Cleaning the cat tray is a 15 minutes task, if a sitter is going to cancel a sit because the HO didn’t do a full changeover of the cat tray then the sitter should perhaps consider just renting a place whilst travelling!
I think you replied to me in error. Please read my post again.
What’s interesting here is the trust part and whether it’s breached by the host attitude to the sitter. I’d be wondering what else they’d left for me to deal with that’s yuk. I don’t do yuk. A litter tray that’s been left for years isn’t for me a 15 minute task. This is 10/10 on my Yukter scale.
Cleaning a litter tray:
Find a suitable face mask
Find suitable plastic apron and gloves
Find suitable brush to scrub
Find a suitable container for the contents
Empty litter tray into container & scrape clean
Fill bucket with hot water and disinfectant
Scrub litter tray
Rinse litter tray
Dry litter tray
Refill litter tray
Remove mask, apron, gloves and bin these
Take a hot shower
Have a large whisky
Shipshape, I would hardly consider cat sits the easiest ever. My last one wasn’t, as cats were bringing in sheep ticks on their fur and I was getting bites daily from them. Also one disappeared in the house for the first couple of days.. I believe possibly hiding amongst all the clutter under owners bed. But kept stressing, in case had actually managed to escape.. This one could only go outside on a lead to be walked. The other cat had wobbly legs and would not go in litter tray. always fought to come out if placed inside. Would find poos and wees on mat in front of litter tray at 6am . some wees did end up on a puppy pad, a;though some always missed. Was asked to clean the three litter trays completely every two to three days. Another time a cat would bring mice into the house all the time, which I needed to catch and take out. Then there were two cats who hated each other. One sat on my lap happily purring then the other came along, and suddenly a huge spat. I never jumped up so quick. Oh and one who went outside at just before 8pm when just about daylight and just before feed time, as told 8pm to feed.. Assumed for a wee but did not come back. There was terrific storm and a yellow weather warning that night. It started up really bad about 8.30 pm. Risking life and limb walking around with a torch in the gale force wind and rain without success. She eventually turned up as if nothing had happened just after 11pm. But my stress levels were high. The next day they were broken branches all over the garden and litter everywhere, as bins all blown over. Just managed to pick it all up before binmen came as bin day.
Oh and just remembered another that I was meant to put a lead on and walk around the garden. Impossible to catch as would go under a sofa by patio door. Tempted with titbits etc. First attempt at trying to get a lead on and had my arm scratched. The ct was quite feral like. When I did eventually get lead on, this cat refused to budge. Definitely no walking. Ended up just tying to the swing frame outside, so at least some outside time. Thankfully this was only 2 0r 3 nights.
And then my very first house sit with THS was looking after a cat with a broken leg who was kept in a cage, so as not to cause further injury. Didn’t know had a broken leg when I applied. Had to massage the paw of broken leg each day and give medication. But this also required two visits to the vets, as medication causing diarrhoea. From my experience cats are anything but easy.
That is quite the punchlist for picking up a litter tray, emptying it into a bin bag, taking the tray outside and spraying some cleaner in it, giving it a hosing off, finding some kitchen roll to dry it off with, and filling it back up with fresh litter. 15 minutes tops.
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Cat sits are, by and large, the easiest sits going, it’s a rare occasion when one will encounter a high maintenance cat sit and if you’ve done that as a sitter then you have actively chosen to do the sit. I have thorough conversations before committing, and I look at HO profiles thoroughly, as well as reading all of their sitter reviews, I then make my decision accordingly. I can’t imagine how any sitter out there wouldn’t practice the same!
I didn’t reply to you in error, I was merely in agreement with your comment!
This is exactly it.
I considered doing it, but since they said they’d NEVER done it it felt…openly defiant to do it myself? Hence asking if they would pre-trip, IF they had time and thought it was a good idea, as a starting place.
I hope it wasn’t too big an ordeal for them. I also hope the kitty is more comfy.
According to that same poster, an infrequently changed litterbox is grounds for sitter cancelation.
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This will be a more involved cat sick for an elderly cat with extra needs. Changing out the tray would be a quick task, but as the owners made it clear they have never done it, just doing it myself seemed openly defiant. A conversation needed to ensue and I’m glad both sides handled it graciously!
No, it’s grounds for seeing a significant red flag ahead of a sit, having further conversations and re assessing if you’re a ‘good enough’ match.
I totally agree.
If we were to learn a litter box hadn’t been entirely cleaned out in some years, it would ring alarm bells regarding cat care, as well as making questionable the standard of cleanliness throughout the rest of the property.
It might suit some sitters, but we’d pass.
We had indoor cats ourselves for decades, with litter boxes cleaned out regularly. It’s an essential part of good animal husbandry, IMHO, so we’d prefer to partner with hosts who share those values.
I personally think it’s good hospitality to leave a guest sitter with a fresh litter box to start a sit; no chance of bad smells, less possibility of kitty demonstrating ‘disdain’ for the box when they’re already a bit miffed about owner leaving, etc. However, if it’s clear to me the box hasn’t had a recent clean & refresh I usually just get down to taking care of it myself right off the bat — for myself & the cats’ comfort. If I have to order more litter to accomplish this, so be it (if the host wants to reimburse me then fine — but also fine if it doesn’t happen, as it’s as much for my benefit to do it.)
As for a sitter asking questions: I do my best to be tactful when I ask about a host’s usual pet care/maintenance routines. The OP certainly seemed like their questions had a positive motivation (cat’s well-being) as well as a practical one for their own comfort, & they were trying to be up-front. For a host to take such umbrage to that seems over-the-top to me.
In that situation, if my host suggested cancelling the sit over it I’d be happy to agree, and consider it a near-miss as well.
I’d see it more like the hosts choices and philosophy in regard to pet care being challenged by someone who they expect to respect and agree to their way of doing things.
That’s a fair point. Probably a good thing to add to the list of questions for the video call if it’s important to the sitter; as you note, if you have specific reasons for doing it a certain way, that’s good to know, as a sitter.
Thanks for that insight re: the cat wanting their scent in the box. 
All the more reason for hosts to clearly define ‘their way of doing things’ in the listing, then only sitters who are aligned with those views will apply. No nasty surprises or firm differences of opinion once the sit has commenced, so everyone will be happy.
True, but not every detail can be covered. Although I suppose litterbox scooping/changing frequency could definitely be part of the Pet Care & Responsibilities section.
I think that’s the issue I have with your POV. You say you see it as a sitter “challenging” you, & that a sitter should “respect and agree to [your] way of doing things” — those are all choice words that imply you see a sitter as subservient to you, & that feels rather disrespectful. I see this as an exchange of equals. If I have questions based on my experience or my comfort, I ask; if there’s a reason it needs to be done differently, great — maybe I even learned something.
For me, it’s a partnership, & I want to know I have a good partner & that we can work together. If we can’t even agree on cleaning a litter box, what’s going to happen if the pet gets sick?
Edited to add: it’s possible your phrasing is what’s getting in the way of things & we may not be entirely in disagreement. That said, if our communication styles aren’t in alignment then it’s probably not a good fit for that reason alone. So again, good for both parties to reassess & likely cancel at that point.
A sit for every sitter & a sitter for every sit, etc.
It’s easy for us here on the forums to generalize based on our own most memorable experiences. Of course refreshing a cat box can be a fairly straight-forward, 15-20m process. But I’ve also refreshed a few that required an hour of very not-fun (ie gross) work involving gloves, a hose, boiling water, disinfectant, scrub brushes, neutralizer, and a new bag of litter.
In the case of a box that hadn’t been refreshed in years, it’s possible I might even be found scouring Amazon for a replica of the original box as a full replacement. 
(Wish I’d thought of the “disposable box” on a sit or two; to the person who suggested that idea: brilliant! 
)
Not at all. The sitter is a guest in my house, and while I appreciate them and respect they have their way of doing things and we will do everything possible to ensure they have an enjoyable stay, it’s still our house, our pets, and our rules.