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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cat sitter and plant

42 replies

Sleepingboynexttome · 20/04/2022 06:38

Went away for the Easter break. Left the cat at home with the cat sitter (who gets paid £50 per night to sleep here and look after the cat - I think that’s a great deal most people who have spare time would be happy to take!) and came back to dirty litter trays, dirty floors because the cat had vomited once and she didn’t clean (well?), general mess, but the thing that bothers me almost the most is this plant. It took me 2 years to get it from a small little thing to a gorgeous happy plant, and now it’s like this. I hope the photo is clear enough.

if you were paid to look after a cat at night and basically moved into someone’s home, would you not water the plant when you saw it in this state?? Or would you think I’m paid to look after the cat not the plants? I might be aibu because I never asked her to do that, but I didn’t because I thought it was obvious!!

(also, any tips on how to save the plant gratefully received)

Cat sitter and plant
OP posts:
Mumdiva99 · 20/04/2022 06:42

I would have thought you would discuss what they are to do before you left. Litter trays - I would expect them emptied daily. But for a couple of nights I wouldn't expect a full change. We only do that every 10 days/2 weeks.

I would expect cat based mess cleaned up - so cat sick should have gone without a trace.
Plants only if it was agreed. Because so plants don't like too much water.

Do you usually use this person? Do they go out to work during the day or just stay at your house? What qualifications do they have?

emmathedilemma · 20/04/2022 06:45

You hired a cat sitter not a house sitter! But I agree the litter tray should have been done. Those plants tell you they need watering when they go like that. Stand it in water and it’ll perk up fine.

DifficultBloodyWoman · 20/04/2022 06:46

If the cat sitter isn’t a plant person, they may not have noticed. If they are a conscientious and detail oriented person, they may have noticed and wondered why you didn’t trust them enough to instruct them to water the plant as well as feed the cat.

Another possibility - that is a lily. They are poisonous to cats. Not watering it could be a passive aggressive way of looking after your cat. If you want to revive it, they do pretty well with an overnight soak in the sink.

However, I would be majorly pissed at not cleaning after the cat or emptying the litter trays.

Oneborneverydecade · 20/04/2022 06:46

Peace Lily's bounce back after a drink. Assuming you've already watered it, I'd say it'll look fine within less than an hour

NoSquirrels · 20/04/2022 06:48

Well, they sound completely shit.
But the plant is a total non-issue - give it a big drink. Peace lilies look like that when they need water.

Btw, did you know they’re mildly poisonous to cats?

Whitney168 · 20/04/2022 06:50

No, I wouldn't assume they'd water plants unless told to - more likely to kill them with over-watering really.

However, as others have said - it's a Peace Lily, they are drama queens. Give it a good drink and it'll look fine in no time.

hepaticanobilis · 20/04/2022 06:52

The general cleaning and litter trays are definitely an issue.

Not everyone is a plant person though, and cat people don't tend to have Peace Lilies as they are toxic to cats so maybe it's not such a bad thing... you can replace it with something cat friendly.

weshallneversurrender · 20/04/2022 06:53

It's a peace lily, their favourite thing to do is look dramatic at the smallest issue - just give it a water and it'll be fine!

Original poster
Sleepingboynexttome · 20/04/2022 06:56

I heard about lilies and cats but never thought about this one as I like plants but don’t know what they are so didn’t think about it!! 😳😳 do I need to get rid of it? Can my cat be sick just by brushing against it? (I seem to remember this is what I read…)

This is the text she sent us

Morning
Just heading out now
X has been fed and I’ve changed the litter tray for her.

I’ve just done some laundry- 1 wash is on so should be done by the time Y gets back I’d say.

I’ve left keys on kitchen counter

Also - no dry food left that I can see. Used the last little bit for her this morning.

Hope that’s all ok.

Thanks! ☺️👍

photo of litter tray attached, there was even mold in it.

We’ve used her for years and she’s never been this bad, obviously she’s never going to be asked to come again.

I am keen to hear people’s opinions though. We always text her when away so I would have expected her to bring the plant up if she saw it in that state, but people are different so it might be just me.

She does have a ‘day job’ but £50 per night is a lot of money in my opinion so I would do my best to make sure people are happy and call me again.

Cat sitter and plant
OP posts:
Original poster
Sleepingboynexttome · 20/04/2022 06:58

🤣🤣🤣 drama queen

I Guess I’ll ask the neighbors if they want it and get another one

Thank you also for the info on what to do to have a happy plant again.

OP posts:
JohannSebastianBach · 20/04/2022 07:02

Fifty quid a night? That's expensive

NoSquirrels · 20/04/2022 07:10

If your cat doesn’t chew it, it’s fine. It’s not as poisonous as other lilies where the pollen drops and rubs off. Just good to be aware.

That tray looks like just a big wee?

thunderandsunshine01 · 20/04/2022 07:17

the litter just looks like cat has taken a wee (or 2) in the time between her leaving and you coming back? Did you take a photo of the mess on the floor from cat being sick?

If I was cat sitting it wouldn’t even occur to me to water the plants unless specifically requested

Mymindisnotmyown · 20/04/2022 07:18

Personally I think £50 a night is cheap - how many hours is that? Sounds like less than £10 an hour to stay at someone’s house.

YABmassivelyU to expect her to feed your plants when this wasn’t discussed.

She is BU to not leave the litter tray like she found it (unless the cat does anything in it between her leaving and you returning.

The litter tray should be treated like the care for the cat, and kept to a good standard, this includes the surrounding areas. Ours hoovers the area around the litter tray.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 20/04/2022 07:19

That's not exactly a filthy litter tray,is it?

The plant needs re potting desperately and also a drink and it'll be fine.

Aprilx · 20/04/2022 07:22

I don’t know that cat litter, but it looks like it has been changed and used once since she did so?

SallyWD · 20/04/2022 07:31

You should use Trusted Housesitters. Google them - completely free for you and them. Everyone we've had has been absolutely perfect and we've always come back to an immaculate home and happy cat. In emergencies I've used Cat in a Flat too and always got someone to stay for £10 or £15 a night. £50 a night is ridiculous.

grapewines · 20/04/2022 07:33

I think you're overreacting, to be honest. The cat litter looks like it has been used once since changed, and the plant is your fault for not asking her to water your plants. She should have cleaned up the sick properly.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 20/04/2022 07:40

The litter tray looks like it's been changed and the cat did a wee between her leaving and you getting home.

I'm a cat sitter by the way and do the job you describe - I wouldn't water plants unless it'd been mentioned to me as I'd be too worried about killing them.

However I always leave houses spotless and that includes stripping beds, vacuuming, sweeping floors, emptying inside bins (and putting wheelie bins/recycling out for collection), washing all pet bowls and cleaning the bathroom and toilet before I go.

I also need to raise my prices by the sounds of things Grin

lljkk · 20/04/2022 08:08

I voted yabu re plant, but sounds like a crap cat sitter in other respects.

Moochio · 20/04/2022 08:15

YABU. I would expect her to do anything cat related. Plants are not cat related.

ShinyMe · 20/04/2022 08:27

Sit the plant in a big bowl of water and let it drink for a couple of hours, it'll be fine. I've had peace lilies look far more dead than that and recover just fine in 12 hours or so.

Next time, if you want someone to water the plant then say so.

TheNoodlesIncident · 20/04/2022 08:47

How do you know the cat wasn't sick after she left? It sounds like she did a good job really. The litter tray doesn't look mouldy that I can see, just a couple of wees in it. (Clumping litter is great as the wee absorbs into a ball which is easy to whip out the tray, but you do have to leave it in to form which you might dislike). She sounds conscientious too regarding the dry food.

Re the peace lily, they do go very droopy if they go dry, I'm surprised that hasn't happened before in the two years you've had it (I don't think it needs repotting at all, pot size looks grand). I had one on my reception desk and when I came back after a long weekend, mine looked like yours but worse. Three colleagues had come in and not noticed but it was the first thing I saw when I opened the office door! So I would have watered yours on seeing it but I would have been confident about doing that, someone else might not (or even spot it). To be honest, I think your cat sitter hasn't done anything wrong really.

Qwill · 20/04/2022 08:56

That litter looks fresh, just your cat has used it since. Cat could also have been sick after she left. Definitely wouldn’t expect them to water plants unless I have specifically told them to.

pasturesgreen · 20/04/2022 08:57

The litter trays and cat sick don't sound great, but tbh I'm not a particularly plant oriented person and your plant wouldn't even register with me. Years ago when I was house sitting for a friend I watered one of his plants who looked to me a bit droopy. The poor thing was in fact perfectly fine without water and later died, so now I'd never take the initiative re watering unless specifically instructed.