Worried about our cat's sitter

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We have just been away for 18 days. Our ndn's daughter (20s), offered to go in every day to spend time with him, feed him, do the litter tray etc. We know her well and she used to babysit our DC when they were younger, plus always nice to have someone in to check on the house. We left a big list of instructions (plus met with them for the introduction initially).

To make things easier we got individual pouches of wet food (48 of them, for 2 a day plus extras), an automatic feeder for the dry food and 4 disposable litter trays plus extra litter for the bigger ones etc.

She sent us a couple of lovely emails with pictures so we know she went over there!

But only 12 pouches were gone, that's not enough for even one a day, cat has been yelling at us non stop since we have been back and they hadn't opened the other disposable trays nor changed his litter. I didn't weigh the big bag of dry food before we left but if it was all he's been given there should be less, surely.

I honestly thought having his own space would be less traumatic than a cattery - but I think I have been an awful guardian. What do I say? She's sent her bank details over wanting the transfer (a tenner a day, which we happily did agree to initially), but I feel I should find out exactly what went on???

Is he going to be ok if he's been on quarter-rations for over a fortnight?

If you get him kitten food it'll help fill him up.

No advice on the crap house sitter though.

I'd speak with her and ask what the cat has been getting fed. Also ask about the litter as that sound bad too.

I have a cat sitter going in twice a day just now and had specified how much wet food per day (1 pouch each twice a day) and how much dry food to scoop in the dishes. We have clumping litter so pee and poo can be scooped out and the litter topped up as required (won't need a complete change while away)

And I don't know if I'd pay the full amount if she hasn't followed your instructions

I felt like we were pretty clear, maybe even overly so, the pouches were all lined up on the counter etc. But he's not really 'my' cat (a grandcat maybe?), he's only been with us a few months after my DC couldn't accommodate him anymore and I wanted to do it right.

We had a litterbox upstairs and downstairs with clumping litter and special bags (stop eyerolling!), plus the disposable ones which he has used before and I swear I did explain (you throw the whole thing away after 5-7 days.

I don't want to make him ill by giving him too much food, kitten food is a really good idea, thankyou! I suppose tigers can go for a fortnight on short rations... I just feel like I have let him down.

She was supposed to come in morning and evening, she lives nexdoor so I thought it would be easy enough :(

First thing I'd do is ask her what the heck he's been eating the whole time if only 12 pouches are gone. Do you have an alarm system that clocks when it's been turned on and off?

I would be raging if I was you, and wouldn't pay a penny unless she had a very good explanation as to where the food came from.

Also, if he's not been eating much see if you can get some of the sensitive stomach food that the vets use for after anaesthetics - it'll be kinder on his stomach for a day or two.

I haven't seen her yet, we only got back early morning. He looks skinny to me, we took him to the vet right before we left so I know he was 11lbs then (which is small anyway). I only have a 'human' scale not a cat one though?

I am going to get some kitten/special diet food; the vet shut at 3 but I have left a message. They know him and will know what we should do? I don't want to hurt him by trying to get him to stuff his face?

He has been yelling at us since we got back though, it's so unusual for him, he never used to miaow. He was a street kitten and then lived in a high rise flat so I doubt he ever learnt to hunt :(

Yes, weigh him on human scales.

Weigh yourself, then yourself holding and do some maths.

I have used digital luggage scales to weigh my cats. You need to persuade them into some sort of bag first though

You are all stars in the cat firmament. Thankyou. I 'persuaded' him to be weighed with me then subtracted the difference - I'd rather not disclose the exact numbers but it was around a pound difference.

DH thought they didn't weigh him in lbs and I have got it wrong and the 11... is grams, but I don't know!

I would post a picture but it couldn't get any more identifying... are cats in wigs allowed?

He is sitting next to me now, he's shut up for a minute.

11g would be super tiny. Mine get weighed in kg normally. One is just over 3kg and the other is closer to 4kg. They are 8 months old. 11lb is nearly 5kg so probably closest to the truth

OK the ndn's dn called asking about payment so I said we had a cheque ready but would like to do a debrief first as he is new to our family.

(So I can ask exactly how much he lost etc)

So long as he won't be harmed long-term by another day? I will take him to animal hospital if needs be but assuming I can see the vet tomorrow, they can let me know if his kidneys and so on are ok?

(yes I have been googling).

The thought of him in his own dirty litter just makes me sad; he has always been so fastidious. Hence the extra disposables, just sitting stacked in the hall :(

(sorry, I meant I could ask her how much he ATE)

I pay my professional (insured etc) cat sitter £10 a day for 2 visits. She sends daily texts (and photos), changes litter, cleans out bowls and feeds them what you ask her to.

£180 for someone who cared for your cat so badly is awful. It's disgusting and cruel not to change the cat's litter

My cat sitter also charges £10 for 2 visits and is a professional and had to fill in all sorts of paperwork, etc. I wouldn't be paying £10 a day for someone who did a shit job and ignored your instructions

Had the litter not been cleaned out/ scooped at all?

Ok, so this is all I know for sure -

He weighed 11lbs last month, for sure, at the vet. I have checked this with the paperwork. The difference now on my human scale (with me holding him/ reweighing myself), is a bit more than 10bs. Ok, I do not have a vet scale. But still.

We supplied 48 pouches of wet food and on the instruction sheet and in our face to face we made it clear it is two a day. She said she would come morning and evening; to let him in at least. I would like to know what he was given since only 12 pouches were gone. They were obvious on the counter.

The litter trays - in her email she said she would scoop the perm ones and refresh them as needed, we provided three temp ones (one per week), as extras to be binned as needed. Scoops and bags were next to each tray, plus the extra litter.

He keeps shouting at me :( I know that shouldn't make me sad but it does.

I know she was here, she sent a couple of emails. What do I ask for? Proof she fed him (what???)

12 pouches in 18 days isn't fair, not when 36 other pouches were there on the counter.

It's hard to say if they had scooped at all, we provided dog poo bags to go in the outside bin. But if they had been doing it as per instructions, no way would the house have been like it was after (max), 18 hours. Certainly no litter had been refreshed, and the disposables were still sitting there unopened next to a filthy one.

But I can't prove they never scooped at all. They didn't scoop every day, and they never refreshed, but that's just clear to me from my own experience. He tried his best to be clean :(

I'd be absolutely fuming!!! You definitely shouldn't pay her £180 when she has been so crap at caring for your poor cat