Asking the cleaner to cat sit

[Cheesechips]

We're going away for a week in April and I was thinking of asking our lovely cleaner to visit twice a day to refresh food/water for our 11 year old cat. She needs medication every morning and evening. It's in a small treat and she always wolfs it down so no issues there and I'd explain first and she's done it on 1 instance before. Cleaner lives a 1 min walk away and I wouldn't expect her to stay long. Just wondering what I should be offering her money wise? We've done catteries before but I think this is the best option.

I'd offer £50

She won't have the appropriate insurance in case something goes wrong - pretty critical as your cat is on medication.

I would hire a professional pet sitter.

If you are asking it as a friend rather than in her capacity as a cleaner. I don't think insurance is an issue.

We do this. We pay 10 euros a day a d provide the food obviously. It’s a success all round.

£5-10 a day

Thanks! Will probably offer £10 a day. Wouldn't blame her if anything happened re the medication and it's so easy to administer.

Yes ask her, mine did before when I could actually afford a cleaner & she was happy to be asked. I paid £50 for the week I think as she wouldn’t accept£10 a day! Which is what I would pay a professional where we live. No worries with insurance that I can think of as PP said. One of my cats also on meds and my neighbour looked after them last time no worries. I looked after her cat when she went away a while back so worked out well.

I paid £12-15 a day for two visits (including giving my cat her heart medication illness a treat) when we have gone away.

*in, not illness!

Mine takes our dog and comes in to feed the cats and chickens every day. We pay her £25 a day for it (but that’s mainly for having the dog).

She actually loves the dog and would have him for free

In fact she regularly threatens that she won’t be returning him

If she is happy to do it then £10 a day seems ok, will she need to clean the litter tray too.

We have a self cleaning litter tray and she usually goes outside so nice and simple, just feeding.

But off thread but does the tray work, I am thinking of getting one

Please use a professional pet sitting company rather than asking your cleaner. They will be insured to care for your cat and will be able to do medication, etc. It’s fine to ask the cleaner but in the event that something goes wrong that puts you and her in a really awkward position.

I say this as someone who runs a pet care company and I cannot tell you how many customers we get who come to us after they’ve asked a friend/relative/neighbour/cleaner to care for a pet and then it’s gone tits up.

@BlanketsBanned

But off thread but does the tray work, I am thinking of getting one

Yes it's amazing! We usually change it when the counter gets to 40. We have this one (the covered one). Ours lasts ages but it depends on how often your cat uses it I guess. You might need to change it twice a month if they don't go outside. They've gone up since I bought it but worth every penny in my opinion! No smell ever.

Thanks.

we pay our cat sitter £20 a day - she does two visits, feeds them both, bit of attention and fuss and the litter box. I would maybe check cat sitting services near you to see average cost and start there?

@Cheesechips

Thanks! Will probably offer £10 a day. Wouldn't blame her if anything happened re the medication and it's so easy to administer.

It's not fair to put your cleaner in this position, though. Imagine if something did go wrong - you may not blame her, but she'd blame herself and it could destroy your relationship.

You need to ask a professional with insurance - anything can go wrong when looking after animals. Insurance covers all sorts - cats escaping and getting run over, vet bills, injuries that occur in her care, impacts of say, the cat refusing to let her administer the medication etc.

Like @Harlequin1088 - I say this as a pet sitter. So many people come to me precisely because they asked friends or family and they didn't know what to do and it all went wrong. One lady trusted her son to do it - he forget/couldn't be bothered and the cat got left shut in with no food and no access to the outside to go to the toilet. She returned home to a very stressed, hungry cat and the most horrendous smell!

I'm not saying your cleaner wouldn't be reliable but please get someone with insurance. Yes, it's highly unlikely that something will go wrong, but if it does, you will kick yourself for not going with a professional.

Hear hear @fairylightsandwaxmelts - I’d say half my cat sitting customers have come to us following a cock-up previously when friends/family have done it.

@Harlequin1088

Hear hear *@fairylightsandwaxmelts* - I’d say half my cat sitting customers have come to us following a cock-up previously when friends/family have done it.

Yep!

People think it's really easy to feed animals but when it goes wrong, it can go badly wrong.

Would a cleaner know how to spot the signs of say, a urinary blockage which can be life/death? Would they know when to get a cat to the vet and be willing to take said cat and wrestle it into a carrier etc? Would they know how to clean an injury or what to do if a cat escaped and ran off?

Yes, 99% of the time, it's fine and these things don't happen, but you hire a professional in the rare event that something goes tits up.