Cleaner let cats into living room

[slithytoveisascientist]

Last week she let them into bedroom and luckily I caught it before anything happened. I reminded her and she was very apologetic and promised to be more careful.

This week she has left the living room door open and the cats have gone in and scratched my leather sofa. It’s never had any damage before and I’m gutted.

AIBU to ask to claim on her insurance for a repair, and will I even have any success?

You’re not a ‘cat person’ op, you might like them but they’re obviously not suitable for what kind of home environment you expect. They’re not there for decoration, they have their own nature and being confined to a few rooms is just mean. I’d also suspect they’re stressed if the first thing they do in any new room is tear things to pieces.

You have two options,
1.Accept that cats scratch stuff and suck it up
2.Don't have cats

Blaming your cleaner and trying to get her to pay for the destructiveness of your pets is not an option. Awful to even consider it.
Not her cats monkeys, not her circus.

Cats love scratching. Occasionally they do it where we’d prefer they didn’t. It’s okay, though. It doesn’t have to be someone else’s fault. It just happened.

Ok, so she forgot to close the door.

It’s not ideal but it happens. Have you ever made a mistake at work?

The fact you’ve been clear and she hasn’t done what you said resulting in this damage I would claim off her insurance
but if that’s the only damage it seems relatively some it could be repaired or do it yourself
Have a look on YouTube for leather scratches repair

A few rooms? They have the whole house garden and garage it's 2 rooms they can't go in. And 4 people live here it's just my husband doesn't feel the same way I do.

And it's ok to want to keep your nice (hard earned) things nice

The sofa is about a year old and has never been scratched.

I have made a mistake at work

Not repeated it though when called on it

I spoke to her last week about leaving these two doors closed and she assured me she would

And I don't want her to pay

I wanted her insurance to.

What's the point of having cats if they're not allowed in the house. YABU.

I don't have the time or the dexterity that's why I have a cleaner

It's meant to make my life easier not harder

Dining room
Garage
Study
Kitchen
Bed 1
Bed 2
Bed 3
Garden

By your logic no one in a 2-3 bed house should have cats

Love the first reply @Fireisland yep OP you can only really get on at her if they are her cats.

Can you have them shut in one room (that she doesn't go in) when she comes? In room with you if you WFH. Or big paper signs on doors "shut door" to remind her? Have to do that for DH sometimes

I’d say it was negligent of you to leave the cats in the house when the cleaner is there if you have an issue about where you allow them

It is a good idea though and my mum might help me

Yes she should not have left the door open but no you cannot claim on her insurance.

How long and how often does the cleaner visit? I assume it is only a couple of hours a week. Could you keep them in the study with your or in a room that she will not be entering if it is only a short time? Then you can check whether the doors are closed before you leave them out.

This is a good idea, shutting them in with me then I can check doors.
Thank you

A very good idea thank you
They would have to be in with me as if I shut them in another room she could easily let them out / not shut that door

And it's ok to want to keep your nice (hard earned) things nice

No I don’t disagree. However you can’t have cats and unscratched things, however ‘careful’ you or anyone is. What if a guest had left the door open? Who would you be trying to scam money off then for your own pets’ behaviour?

Do you have children by the way? Are they also only allowed in the dining room and own bedrooms?

Okay I'm not going to be as nice as everyone else. You're being disgusting. This cleaner probably makes a pittance compared to you, and you want to raise her premiums next year because YOUR cats scratched YOUR sofa? If your sofas are so precious then invest in some sofa corner protectors so they can't do this.

She is there to clean. Not play doorman to your cats. Get a bloody grip, I am mortified for you.

I can claim off my own insurance i think since the cleaner hasn't done wrong

I'm hardly scamming! And a repair isn't money either.

Honestly all our guests have been able to keep that one door shut. As has previous cleaner, cat sitter, etc

It's always been a cat free room.

Cleaner owns a company and I pay £17.50'an hour she is not on a pittance.

Yes. She is a cleaner not a cat sitter. I sometimes leave my dog at home alone when the cleaner is due. If anything happened I would take responsibility

Still doesn't negate the fact that she isn't your cats doorman. And you have the option to either get something to protect the sofas should they get into a forbidden room, or lock them in another room while she does her job.

No its not. My indoor cats are happy.