I’m a sitter and would like to ask owners…should I ask the owners to change out their litter box before a long (month+) sit? They say they’ve NEVER changed it fully out, just scooped out the clumps. They’re only in town one more day. The cat has mobility issues and isn’t fully backing into the box, but I also wonder if maybe it’s a cleanliness issue?
I don’t want it to feel like a housekeeping critique since I point blank asked them how often they do it (assuming I might do one changeout while there). It’s a big box though and I’m not up for doing the first and only changeout ever.
I would just get on with it, do a full change and sterilise the tray. Then you should only need to scoop inbetween and do a full change once a week (depending on usage).
I would work to my standards while I am there.
I hope their home hygiene is better than their cat tray maintenance.
I am sure you will feel happier and the cat certainly will.
I have several indoor/outdoor cats, they mostly go outside. I scoop the litter box maybe every 2-3 days and replace the litter perhaps monthly.
If a sitter asked me to change it more frequently or asked that I do anything different in regard to my pets I would find it offensive, and the tone would be set for a sit that may be problematic and end with unhappy parties on both sides.
In fact I might even suggest we cancel the sit if I was asked such questions.
I think it is too late to ask for that task if the HOs only have one more day before leaving for a month. They probably are extremely busy and don’t have time for this step. If you had asked weeks ago, that would be different. Asking now seems inconsiderate of the HO’s needs in preparing for their long trip.
I think this is the wrong way of thinking in a few comments above. The hosts need to prioritise ensuring that the sitter and pets are comfortable. They risk the sitter cancelling if they don’t dedicate maybe 45 minutes to cleaning the cat litter set up.
Hosts probably (hopefully!) are prioritizing the comfort of their sitter and pets. The full litterbox cleanout just may not be one of the tasks they put in that category.
My cat resists any litter box that does not have some of her scent in it. Add in the stress and change of me packing and a new person coming in? Yeah, I’m not risking that she spend the first few days refusing to use her litterbox. THAT would go against making it comfortable for the sitter.
Always happy to talk through her routines during a video call before - it’s the place to determine whether a sit and sitter are a good fit - and to agree to any accommodations that would make a sit more welcoming. Last minute requests about something that has never been brought up before are a lot harder to work around.
I agree with you. Cats are very clean creatures. I have changed one out completely at a sit and washed the bottom as I saw the cat was doing it on the walls. It really should be on the homeowner but it bothered me the cat was so uncomfortable so I did it. In the US they sell disposable litter boxes you can buy. Use that and fill it with litter. Throw it out when you leave. I bet the cat only uses that one. If the owner is saying the cat is doing it on the walls of the box or outside the box I would tell them as an experienced cat sitter that the smells are bothering the cat and has to be completely cleaned out and scrubbed. It really is easier for them just to buy a new litter box.
This is almost identical to an experience I had on one of my sits. About an hour before leaving, the host decided to thoroughly clean and sanitize the litter box. For the first three days after they left, I didn’t see a single drop of poop in the box. Since the cat was older, I didn’t panic immediately, but I certainly kept a very close eye on things.
On the fourth day, I happened to pass by the host’s bedroom, the door was open and spotted a mysterious black shape on the bed. You guessed it, there it was, three days’ worth of evidence in 6-7 glorious piles spread out all over bed incl under the duvet. I got a shock, the hosts we shocked. We both quickly concluded that the strong smell of the sanitizer must have put the cat off using the box entirely.
I took the top off the litter box, aired the box, kept the bedroom door firmly shut, and thankfully, everything went back to normal. But I kept the top off the litter box during entire stay. Didn´t dare to put it back on. Why fix something that ain´t broken?
Based on that little adventure, my best advice would be to avoid doing any drastic cleaning right before hosts head out
Great question. While I disagree with how the HO manages the litter box, it’s better to follow instructions. If you had any objection to this unsanitary practice, it should’ve been brought up when you first accepted the sit.
I have multiple litter boxes that get dumped every 3 weeks. Last time I had a sitter, I fully replaced them all before the sitter got there. She must have dumped them all twice, because she used 40 pounds of litter in one week. Very annoying. Better to follow instructions.
Thank you all for your varied thoughts on this! I did ask the HO if they might consider changing it in case it helps the kitty use his box better, totally optionally. I felt nervous asking it as I truly meant no offense. They mentioned another housesitter had thought of a different health problem solution, and I hoped this was in line with that. Hearing the concern that this may be too much of a change for the cat, so I will keep a close eye on that and hope I haven’t confused him! Appreciate the heads up. The homeowner already took care of it and was super gracious about it. I really appreciated that. I am hopeful it helps the kitty!
To those who said it was “too late”, I hear that too. We did a long meetup ahead of the sit and I asked many questions, but also wasn’t the chosen sitter yet so didn’t get all the way into every nitty gritty. I will try to think of everything possible to ask next time, but I also think it’s almost impossible to not need to navigate something on a sit. I hope to work with HOs with a collaborative spirit for those moments!
This is a really great point and I will pay attention to it now that they have replaced the box. (I asked in a totally optional, only if you have time kind of way. I am not sure they sanitized so hopefully there’s still enough scent.) I did talk through as many routines as possible in our first talk, but was focused more on the special instructions than things I assumed would be routine. I will not assume again!
You’re going to be on a month-long cat sit, the easiest of all sits unless you’re doing a house sit with no pets at all! I would just let it be and do a change out when you get there, it takes but 15 minutes or less!
Cat sits are the easiest sits going on this platform, aside from the rare house-only sit. Changing out the tray is such a quick task, I wouldn’t even be thinking in those terms!
