Not really @Joeydenis - it needs to be a review of your personal experience.
The categories are Communication, Hospitality, Cleanliness, Pet Behaviour and Accuracy of Listing.
You can give an overall score - it isn’t an average of the category scores.
From what you have said you may wish to deduct a star(s) for communication and hospitality.
In the wording I would mention the host being there for two days (unless you knew in advance), lack of Welcome Guide and pressure for excess communication.
The host won’t see your review until they complete theirs. If they do not leave you a review yours will be published after 14 days.
In your position I would be concerned that if I gave a generous review I may receive a less than perfect review. How would you feel in that situation?
Honesty is the best policy when it comes to reviews.
@KC1102 @Joeydenis Cats free to roam outside all day and then the HS expected by the HO to herd them all in at night is an absolute dealbreaker for me, too. I’ve been in that situation once, and it was so stressful. Never again. . . . But 8 of them - nightmare!! So sorry you are in this position, over and above everything else that is going on with this sit.
Thank you! Wow I should have posted this on the forum ages ago I didn’t realise this existed previously and just decided to look it up today for advice. Also would it be okay if I can ask you about your previous experience on a HS? Can we chat in another convo or is it only on this thread?
Not sure who you are directing this message to. You can direct message anyone, just tap on the icon next to the name. When replying to a comment just tag them in with @. I am technologically challenged - hope that makes sense 
I’m so sorry that you had to go through this unnecessary stress. Bottom line : These are semi-feral cats and, as such, they roam…and disppear from time to time. The owner knows this and , unfortunately, saddled you with a situation over which you had no control and requests which were entirely unrealistic. As noted by others , be honest in your review - not emotional but factual.
It seems you are new to the forum. Welcome.
Are you also new to THS as a sitter?
Try and set some boundaries. Let her know that you are checking the cats every day but you cannot take pictures of all the cats every day. Send her a message each day saying the cats are good and you’ve just fed them etc or that you’ve just got them all in at night or whatever works for you. She can’t yell at you if you’re not there to yell at so communicate via message and if she calls let it go to voicemail. Don’t respond to abusive or angry messages straight away. Leave them and hour or two and respond to polite request more immediately (as long as there are only one or so a day). Repeated messages get the delay treatment. Control the messaging so it comes from you rather than being controlled by her or a reaction to her.
There are people in this world who take advantage of the good nature of others by by being “helpless” or “anxious” and they come in all ages.
I whistle my cats. They’re quite often a few fields away and take some time to get home. But they hear a whistle. Also, shake its biscuits/treats. I keep ours in a plastic tub and treats in a jar. And don’t worry, it’ll come home. I also leave the back door open in the evening until around 8/9pm. Just a little bit. Maybe try that and put the other cats somewhere they can’t get out. It might just be scared. And you know, if it doesn’t return, it’s a cat. It’ll hear her when she returns and come home 
. If you put food outside it might decide not to come in!
Expectations around the cats aside, I would recommend not taking the woman’s “shouting” tone personally especially coming from Australia where the communication style is somewhat different compared to parts of Europe, especially rural Europe or even smaller cities and towns. I’m always mildly horrified yet amused when I visit countries, where I speak the language fluidly, and listen to how locals talk to each other in supermarkets or on the road. It can be quite eye opening even for someone who is from there but not used to it. Also, things like water saving, recycling etc are really part of the culture and while they might seem like trivial matters somewhere else it’s actually a taste of that “local” life most of us aspire to when we do this internationally. There is such a big expat culture on THS that it can be easy to miss some of the nuances of the local culture so even if it is stressful now consider it a learning experience which you probably will look back at positively (eventually).
The Owner should consider getting GPS tracking devices for her cats so that SHE can follow them on her phone while she is away. Does anyone have experience with these?
I have only had dogs with Apple Airtags which work a bit differently.
Hi, yes I’m new to THS in Europe but not in Australia.
You have had some excellent advice here so I can’t add much other than PLEASE review the HO honestly and do a good deed to future sitters.
Ok. Gotcha. I was reading it like you have been house/pet sitting for a long time but all together new to THS sitting, so you know already about the member code of conduct and the terms & conditions and the blind reviews and the 14 day (time zone dependent) time limit to leave a review and if host and sitter want, each can leave remarks on posted reviews…
That would get a bit expensive for eight cats, but yes, better than harassing the sitter.
The ones that give real-time position would also need connection to the internet. Such solutions exist but they are mostly used for tracking vehicles etc.
I had bought a cheap Chinese tracker on Temu, it was called GF-07 and GPS but it does not receive GPS coordinates. It needs a sims card and it only gives coordinates of nearby cell transmitters. I complained and I got my money back (and they told me to keep the device).
Sorry to hear that you’re in this situation.
You’ve had lots of good advice. You are giving too much power to this lady. It would be perfectly reasonable to tell her something like “This is not what we agreed on, you might want to consider an alternative.” It’s OK to leave as well if she doesn’t become more polite. You’re not in a prison and emotional abuse is not OK for either party.
Let me add that free roaming cats are not automatically bad. I have looked after lots of cats with outdoor access and none of the owners harassed me about frequent photos the way you write about. Most cat owners were very chilled about it. If someone seems too concerned about tracking the cat etc before we agree on a sit, I say no thanks and don’t sit for them.
Sorry to hear you’re having such a stressful time. After our first indoor/outdoor catsit, I ask these questions anytime there are cats involved.
- Are the cat(s) completely indoor cats? If not please describe their indoor/outdoor habits/schedule and how they access the house throughout the day
- If the cat(s) hide, where are some of their hiding places? How and when do they typically come out?
- Have any of your cat(s) ever not returned home in the evening? What is the protocol if the cat(s) do not return home during the petsit?
Maybe an advise for all pet sitters that have to sit for indoor/outdoor cat.: Keep the cats in the house for a few days until they are comfortable with you being around. I have 3 cats and always ask to keep them inside for a few days and after that they even come and lay on the sitters lap while watching TV although they are quite shy around ‘strange’ people.
It would be a hardship for outdoor / indoor cats to be suddenly trapped indoors. When I sit them, I just ask their humans, what happens if they don’t return? If they’re fine with that possibility and say something like, oh, they’ll eventually turn up, then it’s fine with me. If they said something like, then you’d have to hunt for them and bring them in, then I’d just avoid that sit. That hasn’t come up yet.
I have a few pointers that may be useful::
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I now create my own checklist of questions that must be answered before I confirm a sit. I’ve seen so many excuses for why home owners don’t want to fill out the welcome guide. The most recent one was a woman who said her eyesight isn’t good, and she won’t be using THS or a computer; instead, she will call or text me with all the instructions (I received about 25 messages for a 3-day sit). I no longer agree to sit for anyone who doesn’t answer my questions generously, in writing. It is just not worth it. I have been in too many situations where the truth only comes out when you are on site. I believe the best policy is to have a home owner and potential sitter review the guide, before a sit is agreed upon, so there is complete transparency. If you want to see my list of questions, let me know.
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The arrangement on THS is meant to be an equal one, a win-win for both. Taking care of 8 cats is not an equal arrangement. I would never accept that number of pets - it isn’t reasonable, whatever country you are in, whatever language you speak, whatever your background is. A person who housesits always needs to be flexible and adaptable, and able to spin on a dime. Please don’t give your integrity and dignity away when you agree to house sit.
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Cat owners vary in nature, and none are as mean-spirited as your owner has been. I have been house sitting for two dogs and a siamese cat for a few days, and will continue for another 10 days. If the siamese cat gets out, there is a good chance the coyotes will get it at dawn or dusk (I am in a desert town). The house owner called me to tell me not to be worried, and he will understand if the cat escapes, and never returns. I say this to reassure you that there are good people out there, who really trust that you are doing your best.
I hope this helps.
You are not overthinking this and I feel for you. Just do the best you can. She is expecting too much of you And she should have listened the requirements in her add! It’s always uncomfortable and questionable to give a pet owner a bad review p, but be prepared to defend yourself IF you ask her for one. After dozens of sits and return sits I think that I’ve only gotten one so so review about leaving the house not very clean. I didn’t vacuum the only bedroom where the cat stayed almost the entire weekend. I didn’t want to scare it more. On this sit my wife joined me and she is a neat freak. As in other sits in truth we left it cleaner than when we arrived. Don’t let this one bad experience with a woman that probably should not leave her cats with anyone else discourage you. This is a rare situation. I’ve done over 100 sits and Never had a situation like yours. Good luck!