Cat sitter and plant

[Sleepingboynexttome]

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)

£50 a night for house sitting with nothing to do but feed a cat is a huge amount of money. That said the tray looks like only one end is used and she might assume that cat will happily use the other end and that it doesn't need changing yet - I'd assume that too but I don't have a cat so don't know if it's correct. The cat may have been sick after she left of might have done it without her realising and peace lilies - well I've never known a plant that will look almost entirely dead (far worse than yours) and bounce right back with a bit of water. Yours is even flowering so can't be that unhappy. I'd also be wary of doing things in someone else's house that they hadn't asked me to.

In future if you want things done a certain way just give clearer instructions and if she doesn't want to do it your way then I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding someone else to do it for that amount.

The plant isn’t her problem, you didn’t ask and she didn’t think about it, I’d have done it naturally cos I love plants but not everyone would think of it.

The cat being sick I think is more of a problem, why would it be sick? Did it need the vet? And not cleaning it up or the floors is gross.

Don’t use her again, she’s very expensive.

@Hertsgirl10

The plant isn’t her problem, you didn’t ask and she didn’t think about it, I’d have done it naturally cos I love plants but not everyone would think of it.

The cat being sick I think is more of a problem, why would it be sick? Did it need the vet? And not cleaning it up or the floors is gross.

Don’t use her again, she’s very expensive.

To be fair, cats are quite sicky animals!

Mine often vomits cause he's greedy and eats his food without chewing it, then he vomits up whole biscuits onto my expensive rugs

Thank you all! I can now see that many people wouldn’t think of watering plants.Drama queen is getting better so thank you on that front too!

TMI!! 😅😅 that in the photo is mould, so the pee wasn’t there for the hours between the time she left and when we got home.

I personally think that 50 quid to sleep in someone’s home, watch tv, and do personal stuff is a lot of money, especially in this period. I was calling her because she was the only one I knew but this has given me a reason to look around. Thank you to the poster who suggested other options, I’ll definitely check them out!!

Slightly OT but you do realise lilies are toxic to cats? Having one in the house if you have a cat is not a particularly great idea. They aren't as bad as true lillies but they can still cause a cat problems.

I'm a cat sitter and I would have watered the plant because I'm a plant person. The litter tray could have been weed in after she left. I always clean up thoroughly whilst visiting people's homes - I'll vacuum, wash up, clean the benches etc. I just visit though, I don't stay overnights or anything like that. I water plants and do the curtains as well.

I've never heard of mould in a litter tray. Does your cat go outside as well? Otherwise if that's mould, where is he doing his business because the rest of the tray is clean.

Surely that litter would have had to have been there for weeks to go mouldy? So you must be equally as culpable if this is the case?

Your peace lily will be fine, known to faint when needing a drink, give it a drink will be back to normal in about 6 hours.

We were away for weeks so what I found could have been the amount of a few days, she pees one/twice per day. Thank you for all your opinions, I really did not see it this way when I got home, but it's clear that it doesn't necessarily have to be out of sloppiness that she didn't do what I was expecting her to do.

Lilies moved to a place where she doesn't go, so all should be well!

Presumably, not a “professional” cat sitter?

Your cat probably had a wee or two in its litter tray after she'd changed it and left. Really not a big deal. Mould can appear within hours and could actually be an issue with the litter itself. If she hadn't bothered to change the litter, I don't think she would said anything about in her text at all.

I wouldn't expect a cat-sitter to water plants unless I'd asked them first.

I would expect her to clean up cat puke but again, unclear if the cat was only sick after she left.

Not sure what you mean by 'general mess'. I would expect any washing up to be done etc. I wouldn't expect them to have Hoovered, dusted and polished.

No that is unacceptable. The mould is growing on the cat shit.

Did you ask her before you left to water the plants? If people aren't into plants it probably wouldn't occur to them.

I've said you are being unreasonable about expect the plants to be watered without discussing it with the cat sitter. You are not being unreasonable with regards to the sick and clearing the litter. It needs poo picking every day.

The plant is a Peace Lily and just needs a water. Sit it in the sink with some water in it for an few hours. They perk up really quickly.

Mould in a litter tray can take between 24-48 hrs to grow 🤔.

Mould can grow in hours - I would guess the pee and sick were in the time between her leaving and your appearing, and I also wouldn't have watered a plant I wasn't asked to either.