To not want to look after my sisters 4 cats?

[Meelack]

Been thinking about this for a few days and want to post for some outside perspective.

My sister has had 2 cats for 5 years now, whenever she goes away I stay over at her house to look after them. I’m not massively a cat person but I don’t mind doing it to help my sister out. Two days ago she sent me a WhatsApp message of a picture of her holding two cats with the message “our two new additions!” These cats are from a rescue, and are about a year old apparently. She is going on holiday in may and so it was arranged that I’m coming over to look after the two cats. However, now there’s 4. And I really don’t want to do it.

She just got these other two without telling me and just expecting that I will still look after them all without asking me. She doesn’t have to consult me about getting cats of course, it’s her own life and decision. But it’s the assumption that I will still look after them. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I just think that 4 cats will be hard work. She has a separate rule book for each cat (catX has a sensitive stomach so feed this food, don’t let cat Y eat his food, feed her this one, cat X can go out any time but cat Y needs to be kept in between these hours, separate them at bedtime, put X in this room and Y in this room) etc etc. which is fine with two cats but it feels a lot of effort to have all these separate rules for 4 cats (which she will have). Plus it means more litter trays for me to clean. One of her cats is long haired so I have to groom him as well, I just feel like it’s a lot of effort for something that I’m not being paid for and they’re not mine.

I know I don’t have to do this but I feel like I do now because I’ve been doing it for 5 years. I feel bad because it will cost a lot of money to put 4 of them in a cattery and she’s very precious about them so won’t want to do that. AIBU about this?

Yeah they usually just wee in it tbh because they go outside. But they tend to have a wee in the night. Not sure what the new cats will be like

Good luck with it 😊

I have one one crate rest at the moment after an injury and I scoop the poop literally just after he has done it but it still manages to stink the house out for a while.
My friend has house cats and she maintains that they don’t smell but you can always smell litter tray on her clothes at work despite her keeping them clean. I think she is nose blind to it because she is used to it.

If so I would go careful saying no to help her out.

Has she got a microchip controlled food bowl for the one that needs special food? That might make thing a bit easier as it means the other cats can't get to the expensive food.
I'd still say no to looking after 4 cats though (and I like cats!)

Wait, she expects you to do this for two whole weeks every year, staying in her house, for nothing? And you have to attend to their quirks, and she checks up on you? It’s incredibly kind of you to have been doing this for her, but she’s massively cheeky.

I wouldn’t make up lies about allergies or not being available. Just tell her that she will have to find a cat sitter going forward, you’ve done it for five years for her but you don’t want to commit to doing it in future.

perfect response.

There is no way that you keep litter trays clean if someone can literally smell litter tray on your clothes. That's disgusting.

I looked after a family member’s cat 🐈‍⬛ and she refused to eat her meals in one go ( like a dog does)

She left her “wet food” and only wanted her biscuits ( she misses her owners and always leaves a lot of wet food that gets thrown out- but I felt I had to offer her it.)

If I had four to care for and keep them separated so they couldn’t eat the other’s food it would have been tricky.

Litter trays!
Boak!

Cat poo can really be smelly and need attending to very often
Four cats is a lot of poop.

Maybe a job for a paid cat sitter, @Meelack ?

Oh my goodness no way.

A litter tray may smell while a fresh poo is being removed- but apart from that, it shouldn’t have any discernible smell at all.

No cat will use a dirty litter tray, any more than we would use a pissy , shite filled lavatory.

I bet the cats are soiling elsewhere if this woman smells of cat urine.

Poor cats.

Ask her who is going to look after 4 cats when she’s away.

Absoutely no way I would be doing this or even entertaining this!
I am not a cat person and would refuse to empty a cat litter tray, cats can go outside to wee/poo
However I am a dog person and used to regularly look after a friends dog
I say used too as she became a pain crying and howling at night in her crate so I stopped immediately and actually sent her home early (to the ex wife)
Then friends son told me that he had started letting her sleep in bed with him!
Hence the crying in her crate at mine and my very disturbed sleep!
Situations change and your sister can be told that, dont let her guilt you into it
Peoples behaviour towards pets has massively changed in recent years with completely unrealistic expectations and treatment of them.

Can you add a link to what you have as this might be useful for me as I have been asked to work longer hours. Thank you 🙏🏻

I bet your sister is really appreciative of your help, she sounds like a really caring cat lover. Not all pet owners caters to individual cat needs like this, but it really does make their lives better and happier.

That said, i don't think you're being unreasonable and I would understand your point of view. I don't think you should be dishonest or lie. Be diplomatically honest and say what you've said on here, that you really want to help her but think that 4 cats feels like too much responsibility. She might be disappointed and talk about cattery costs etc, but i'm sure there will be no resentment or bad blood if you otherwise have a good relationship which I assume you do as she trusts you with her cats.

You could also use this May holiday as a trial and if it's too much or too daunting then explain this to her then, at least you gave it a go!

She should have consulted you about the extra cats. But otherwise the lifts she gives you and the free food seems a fair exchange to me.

^^^ THIS!

She can easily try one of the cat sitting apps. Perhaps you can offer to be a back up just in case.