I think really lucky you noticed and acted so quickly, many people might have taken “the wait and see” approach and it could have been a very different scenario. This is the responsibility that is sometimes not considered on both sides. Hoping it goes as well as possible.
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Hi @MyrCar
I’m so sorry to hear about this - are there any updates on how the cat is doing? And how are you doing?
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience here. It is really important to highlight these situations, as they do happen, and I think there’s been a lot of good information shared in this thread.
Please keep us updated on how things are, and how you are, and I hope you can feel like this is a safe space to share.
Take care,
Jenny
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I can relate. Last week the cat I was caring for through another platform had a stroke or something neurological happened and she couldn’t walk.
She was so distressed and looked up at me with her beautiful eyes and meowed at me like saying hello Aunty Trace whats happening to me.
I took her to the vets straight away and the owners who are overseas didn’t want to get any tests done to confirm the actual cause or if there was anything that could be done to save her they just wanted her to be put down. The vet had to give her a sedative to stop the pain and she was all ready asleep before then put her down.
I stroked her head and sang to her while they gave her the needle.
It was absolutely devastating. Now im still at their home for another couple of weeks with the reminders of Pusha the cat everywhere and the memories of what happened. 
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As a home-owner, I would be heartily relieved that the sitter noticed there was something wrong and a trip to the vet was required.
My pets aren’t “standard” so I make sure to brief sitters on signs of illness - eg, a rabbit not eating will require an urgent vet trip, it’s not a ‘wait & see’ situation. If I’m not contactable, I leave the sitter contact info for someone who can pay the bills and someone who can help with health/vet treatment decisions in my welcome guide.
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For me, it’s a big responsibility to take care of someone else’s pet. On top of that, every animal is different, so noticing unusual behaviour is much more difficult than when it’s your own pet and you know their quirks, routines, and personality.
That’s why communication with the owner is so important, keeping them updated on how things are going, especially during the first few days. What is completely normal for one pet can be very unusual for another.
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This is also why I’m often shocked that sitters will breezily take on a sit that includes Equines. Would they know how to deal with a horse that’s showing signs of colic, or one that’s cast, or one that’s got laminitis… it’s a whole other world. And of course even if the vet is called the sitter would be expected to ‘manage’ the Equine…. for the Vet to do their work and that’s never easy, and could involve twitching etc
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I had an owner ask me to remove all food, leashes, etc from the house. They did not want to come home to reminders. The owners instructed the body be left at the vet, but because it was frozen before an autopsy was discussed, an autopsy was not possible. So there were no answers as to why the animal suddenly died. Asking what to do with the body is important. I think a checklist would be useful. Very hard to anticipate what to ask in advance and in a quickly deteriorating situation.
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oh god, NO, please tell me right away if anything is going on with my pet, even if I’m across the globe.
BTW, I leave a CC on file with my vet - sitter can authorize up to a certain amount, and then a family member can authorize anything over that. I do this so sitters don’t have to be in the terrible position of making life or death decisions if I somehow can’t be reached. Sitters also have that family member’s contact info.
@MyrCar I’m sorry about your week. I sat for a cat who was indoor/outdoor and got hit by a car while I was there. Thank you for being a caring companion to this cat, and a lifeline for the owners who must be beside themselves.
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As everyone here I am so sorry u have had to deal with this. We all face the possibility of accident or injury happening at any time. I personally raise this with pet owners before they depart. It’s sensitive, I’ve never had anyone object to this discussion. I explain that I will be their agent and carry out their wishes should a critical issue arise -with advice from vet- and always ask too for a possible local friend to become involved along with me.
In particular when the pet is elderly or has exisiting health flags, we discuss a possible need to humanly put the pet down. I promise to be with them at the end and remain with them throughout. It’s horrible and none of us want to have to do this, but it’s about the pet. When I have bonded with them and I’m a surrogate parent, I’ll hold and love them at the end.
As a sitter, I will do what i would want if the roles were reversed. So many of us have numerous sits where it’s a walk in the park and we enjoy all the pleasures this life offers. If we r ever called upon to step up then like u we do what is kind
Well done u.
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@BonnyinBrighton, very fair perspective.
We’ve completed one housesit that had four horses. But we only considered it, nevermind confirmed it, as horse responsibilities were very low.
During video call - lovely pet parent was very upfront to advise us that our primary responsibility was for a couple of cats. Horses roamed freely (no feeding, water, mucking out duties, relocation, stabling, … from housesitter). Our horse responsibilities were limited to ‘count their legs’ (no kidding … i.e. ensure each horse is standing up) and contact neighbour (horse expert) if have other horse concerns.
Turned out to be a cute experience as horses tended to follow us when we walked around pet parent land. Sort of like off-leash dog walking but with horses!
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Same. I empower sitters to act but I want to know. My pets are precious to me and while I understand things happen unexpectedly I would want to be in the loop at the outset. I have enough experience to know when something is minor, or something maybe significant but can wait till we return, or something urgent and I would go home right away. That is my choice to make, not a sitters.
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