our house is apparently disgusting and cat hair ridden

[friendlyedjit]

just read note from au-pair.. containing the above.
she doesn't like our house, it is disgusting to live here because we have cat hair!

She has been here since July, and has had a pretty easy ride, as my youngest goes to nursery, and two older children went to playscheme for 3/4 of the hols, as i didn't feel it appropriate that she sole care for them.
She has done bugger all since she has been here.
She I feel has used the language barrier to avoid work, and is lazy.

I am seething though really- we have a messy comfortable early victorian house which has had huge building work over the last year.
It is chaotic, there are 3 cats who are getting elderly.
We do not have a huge cat hair problem though. My kitchen is always clean!

I have already decided she has to go, but am feeling cross again that the kinder you are to people the more they take the mick....

best to see back of her then - so you are not Princess andrea turner - good thing too

be happy she is gone - enjoy your happy home an lovely kis and cats just as they are

just tell her not to bother to ask for a reference, although it always amazes me how few families follow up and ring the last family. Maybe i'm just one of the few that takes au-pair stories about dreadful families with a pinch of salt.

GoldenOldie - you sound like a fab person to work for .

think you mean Princess Anthea Turner?!!! lol

At least she wrote you a note. I caught our last au pair leaving and she wasn't even planning on telling me!

pyjama!

Where was she from?

If it makes you feel any better when I was 17 I worked as an aupair for a family that had 3m high mirrored walls in the dining room and a stainless steel kitchen. She also had 3 children and expected both walls and kitchen to be fingerprint free, which meant I had to spray both every time the children walked past. She also used to bleach the whole toilet every time someone used it and demand I did the same after the children. Needless to say I left after 2 weeks.

The amusing thing was that she wasn't so hot on personal hygiene, only showered 1 a week and smelt of BO from day 2.

I once had the same comment made to me by someone staying in my house about my birds, who were moulting, so there were a few feathers and some seed cases around the bottom of the cages.
I was also told it was disrespectful of me to expect someone to stay in a house in the condition mine was in and it would be polite to clean it first.
I was 7 months pregnant and working 14 hours a day, so was DH so the house was surface clean only.
And who made these charming lovely comments?

My sister!

If you're not a pet keeper yourself then hair/fur and pet food is pretty horrible. Sorry, it's just one of those things. Like people without children can't bear nappies and parents barely notice them.

NKF - I totally agree with that, I find dog hair for weeks after my friend comes to stay for a few hours with her dog and it drives me mental but if it was my employer (or my sister!) and I knew they had pets then I might not be that abrupt!

It is true, animals usually smell and pet owners just can't smell them, ditto with hairs. that doesn't mean that your house is disgusting though, just that you have some haryier members of the family.
That said my mum and dads cat died about 2 years ago and wasn't replaced and you can still find the odd hair around the place and they are scrupulously clean. Next time you are employing an aupair just make sure she is fine with having cats around.

Does sha hacve an allergy to pet hair?

ds has, and can even be triggered by sitting by someone who has a cat.

Otherwise sounds a bit OTT

It sounds like some sort of excuse.

she is from germany

Her aversion to cats appeared dramatically after her BF with a cat allergy came to stay 2 weeks ago whilst we were away for a week. She has been here since July and we were manipulated quite superbly into letting BF stay. i felt he was and should be as a man more senior "than us" ( if possible!!) with a cat allergy should be able to put his hand into his pocket and stay at a hotel locally.

I have a ridiculous snese of smell, charged by super hormones at present! the house smells of cooking, occasional socks and at worst my DH revolting trainers which got wet over summer.
The house is entirely chaotic, we will never be super tidy, but is not dirty.
The oven isn't clean but the rest of the kitchen is!!
There is cat hair of course- ( wonders if cat would sit for grade 1 cut!!) but I can still sit down and not leave covered in cat hair. DH leaves for work wearing black trousers daily and is never covered.
so in reality its not too bad.

Disgusting is a strong written word.
we're more like revolting in our house!!!!

so bf had a free stay and that is the response you get. what a nice girl. bet she is already relaying stories of the hardship she endured.
what did you give her as a leaving present - a cat?

I have 3 cats and 2 children our house is definately not disgusting, messy yes but I pick up the mess once a day vacuum under it and put it back again or the DDs do. I have been in pet free homes and sometimes there is more fluff in their corners than in ours.

Whe I was trying to sell my flat someone once came around and told me "how did I mange to keep it so clean with 3 cats in it erm vacuum every day. She was barking mad though.

haha !! a cat goldenoldie

sweetkitty- have very little carpet in the house except for the one rolled up in the hallway waiting to be fitted anyday soooooon!

we have old floorboards and persian rug things, so don't thankfully vacuum more than twice a week unless they have a midnight spat!! of there has been a fest of pompom manufacture.
what kind of hoover do you have? always interested in appliances that deal with cat haior well!!

I have three cats and I childmind. I vaccuum the nursery room every morning, but the cats loll around on the children's huge squishy sofa to the delight of the minded children and their parents! The cats are Burmese and absolutely maulable, you can do anything with them, and the parents are pleased their children have access to pets.

Incidentally, my DD is allergic to them, but copes well, just screams at them if they go in her bedroom, she has to learn to close her door!

My minded chcildren love brushing them in the ssummer when they are moulting - saves me a job!

My cats are just short haired moggies so not that bad for cat hair.

I have a Dyson I've burnt out 2 motors in the last 5 years with all the use it's had. I would use it every day because of the DC dropping crumbs everywhere anyway. I also have a Vax and was the carpets about once a month.

I am thinking about wooden floors and always having this debate carpet/wooden floors and rugs. Someone told me that cat hair sticks to carpet whereas with hard floors it blows around into little balls in the corners? Also with children wooden floors can get scrapped and battered.

I actually did once quit an au pair job in France after 8 weeks, partially because their house was so dirty! They had cats, and as well as cat hair everywhere they kept a litter tray in the kitchen and the cats were allowed on the kitchen surfaces and table I didn't even want to eat in there.

Sounds like it's not a good match.

Presumably it's her job to hoover, so she only has one person to blame for copious quantities of cat hair. She's looking for excuses.

she is going soon!I'm sorry for the children as feel they have been messed around. they really like her.
Her agenda I believe is to have a family with anthea house and one child. My fantastic bright noisy beautiful children are too much for her to handle. So
absolutely right science teacher- an excuse.
Now we have the job of replacing. we have seen two very suitable candidates, and were fortunate this time to get to meet them. On hindsight if I had met our current I wouldn't have chosen her.
And I'll continue to be happy in my non Anthea world!
Thanks guys.