To ask this of my neighbours?

[Donaldduck22]

I am on the autistic spectrum so sometimes I find it hard to know whether certain social things are okay. I'm going away for a week and need someone to come in daily to feed my cat and sort his litter tray would it be okay to ask my neighbour? I would pay her and tell her there was no obligation. I'm just a bit worried about having a stranger come in the house in case they Rob me. I suppose I could put my cat in a cattery but I know he would really hate it. I don't know my neighbour super well, on a chatty level we say hello and have a chat occasionally.

One of the nurses at our vets used to do cat-sitting. Might be worth asking your vet if they know anyone.

He'll have to go to a cattery he'll just hate it. He hates every part of going outside and always soils himself travelling in the car because he is so scared.

It's fine to ask. Lots of neighbours do this. I would really emphasise that she can say no. My neighbour feeds our cat but she's a real cat lover and we do occasionally socialise. If your neighbour doesn't want to, Google cat sitters in your area. You'll be surprised how many there are. We use Cat in a Flat and they've been great. They have insurance so in the very unlikely event that you'd be robbed then they'd have to pay out. We've used dozens of different cat sitters though and never been robbed. They'd be mad to do it! You'd know exactly who it was! They've all been lovely people who love cats.

Why would you do this to your animal?

I get it - I'm autistic too and my house is my 'safe space': I'm very territorial and I don't particularly like having strangers in my house.

However, my cats' happiness is much more important to me and, as a process-driven / rule-focussed person, I am much happier to use a qualified, insured, DBS-checked person who does this sort of thing as a job than somebody I vaguely know because they live next door to me.

Would it help to reframe your thoughts in that way?

So if your neighbour is away or unwilling, you'll have to put your cat somewhere he's scared/ hates?

I wouldn't be comfortable with that as a back up plan for my pets. I really advise the right thing would be to use a reputable cat sitting/ pet feeding service. They're highly unlikely to rob a client - it would ruin their reputation as a business

Absolutely ask. I've fed neighbours' cats and they have fed mine for years. Occasionally when older kids do it we pay, if it's adults then flowers, nice bottle of wine and effusive thanks are good. This is what neighbours are for.

Don't put him in a cattery then! I could never do that to my cat. I think the stress would make him ill and I certainly wouldn't enjoy my holiday.

We use a cat sitter; with the correct DBS, insurance etc. Cats are very territorial; ours would be very unhappy if we were to take him out of his territory. The cat sitter will come and feed him, do the litter tray and then will sit with him for half an hour or so (Dcat loves human company and will quite happily cuddle up to the cat sitter)

We could ask friends or neighbours, but I would feel it was a real imposition. I would
rather pay and get exactly what my DCat needs.

Ask your neighbour! I can’t believe so many posters are horrified and squeamish about a bit of cat poop. It will be buried in their litter, and I am sure the OP has a scoop or something to use. It takes second and in my experience of a relatives cat, doesn’t even smell.

I’m not really a car person but I would 100% do this for my neighbours.

Are there any neighbours with children? My dd has fed a couple of cats over the years from the age of about ten. And once an enormous rabbit. She was happy to do it and thrilled with being paid too.

Honestly, use a registered, insured pet sit/feeding service. Even if your neighbour is willing, they won't necessarily be available every day for a whole week. I think it's wrong that the back up plan is something that will really stress the cat out. I absolutely would not do that to an animal

I used to happily do this for my neighbour and we weren't best buddies or anything like that. I wouldn't have cleaned up the shit, but happy to pop in twice a day and feed them.

My friend runs a cattery and she adores her job. A well run cattery isn’t an unpleasant experience for most cats, and I’m surprised to hear that thought. My friend plays with the cats, grooms them, gives medication if necessary, is always on the lookout for health problems and will seek veterinary treatment immediately and so on. Will your neighbour do all that?

It depends on the cat. For many cats, being taken out of their territory and surrounded by other cats would be absolute torture. Cats are extremely territorial and being put somewhere where everything smells different is very stressful. They also don't see other cats as friends but as a threat.

A profession service is it going to rob you. Their entire reputation is on word of mouth, they wouldn’t get any business if they were knicking from their clients, that’s basic common sense. Ask your neighbour but it’s a lot to put one someone you don’t know well, and they’re more likely to do something untoward than a paid professional service.

I find it bizarre you’d rather put your cat through a week of stress and hell, rather than just pay someone to come in. I couldn’t do that to a pet o loved.

@Donaldduck22 I know you don't want strangers in, but I use a cat visitor!she pops in once a day, feeds the cat, waters him, does the deed with catlitter ( mine doesn't use it unless its peeing down) and feeds him outrageous amounts of Dreamies whilst cuddling him.
She send numerous photos of him looking angelic. In real life he is a little shit, but for her, Mr Marvellous.
She has a key for the door, so can ring her last minute if necessary.
I don't have a seconds worry about her coming in, she wonderful.
Just check references and meet them, face to face. You just get a feel for a good match.

Ask her that worst she can do is say no. As others have said though make sure the offer to pay her is upfront and that she isn't under pressure to accept.

'Hi Sheila, I'm going away for x days and was wondering if you could check on the cat, feed him and change his litter box while he is away? Of course I'll pay you for your time. No pressure though if you can't'

Try Cat in a Flat.

I would actually visit a local cattery. I thought my old boy would hate it. The cattery had recently installed a 'cat caravan' with a window to the outside, with a veranda and he watched the peacocks walk around all day. (I know this sounds made up but it's not!)

He ended up loving it there and the lady who ran it also fostered cats from the same rescue centre we rescued our cat from.

I’m pretty sure my friend knows that 😆 The cats she boards aren’t thrown into a room and told to play nicely you know. Bonkers to think that.

Seriously, if any of you have experienced catteries that are grimmer than a Turkish prison, please report them to the licensing dept of the local council. They have to be inspected to obtain a license and will be shut down if they are the hellholes that some of you are describing. Personally, I’d like to live in my friend’s cattery and have her running around attending to my every need 😁

I think YABU to ask a neighbour you’re not really friends with. Don’t you have a friend who could do it for you? Although paying a pet sitter would be the best option tbh.

You can certainly ask. They might say no.

I would absolutely refuse, if I thought it would leave me open to false suspicions and accusations by the person begging me for a kind favour.

My neighbours and I do this for each other. I generally have a back up plan of sitting service/friends adult son (who I pay). Neighbours and i don't charge each other as it probably works out roughly equal. We might pass over a bottle of wine or a few beers. I trust all my neighbours not to steal, but there a few wouldn't ask as I know they would snoop about.

It's definitely ok to ask but if they are not already pet owners they may struggle a bit more. Would they recognise if your cat was unwell for example?

I'd pay someone professional to come in. There is always a post in these forums about someone getting an acquaintance to pet sit and something getting broken or missing.

Dont ask her. Ask her for a pet sitting recommendation and see if she offers.