Is this legit and I'm too cynical?

[settlethisdebate]

This is more of a who's right than AIBU, but I'm going to come straight out and say who's who.

Going on holiday next week, and booked a cat sitter to come and feed the cat. We actually messaged a few different ones and struggled to find availability - our usual one was booked up. Anyway found this lady who used to help us out, she said yes, no problem.

She came to do a visit to sort arrangements etc and brought a couple with her, they are going to help her do the cat visits. They said they might not be able to do two per day (which is what we wanted), so I said oh ok it may not work out then - to which DH said it's ok we can make it work, i.e. With friends/parents helping out. I thought if we could do that we wouldn't need a cat sitter in the first place but I let it go.

So fast forward DH goes to drop keys off and gets chatting, this guy says that the original lady who helped us no longer lives in the area. I said (to DH later when he's telling me) well why not just say no then, but apparently she wanted to help us, despite not having seen us in years (and only then for cat sitting, we didn't know each other). So the couple are going to be doing all the visits as they live closer. They agreed to do it as a favour to original lady (their friend) but have now told DH they're happy to do it for free! We have never met these people. Obviously we won't be allowing that and will be paying them for the visits they do.

DH feels they are just nice people, I agree with that and they seem lovely but I was brought up with "if it seems to good to be true it probably is" and to be more wary? I just don't know why someone would do that or behave like that. Is it me and I'm too paranoid or is DH too trusting?!

If they are genuinely this lovely then great, and it's nothing about them personally, as they do seem nice. I just feel like it's a bit strange... And I have handed my house key over to them.

I have not asked about DBS and the cat is insured

It’s probably fine but I’d be cautious. When I use dog sitters/walkers I have either gone from recommendations or thorough research and they are all registered businesses with insurance etc.

DBS is vetting for workers who are going to be working with children or vulnerable adults. It's not needed in any other situation. There's no point in OP asking cat sitters about it as you can't get DBS checked unless you're doing that sort of work.

My dog was also insured but with a 4k bill, it would have meant my premium went up and I would have had to pay the excess when the accident wasn't my fault, it was the fault of the dog sitter who stupidly allowed her to roam in a completely unfenced area of her garden and she got hit by a car.

Obviously its up to you but several people have outlined the potential risks.

It's not much good the cat being insured. You're leaving your cat and house with strangers about which you know nothing.

@Empress13 on the face of it, no. However if it were a friend of a friend I probably would in a pinch.

I’d say my holiday has been cancelled and go and get my keys back.

Yes, you can. Most dog walkers and pet-sitters are DBS checked (or at least, they should be!).

Legally it's not required but if you are giving the keys to your house to someone then it's very sensible. This is why all pet sitters advertise they are DBS checked

So you can. Every day's a school day! Thanks for putting me right.

It might be a regional thing but getting a paid cat sitter to come in is a very very normal thing to do here, I don't know anyone who doesn't tbh, but I was more asking about their behaviour saying they will do it for free and whether that was a red flag or not.

Does the cat have business insurance also? How come you aren’t bothered about DBS checks? These are things cat sitters should have. So yeah the random strangers is a red flag

They are viewing it as a favour, you are probably not offering anything like how much they would expect to be paid for disrupting their lives so would rather not be paid at all. My FIL (a carpenter) used to do favours for neighbours and they would give him trivial gifts or 'buy yourself a drink' type payment, he stopped accepting them as they thought they had paid for his work, and could constantly impose. He was happy to just do favours when it suited him.

Obviously not, and cat sitters do not need to have DBS

I don't know where you've got that from but that is a bit unfair, we are not imposing and we're paying a normal amount for cat sitting

No, but it’s nice to know that someone you are letting have free rein of your home isn’t a criminal. My cleaner has a DBS check. I found them via an agency where all of their employers must have one.

id imagine most established and responsible pet sitters would have one to give their customers peace of mind, they only cost about twenty quid.

No way would I do this. It all sounds very strange. This woman agreed to cat sit for you but then didnt tell you she'd moved out of the area, she came round and then told you it wouldnt be her doing it, it would be someone else? so why on earth did she say she would do it in the first place then.

Bear in mind that if anything goes missing from your home whilst you are away you will not be covered by most house insurance policies as they will say you gave your keys to a virtual stranger and therefore its your responsibility.

You know next to nothing about these people apart from they seem "nice". Think about how silly that sounds.

They don’t need to have DBS but why would you give your house keys to someone with no insurance or basic background checks?

I am a cat sitter btw - I have a DBS as well as full insurance for my business.

For next time, I would just ask at your vets if any of the vet nurses do cat sitting. There’s a couple who
do it at my local practice for some extra money and at least you know they aren’t going to do anything to put their job at risk

Ideally they should have. Wouldn't you want to know the stranger you've just handed your house keys over to has a criminal record?

Yes that's partly what is strange to me, if it were me I'd have just said no sorry I can't.

I know that we won't be covered for theft etc

Do people actually ask to see it or do they take your word for it?

Is there The Cat Butler where you live?

I have certainly never asked my cat sitter for a DBS check. I also have a regular cat sitter who refers me to someone else if she is unavailable. Last time it was a friend of hers who did a great job, this time another cat sitter who was starting his business up, also excellent. What seems slightly odd here is that they've said they'll do it for free, so I would be slightly wary. Maybe they are just lovely people who really like cats.

Why wouldn't they ask to see it? It's a pretty standard way to show you're trustworthy and have nothing to hide. The fact you're proceeding with this arrangement despite admitting you know nothing about these people and knowing you have no protection against theft is genuinely blowing my mind.