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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Cat sitter snooping...

35 replies

BakeOffBabe · 10/10/2015 21:31

We've just come back from a week away and it appears that the woman who looks after our cat has been upstairs and in at least one of the bedrooms.

We've used her for about five years and have always been happy with everything but DH has some expensive equipment in one of the bedrooms. He didn't have time to pack it all away so without telling me folded a piece of paper, placed it on top of the door, pulled the door shut and took a photo of it poking out. When we came back the piece of paper was on top of the door in a totally different position.

Nothing has been taken but now I feel really uncomfortable. There is absolutely no reason for her to go upstairs and into a room where the door is closed shut. Her husband and son help out so it may not even have been her.

What would you do? Would you say something? I don't want to make a fuss but equally I'd like her to know that i expected better really.

OP posts:

usual · 10/10/2015 21:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

thecatneuterer · 10/10/2015 22:09

I cat feed for a lot of the people on my street. I think there have been three times, in three separate houses when I've felt the need to go into bedrooms. In all those cases it was because one of the cats I was supposed to be feeding wasn't there and I was worried it had been accidentally shut in. In one of those cases it had in fact been accidentally shut in!

As long as it doesn't appear that anything has been taken I don't think I would say anything. It's your call though.

cloudlessskies · 11/10/2015 08:33

I can imagine if I were catsitting and was in the house but couldn't actually see the cat (maybe they were outside/hidden somewhere in the house) I would check all rooms. You could set some other 'traps' eg on drawers/jewelry boxes to check. I don't think there is anything wrong with that as it is your house, and if those things aren't touched you feel better without having had to confront her and have avoided an embarrassing situation.

tabulahrasa · 11/10/2015 08:41

I only ever cat sit for friends...but I check rooms, I give ones with open doors a quick look over for dead beasties the cats might have left there or anything else they might have done and I look in closed ones just for a second to make sure there isn't water flooding in from something or a collapsed ceiling or anything.

Because ok, it's not hugely likely, but how bad would I feel if something like that had happened and I'd left it all that time?

Arkkorox · 11/10/2015 08:44

I used to do cat sitting along side my dog walking business and would check closed rooms if I hadn't seen the cat after the first couple of visits.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 08:48

If you left the cat with the doors upstairs all shut the cat won't be in those rooms shut in though.

cloudlessskies · 11/10/2015 08:57

The owners/sitter may have thought the cat wasn't in there but........

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 09:02

It walked through a closed door....

usual · 11/10/2015 09:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tabulahrasa · 11/10/2015 09:26

Well firstly cats can teleport - everyone knows that, lol, but mostly, if you haven't seen it at all, you don't know it's on the right side of the closed door.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 09:27

When Mum used to look after mine before I left the house I would check where the cat was first and leave a note so Mum would know. So she wouldn't have been in any room where the door was shut.

I do think you need to be able to trust anyone that cat sits not to go snooping though.

kelpeed · 11/10/2015 09:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 09:52

So the owners didn't say goodbye to their cat and check where it was before they left kelp ?

Floppy5885 · 11/10/2015 09:55

I'd assume she was looking for the cat

Flumplet · 11/10/2015 10:12

If I was cat sitting, i would also probably 'house sit' a little bit too, and just check the rooms of the house maybe once or twice over a week or fortnight period - just to check everything's ok really - imagine if - I don't know - you had accidentally left a lamp on or a fan or something - I might even go as far as opening and closing curtains to give the impression of occupancy. The key thing here is that I would have let you know I did this and wouldn't have put the trap you set bit of paper back on the door to 'cover my tracks'.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 10:19

Flumplet that's a bit much, unless they had asked you to do those things. If the brief was to feed the cat then that's all that's required really.

Pigwitch · 11/10/2015 10:24

What did your DH hope to achieve with the paper 'trap'? That's just plain weird.

Chimchar · 11/10/2015 10:47

Maybe she needed an emergency wee and didn't know which room was the bathroom?

Original poster

BakeOffBabe · 11/10/2015 10:53

We pay her to feed the cat not house sit.

We've used her about five years and have probably been away ten times in that period. Nothing untoward has happened in that time except for a few stupid niggles (i.e. doesn't understand how to set automatic feeder despite detailed instructions, doesn't mash up wet food just puts 'block' of food in bowl) but we've just ignored those.

We live in a newish house so our doors are light and not the type to shut on their own without a large gust of wind.

I know it's odd that DH put a piece of paper on top of the door but for some reason he decided to do it this time. He said he felt nervous leaving the house this time for some reason. If she had a genuine reason to look around the house for the cat then why would she put the paper back? She emailed me one time before when she was concerned about something.

i don't know. Feel very odd about it. Probably not going to say anything but won't use her again.

OP posts:

Flumplet · 11/10/2015 12:26

What a cursory glance in a room is a bit much?? I wouldn't rummage that drawers or lick the toilet seat clean but yea, if I had the keys to someone's house I'd kind of feel a little bit of responsibility to check that all was well in their absence. Fucksake what a monster I am!! this is why I'd never bloody offer

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 12:40

To me yes Flumplet. If I have only asked them to feed the cat no poking about the house is required at all.

thecatneuterer · 11/10/2015 12:41

If you left the cat with the doors upstairs all shut the cat won't be in those rooms shut in though.

Sparkling that's exactly what happened when I cat fed recently. The owners thought the cats were all out of the rooms before they shut them. They were wrong. Luckily it was only two days later that decided to go searching.

And I agree that the OP is being rather OTT here.

Flumplet · 11/10/2015 12:44

I think you're hugely over reacting. If there had been a water leak or a window left open and the poor cat sitter hadn't picked it up, you would be on here winging that she had the keys to your house and didn't bother to keep an eye on it.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2015 12:45

They didn't check where the cats were for definite before they left? I can't imagine not doing that at all.

I use a cattery. I think it's for the best.

Flumplet · 11/10/2015 12:59

I think if I were the cat sitter, I probably actually myself would have checked if the op would like me to keep an eye on the place in their absence to avoid this situation. If the conversation never took place, they might have done it in case the op was expecting them too, however replacing the paper trap does ring alarm bells because it hints at tracks being covered.

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