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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to fire my sisters pet sitter while she is away (surreal conversation)

199 replies

FeelingSmurfy · 26/03/2017 12:37

My oldest sister is abroad and has hired a pet sitter to look after her cat, she left my phone number for her in case of emergency. I've just had a phone call that went like this -

Me: Hello?
PS: Hi, it's Jenny (not real name)
Me: Jenny?
PS: this is FeelingSmurfy isn't it?
Me: Yes, who is this?
PS: I'm the cat sitter
Me: Oh! Right! (panic sets in) is everything OK? My sister only left yesterday, nothing has happened has it?
PS: no, the cats are fine
Me: phew! Well...
PS: Oh I just called because she hasn't left any breakfast for them
Me: really?? Have you checked the cupboard next to the sink?
PS: no (she goes to check) no its empty
Me: she must have left food somewhere, I will come try to find it
PS: well she left their dessert on the table, I just can't find the breakfast
Me:.... Dessert??
PS: yea, cat jelly, I didn't even know cats had dessert
Me: (realising what's going on) do you mean the x food that says chunks in jelly?
PS: yea, weird or what
Me: that's not dessert, that's the food, just give them that when my sister asked you to
PS: for their proper food? Even though it's jelly??
Me: Yes
Me:Comes off the phone and hits my head against the wall

I still can't quite believe what happened. She told my sister she had cats growing up and has been a pet sitter for 4 years so has lots of experience looking after cats. I'm not entirely sure what to do now, because I've told her how to feed them and I don't know whether to leave it or get in touch with my sister or cancel the pet sitter and find a new one/try to sort it between my other sister, me and parents

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
DagenhamRoundhouse · 27/03/2017 17:42

Cat dessert? It wasn't chocolate mouse was it?

IvyLeagueUnderTheSea · 27/03/2017 17:43

I keep my girl's water in a glass by our bed. That way she thinks it's our water which is obviously best.

AnnoyedinJanuary · 27/03/2017 17:43

Is there also a cheese board and some nice port for after?

hungryhippo90 · 27/03/2017 17:45

Im sorry, this topic is going to be the family conversation over dinner this evening.

wow. cat dessert.

as a pet carer myself, im shocked that someone can lack the basic common sense to know that would have been cat food

Natsku · 27/03/2017 17:46

Have to admit, I had a cat for two and a half years before I realised 'cat milk' wasn't from cats Blush

SapphireStrange · 27/03/2017 17:57

Cat experience aside, she just sounds a bit thick/lacking in initiative/both. Wouldn't you, if you were Confused at the idea of 'cat jelly, just, you know, pick up the pack and read the ingredients?

Klaphat · 27/03/2017 18:11

I wouldn't feel happy paying someone who has so clearly bullshitted their way to the job.

Dizzy199 · 27/03/2017 18:20

I'm with OP on sacking her, she clearly doesn't know what she's doing! She's supposed to be a professional, it's not like it's NDN teenager doing it as a favour.

If she is that unfamiliar with cats I would be worried about her ability to tell if they were ill or hurt. This could turn into a complete disaster.

OP I'm not sure saying your DSis is worried about them being lonely is a good idea, it makes it difficult for her not to pay her if she decides she doesn't want to seeing as she has blatantly lied to get the job

pollymere · 27/03/2017 18:25

Maybe her cats were fed home cooked stuff like bits of chicken so she's no real understanding of cat food? Cat food when I was growing up mostly came in tins full of brown muck or dried shapes. Give her a day or so and see how it goes...

EachandEveryone · 27/03/2017 18:36

Well I got home last night to see my cat sitter had mixed half a packet of dreamies into her dry food.......

My cat was happy enough so I'm not complaining and she'd been emptying the litter tray it was spotless. I'm not going to say anything.

fatchilli123 · 27/03/2017 19:07

Oh um oh dear
Maybe she, meant she has been sitting on cats for four years. Your sisters needs to know sorry. Poor cats

Wickedstepmum67 · 27/03/2017 19:42

Oh dear! How old is the 'sitter'? Just picturing testy cat sitting there giving her that special 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way (with claws)' look. 😾

Littlelegs19 · 27/03/2017 19:50

😂😂
Just getting my DS to sleep and I just woke him up as I burst out laughing! She can't be serious, surely?!

Dearlittleflo · 27/03/2017 19:55

This is hilarious.

She sounds incredibly thick. However, does she really need to be intelligent to be a cat sitter? Now you've explained about the food, what's the problem?

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 27/03/2017 19:56

I'd be worried about what she'd do with the litter tray.

ShowMeWhatYouGot · 27/03/2017 20:08

Cat Dessert! GrinCake

AIBU to fire my sisters pet sitter while she is away (surreal conversation)
AIBU to fire my sisters pet sitter while she is away (surreal conversation)
Bellebullerebelle · 27/03/2017 20:13

Bless her, she sounds lovely! You'll have to get her a nice present for her 6th birthday ;)
I might be the only one though that thinks 'at least she rang to clarify'! She could have just given the cat a tin of baked beans and a bowl of custard!

IloveBanff · 27/03/2017 20:22

Wickedstepmum67 "How old is the 'sitter'?"

In her 30s

IloveBanff · 27/03/2017 20:23

Oh sorry, I thought you meant the OP's

Dizzy199 · 27/03/2017 20:34

EachandEveryone if it's Whiskas biscuits they have dreamies in now. Like my cats needed more spoiling....

bloodyfuming9 · 27/03/2017 20:38

You should have told her the ice cream is in the freezer to go with the jelly....

SheSaidHeSaid · 27/03/2017 20:54

Speechless Grin

VestalVirgin · 27/03/2017 20:54

No, but as PP have pointed out, you don't need to have fed a cat ever, in your entire life, to know that cat food is frequently in jelly. You just have to see cat food adverts.

To be fair, those are made to look like this stuff is dessert, with little porcelain plates, a little twig of rosemary next to the cat food and all. Grin

If the cats are fed a very expensive brand of catfood, it would be reasonable to think that this is only a treat for special occasions/"dessert" and they are fed cheaper, dry food everyday/ to fill them up.

Could be a normal person having a stupid moment (it happens) or an actually stupid person. Not really something you can tell from one conversation.

Though I would suspect that her cat sitting experience was a bit exaggerated; surely she'd have come across all kinds of cat-owners within 4 years?

IonaNE · 27/03/2017 20:55

Only read the first page but this does not mean she has no experience with cats. It could mean that she has no experience with pet food. My parents' generation in my country of origin thinks all pet food is just a posh whim and pets should be fed on scraps from the table.

EachandEveryone · 27/03/2017 21:00

No it's not whiskers I try to keep her grain free that's gone out the window she's acting like she's on speed now. She never even likes dreamies!

Still she's safe and I know the sitter loves her. The incident with the pudding wouldn't bother me at all. And even my sister if it was her cat would laugh about it. Clearly the op lives nearby I'd let it go and pop in now and again. And anyone who sees me in the litter tray threads knows I'm obsessed with my kitten. Thus wouldn't phase me at all.