Worried about our cat's sitter

[musicquestion]

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?

Poor sod. I feel bad mine are just getting scooped twice a day just now. I normally get poo out as soon as it's done. I had put out an extra tray before we went away but they both ignored it so I guess they are both using the same one still.

He might be shouting at you to tell you he missed you and is glad you are back. Had he done the toilet in other areas of the house?

It's highly unlikely but could she have finished the pouches you left and then bought another box of pouches and was giving him a few extras?
I'm guessing she's just been lazy though and only visited your property once per day max, hence why the trays weren't emptied properly 😞

I think I would go round for a chat. It needs to be talked through.

danceswithotters your units are wrong! 5Kg is approx 11lb not other way round so he hasn't lost 20% of his body weight. From what musicquestion has said, he has lost slightly less than 1lb so clearly has been eating more than 12 pouches in 18 days. Bathroom scales aren't particularly accurate either, so he may not have lost any weight at all. My guess would be he's been pigging out on dry, which is very calorie dense.
I would be very annoying about the litter trays but I don't think you need to worry about a starving cat with organ failure yet music!! Get him checked at the vet if it sets your mind at rest, but I don't think this is an emergency situation

Well I wouldn't hire her again, obviously.

Start interviewing catteries now. Mines apparently eating well and chilaxing in his sheepskin hammock on his cat tree (which is actually a tree ffs) £7.50 a day.

It takes time to find a good cattery.

Don't feel guilty, you trusted someone & shes let you down but you didn't mean for this to happen.

Oh good lord, do not pay her full whack until you know what's gone on.
Poor cat

Definitely don't pay her the full amount!

I would start looking at another sitter as well as catteries as there are good ones out there.

I'd definitely talk to her. You'd think if she was a total chancer she'd have just chucked the extra food/disposable litter trays.

Unless she thought you'd be back later than you actually were or something.

She sounds like she has been both cruel and negligent towards your poor cat , I would question any payment at all , if a cat sitter or cattery did this you would have some comeback and they would be open to examination from their relevant governing bodies , not sure what type of comeback you would have in this case of a casual arrangement but in honesty she has committed an act of cruelty

Was it very hot whilst you were away? If so, might she have decided to feed less wet foot and more dry? Though I see the dry food hasn't gone down as much as you'd expect - she didn't buy a second bag?

Reminds me of a friend of my mother's who looked after our pets once. The cat got ham and dry food, and I'd wrapped individual portions of the ham up, enough for each morning and evening. Only half had been used, so, obviously, she'd only come in once a day rather than the twice she'd promised. (Then again, when asked re vets for her guineas we were looking after she said she didn't bother, it was cheaper to get new animals if they were ill, and she tried to 'forget' about picking them up from us. Thinking about it, we should have kept them.)

Speak to her first. .... Perhaps there is an explanation. Maybe she bought food and emptied the bins. Maybe. But otherwise you can just pay her for the 12 visits. So pay her originalfee12/(182)

But don't use her again.

I am actually travelling home today and expecting the standard sulk from GrumpyOldCat when I get home. The main thing is you have lost trust in her, and you need to have trust in the person with keys to your house and feeding your cat.

Oh your poor boy

I'd want answers from her. Can you ask her parents to come round with her too?

Could it be he was off his food when you were away? One of mine pretty much refuses to eat at her very luxury cattery and comes back very vocal and skinny. So she just put a pouch down everyday?

Or she thought 2 a day meant a pouch lasts 2 days?

Not the best two weeks for him but I wouldn't be worried about organ failure! Definitely don't pay her £180!

I hope your cat was ok after the checkup! Did the sitter have a good explanation of what happened?

Is that cat ok?

What did she say about not feeding the cat and not cleaning the litter tray?

Did you pay her?

Hi. And thankyou.

She came round yesterday. I expressed our concerns. She said she was 'really busy last week' :(

I said we'd pay her half. DCat seems fine though is pooing all over the place.

The vet said he's fine but his anal glands were blocked which might have been contributing to things. Never thought I'd be typing 'anal glands'!!

That's a shit excuse isn't it?. I hope she had mentally spent the money & can't afford it now.

Wow. That's quite flippant on her behalf.

How will you face her / her parents in the future? For me, there would be a massive loss of general trust and warmth.

We shan't ask her again. Since she is our NDN's daughter I have no interest in starting a war. DCat will go elsewhere or be looked after by someone more responsible.

Oh I would not start a war either ... but it would change things and I am dreadful at keeping a deadpan face ...

let's put it this way... I won't trust them again.