AIBU to think my neighbour’s cat care problem is not mine?

[Thepartwhereidrun]

My neighbour stopped my son on his way out last night to ask if he would look after her cat when she is away from tomorrow for 2 weeks, going in twice a day. He said sorry but he couldn’t.

I didn’t know she had spoken to him until she knocked our door and told us. Her cat sitter has let her down last minute and now she won’t be able to go on holiday unless she can find someone else. Nightmare for her, but her cat sitter is ill so it can’t be helped. I said I can’t help her but I text our dog sitter, who also does cat sitting to ask if she had availability and said I’d get back to her if she could do it.

She asked if I would also ask my son again, which I did when he got home, but he doesn’t want to do it. He has just finished his A levels and wants to be free to come and go as he pleases which is understandable. I said that if he has said no then that means he can’t.

Our dog sitter text me back to say she didn’t have any availability for the first week but could do the second week. I text my neighbour to let her know and to give her sitters contact details. She has just text back ‘no good, what am I meant to do for the first week?’

I haven’t replied as although I get she is probably feeling desperate, how the fuck is her cat my problem?

She’s not committing to a job. She’s doing a favour for a neighbour and that neighbour is thanking her for her time with some money.

My professional cat sitter doesn’t charge for the hour.

It isn't your problem but I would definitely do it as its a very minimal job. It's just neighbourly.

Then the neighbour is free to use a professional cat sitter or a cattery. They have economies of scale that make it worthwhile.

If you can afford the luxuries of pets and holidays, you can afford to pay the going rates for people's labour.

It sounds like no means no, unless it's an 18 year old boy enjoying his summer holidays. Some of the comments on here have been shocking.

I believe in helping people when possible, and also going out of your way for them when practical to do so, but not on this occasion. He's an 18 year old enjoying his possibly last ever proper summer holiday. Two weeks is a large chunk of that holiday. It's also two weeks where things are still relatively affordable before the rest of the kids are on holiday and prices for everything fun increase. Of course he should be allowed to take advantage of this time and enjoy himself rather than ensure he's at home to feed and care for someone else's pet twice a day!

No means no even if you're an 18 year old boy, and even when others don't agree with your reasoning. He didn't owe your neighbour an explanation as to why he couldn't, or wouldn't, help. It was never up to her to judge if his reason for not helping was a good enough one.

I hope he enjoys his camping trip, and I hope the cat care issue was resolved so your neighbour could go on their holiday.

That's unbelievably cheap!

I pay £15 for two cats and two gerbils. I could no doubt get it for less but this is someone coming into my house and if you pay low you are risking the person getting a better offer. If it's more than a few days I use a professional service with a number of people on their roster, precisely to avoid the problem described in the OP.

I couldn't enjoy a holiday unable to relax about the pets' wellbeing.

That poster’s daughter is happy to help.
She wanted to know the going rate.

We told her the going rate of professionals and reassured that she wasn’t being undervalued.

That’s all that’s happened here.

It isn’t your problem but I would do it tbh

The neighbour expects the litter trays to be emptied and making sure that the cat is back in the house for the night. Depending on how far the cat strays, that may take quite a while.

When paying teenagers I would normally use minimum wage for their age group as a reference so that's £12 an hour for 18+ or £8 for under 18s.

I would want the person to spend some time with the animals so wouldn't pay based on the absolute minimum to e g. refill food bowls and empty litter trays.

How would you manage to do if you're away, as per the OP?

Ignore me I hadn’t read the full thread

It’s not two hours a day.

My sons friend text neighbour on his lunch break at work but didn’t hear back from her.

When walking the dogs this morning, I saw my other neighbour who is very elderly, with his carer on his driveway calling the cat. He and his wife both need carers. The carer came over to talk to me and said the neighbour had asked my elderly neighbours to look after the cat yesterday and they had felt they had to as she didn’t have anyone else. The cheeky fucker neighbour had told the elderly neighbours that her cat sitter had let her down, I couldn’t do it and she couldn’t find anyone else! The carer had tried to speak to the cheeky neighbour last night when she got there but there was no answer at her house so she had presumably already left to go on holiday. The carer has text the cheeky neighbour to say it’s too much for the couple to manage but she hasn’t replied.

I told the carer the whole story, including my son’s friend being willing to help. The carer is really annoyed that cheeky neighbour has taken advantage of the elderly couple. She said there is no way that they can manage to care for the cat properly and that she and the other carers will now be stuck doing it.

The cheeky neighbour hasn’t even given the elderly neighbours her keys, not that they would be able to go around to her house anyway, she has just asked them to feed the cat morning and night in their garden, so the cat has no access to his own house.

The carer says the elderly couple are happy to let the cat in their house but that’s not the point and carer said it’ll be her and the other carers cleaning up any mess.

At least the cat will be fed and have shelter but what a bastard my neighbour is. She doesn’t deserve the cat.

Also, no money offered to elderly couple!

I would deliver the cat to the nearest shelter and explain it has been abandoned by the owner, that she has lied to the elderly neighbours who do not have capacity to do what they were asked and the cat has been locked out of its home!

Sweet Jesus. I would be reporting your neighbour now after this. that's just cruel. I couldn't leave my cat knowing it wasn't looked after properly and wouldn't be able to enjoy my holiday
she be in for some bolicking from me when she back

It isn’t your problem but what ever happened to just being nice people and helping someone out? It would take minimal effort for your son to pop in twice a day and feed them and I’m assuming she’d pay him too? Easy money when he’s otherwise just doing nothing.

Really can’t be arsed with any more replies like this. I’ve explained everything so If you’re interested, read my replies.

For the love of god, read the fucking thread.

In fact, you don’t need to read the whole thing. Just OPs posts.

He doesn’t do nothing. He’s already got a job as been explained by the OP. He’s also got friends, a girlfriend and is going on a camping trip. Two weeks of his summer don’t have to be put on hold because of someone else’s emergency. The cat owner even said she hadn’t contacted anyone else to see her other options

Poor cat. No cat flap? I’d be forcing open that door!

The carers are for the clients. If the clients want to feed a cat in their garden then the carers have to facilitate that. I’ve worked with carers before. It’s down to the couple to decline the request. Perhaps if those people are aware that they could have paid someone to look after the cat then they would decline next time.

28 pages in and you made this comment
Read the rest of the pages or even the ops comments to get the full facts before you comment again 🤷

he's going on holiday RTFT

My other thought is break her cat flap open. Disgusting that the cat has no guaranteed shelter from all weathers 🤬