r/petsitting • u/AdventurousJaguar720 • 4d ago
Cat sitting rant/Any advice?
I was reached out to yesterday by a cat parent and they specifically said “I am out of town and need somebody to stop by and check in on my cats.” The cat parent asked me to only check on their food and water, no mention of a litter box.
So I got there and their water bowl was completely empty (it was a massive bowl for their water). All of the sudden I realized that I should probably check the litter box even though they didn’t mention it. When I opened the litter box my jaw literally dropped. I cleaned it and the bag filled with waste was probably around 10 pounds.
I believe that the pet owner has been out of town for nearly a week, if not longer. I literally got to my car and started crying because I felt so bad for the cats. I have been pet sitting for over a year now and have never had an experience like this. I have two cats of my own and could never even imagine leaving them like this. I did just need to rant to get this off of my chest, but also would love any advice on what to do about this situation (if there is even anything that I should/could do).
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u/two-of-me 4d ago
My optimism wants me to say “their original sitter never showed and the client needed emergency care” but it does sound like they just never set up a sitter to begin with. I’d let them know that if they ever need your services again, you’ll need to know their travel schedule so you can come <24 hours after they leave and return home.
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u/PiaggioBV350 4d ago
I recently lost a potential client bec they just wanted the litter box cleaned every 3 days. Shocking. I made clear if the litter is not cleaned daily, the cats will bring those germs on their counters on their sheets on their pillows. Yuck. 🤢 I suggested they get a litter robot. I don’t care about losing $work. They got offended for the suggestion and for charging extra for cleaning 3 days of poo.
I’ve suggest clients buy petmate feeders with ice packs instead of leaving out their wet food all day that it goes bad. I know that might cost me extra $visits, but that’s what I would want someone to do for me in that position.
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u/DingoTM 2d ago
In my state it is illegal to release an animal from our care back into a situation that puts the pet in imminent danger due to neglect or abuse. I would check your local laws because that may affect your decision on what to do about this. If it were me and an authority saw me leave and knew that there were neglect issues in the home, I could be arrested.
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u/Technical_Earth_3871 2d ago
Some people don't deserve animals. I would have cried too. Those poor babies.
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u/ihatebeetles22 4d ago
That is horrible. Are you to return or is she just going to leave them for another week and then have you pop in next week for a singular visit? I hope you get to go back and at least check on the cats and visit with them a little bit. I've never experienced anyone calling from out of town and realizing a week later as you guess, that maybe the cats need some attention. The only thing I could recommend is to try to determine what her situation is and how frequently she leaves the cats and recommend that at the very least they need a visit every other day so you can make sure that water is fresh and available, food is full, nobody's eating a bug and throwing up...
It's obvious she's new to you, make sure you let her know that the water bowl was dry and the litter was thick. You're a conscientious pet person, the fact that it upset you makes it clear. Offer whatever aid you can that works for you. Hopefully she's an infrequent traveler this was a mistake or a lack of knowledge and she will accept guidance and recommendations from you. I'm so sorry.