a weekend). They go in once a day for about 45 minutes at tea time, make sure all three are OK, change and wash up dry bowls, water bowls and wash up and replenish four bowls from two timed units that take wet food, pick up the post, move the curtains and switch off on a couple of different lights. They have the vet number and our number in case of emergencies and a lovely mum and dad just up the road if it all goes tits up

I wouldn't expect anyone to do this for me free of charge unless there was a neighbour with whom reciprocal arrangements could be made. There isn't.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

People with kids still manage to feed cats who live next door

I'd understand if they lived a mile away or you had to walk the dogs. But it's a can of cat food and 30 seconds of your time. You have built it up into ridiculous proportions.

[Seriouslyffs]

I get you OP.
It sounds like you've done something for her, and now she's taking you for granted- the short notice, and the wet food now twice a day etc. If you have a baby and a toddler nipping even next door is a big deal.

[quietasamouse]

I think it's just one of those things where some people don't mind and some do! It's obviously not right for you though, so you need to pluck up the courage to say how you feel when these kind of things arise.

She does sound like she's got you down as cat-sitter any time she goes away now, so you need to nip that in the bud now if it's not what you want.

[BertrandRussell]

I can understand that you're a bit miffed that it involves slightly more effort than last time. I really don't understand the short notice thing.

[BeaufortBelle]

And good quality cat food that comes in sachets doesn't reek to high heaven. Tear, squeeze, shut lid, throw away.

[MistressChalk]

But you said yes! Why say yes if it put you out to begin with that it was short notice? YABU, you can't be annoyed at someone for volunteering yourself but you've learnt a lesson for next time.

[Lovelydiscusfish]

I have to admit that I would not have thought to mention the change of food being used (perhaps this is wrong). My cats have fairly complex arrangements around feeding them, I guess, as one has to have a tablet, and a special medicated diet - but I wouldn't really think to explain the details before asking someone to cat sit, as I'd still see it as a very quick job just to pop in, dispense the food and pop out again. In retrospect, perhaps this is wrong of me, and I've been enticing the unwitting into signing up for duties they don't want, through false advertising!
Anyway, we tend to either have a reciprocal arrangement with a neighbour, or (what I prefer to do) we pay our cleaner to pop in - you don't have to worry so much what you're asking someone to do if you're paying them, either with money or by returning the favour. Your neighbour should do this in the future, though how you can tell her this in a polite, friendly way I've no idea!

[NameChange30]

"difficult so I feel I have no choice. She comes across as demanding, but I a am push over too so of course I am annoyed with myself for not asking more questions and being more assertive."

That's the crux of it OP. You just need to learn to be more assertive

Your first task: warn your neighbour that you won't be able to feed the cats next time.

Channel your annoyance into determination to do that