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?

Why?

Arthritis in hands makes it hard

Limited time

Plus the more we can outsource the better for the economy

Daft response

If you have cats you don't buy furniture that they can destroy.

It’s incredibly easy to forget to do that! It’s something we do on autopilot without thinking. You’re being beyond unreasonable, they are your cats, your responsibility, if you want them contained, you contain them. Incidentally, I have cats, indoor cats, they have no restrictions on where they can go and have enough scratching posts etc that they wouldn’t scratch the furniture. I’m not judging or saying that cats don’t scratch things up, I’m just saying what works for me, I’d have carpets and sofas scratched to pieces if they didn’t have scratching posts and floor scratchers etc. I can understand trying to keep cats out if the bedroom but it must be quite a task keeping them contained. You genuinely would be completely out of order to try and claim on her insurance. I truly doubt you’d be successful either.

I'll shut them in with me but this would have been a good shout they will be happier with me. And no she doesn't

Can we have pictures of the cats please?

Why not?

I think you're getting really harsh answers! But in future you'll just have to make sure they're contained in a room your cleaner won't be going in. They do slip by very stealthily and cleaners may leave does open while they're maneuvering hoovers etc

If you don't want the cats roaming, lock them in a room the cleaner doesn't have to go into. If you expect the cleaner to go into a room the cats are in, it's not their fault if the cats get out. Managing your cats is not the cleaner's responsibility.

@jays it's not that she has to keep them contained. They don't appear at all when she cleans.

She has to shut a door. A door she is asked to shut. A door i reminded her about last week.

Funnily enough several doors which didn't need closing (daughters bedroom bathroom and loo) were all closed

With mine think it was done with studs on jeans

trimmed the loose bits ( like threads) off
and it was dye in a bottle dabbled it on with kids paint brush

Surely that was a bitchy response? 😬

Anyway, lighten up op, just shove a jaunty throw over that side to cover it in the meantime and bin the cleaner off and get one you're happy with.

When I had two free range house rabbits, I would move them into a separate room when the cleaner came (she used to leave the back/front doors open in the summer) and told her not to clean that room. She never went in there and the bunnies were fine. Just put your cats somewhere contained and cat proof when the cleaner is there, problem solved.

I don't mind them roaming

It's two rooms. Two doors. Which are already shut.

But yes I will be putting them with me during the clean.

A bit frustrated I can't now maintain the cleaning service during holidays as well. Cleaner will also potentially lose income if she can't be here while I'm out.

If having nice things is more important to you, then don’t have pets. Or kids.

It’s a trade off - if you have pets and/or kids then it’s virtually impossible to guarantee a show home standard house at all times, as they can be messy, destructive lovely buggers.

Is the photo the extent of the damage ? A bit of leather cream will really improve that

Yabu and abit strange. I bet the cleaner won't want to stay with you long if you like this...let it go

Gawd. Don’t know why some posters are being so vicious here?
@FuzzyPuffling - why shouldn’t she have a cleaner? If I could afford it, I’d have one too!
Also, what’s wrong with having house cats? Some breeds are unusual or exotic and often it’s part of the contract with the breeder you keep then. Other cats (moggies) are used to an indoor lifestyle and that’s fine too. FWIW, my two go out because I live in a cul de sac. If I lived on a busy road, I would probably reconsider that decision.
Have no advice regarding the insurance bit, but if I’d specifically asked cleaner to make sure cats were not in room, I’d be furious. It’s not difficult, you can shoo them out. I have a nice sofa and curtains myself, so that room is off limits to my two when I’m not there.

@rwalker thank you

@Megifer you suggested I'd sue my mum for helping me. Hardly a joke or funny. And I've been pretty well criticised here so not sure why you'd think your comments would some how stand out as lighthearted.

Hahahahaha

I was on a work call when she left so didn't check it was closed, not that I'd have thought to given she was asked last week

Sorry OP but I think checking is exactly the thing you need to do. Keeping your animals out of rooms may be something you can ask but isn't something you can then just expect.

As the impact of failure is great (damage to furniture) then you should check after anyone else has been in the house/opening doors etc.

No you cannot claim this on her insurance. You may be able to claim on your own.

If you're so worried about the economy, buy a new sofa and support sofa makers.

Team cats.

It’s not a race to the bottom you can have both.

It’s why there are two rooms the cats can’t go in. Thats it.

And not sure why the kids are being brought into this, im lucky they aren’t destructive.

And not wanting damage to be done isnt the same as a show home,

There is mess and dirt (on non cleaning days), clutter at times, just not damage especially avoidable damage.

@slithytoveisascientist
Why not just crate or kennel your cat on the day that the cleaner comes?

Why bother having cat's if you don't want them in the living room? Every cat I've had they like to be with their family.

I have two cats. Our Cleaner locked one in the kids room once and she tore up the carpet around the door trying to get out. Did I mention it to the Cleaner? Of course. Did I think for a moment about having her repair the damage, of course not! We have pets, we want certain doors closed (in this case the kids as they are only with us EOW and we dont want their rooms dusty and hairy in between stays), thats our choice and creates a situation whereby these things can happen. If you want them kept out of rooms, you need to shut them somewhere that your cleaner doesnt need to worry about whilst shes there.