But the HO changed the parameters of the sit and even though most of us think putting cream on an ear is nothing to worry about, that clause allowed them an approved way out. THS need to rethink the whole cancellation/commitment monitoring and take a leaf out of Aussie Sitters in there. #timeforarevamp
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I as a sitter would welcome such a feature. It seems the other way round - hosts altering agreements and/or shortening or cancelling sits - are far more frequent. The sit we are talking about is such a sit - cancelled because the responsibilities in listing weren’t disclosed/ accurate - and could then be reported by the sitter.
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The sit described in the OP is NOT “such a sit.” The responsibilities at the time the sit was confirmed did not include medication because the cat wasn’t on medication. The conditions changed later which is something beyond the control of the homeowner. The homeowner informed the sitter of the change. The sitter chose to cancel. There is nothing against the homeowner for the sitter to report. The question seems to be whether or not this is something the homeowner can or should report – whether the cancelation was frivolous and strategic, or whether the medication regime really constitued a change in responsibilities big enough to justify the cancellation. IMO, that would be for Trusted Housesitters to decide, but personally as a host even if I had a pet who wasn’t on medication, I’d ask potentional sitters about their experience giving medicaiton and whether or not this would be an issue and things changed and my pet needed to take meds for any reason. I would also be more inclined to choose a sitter whose profile shows experience giving medicaitons to pets.
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The listing didn’t disclose the actual tasks at the time of the sit. It isn’t what the sitter had accepted at the time of confirmation. That is enough to be «such a sit» for me.
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I agree. an extremely poor excuse. The very first sit I ever did with THS was for a cat with a broken leg. It was caged so as not to do more damage, so I felt quite easy. I had to adminster medication, which was easy and massage its paw on broken leg a few times. Also a visit to vets once, as medication needed to be altered as caused the runs. Other than that no problem. Yet I heard the owner had a previous sitter just walk out on her, whilst away on a business trip, saying they could not handle it. Forced her to cut trip short and rush back as cat left unattended and only manaaged a friend to pop in for a short while. Like the owner I could not understand how anybody could just walk out like that?
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From what I can tell, sitters fall into two categories: those who want to use the HO’s home as a base to explore, to whom pets may present more of an ‘inconvenience’, and sitters whose priority is looking after animals and will go to any lengths to ensure they are comfortable and well looked after in the absence of their owners. Unfortunately, there seems to be a proliferation of sitters who just want to travel, thereby diluting the pool of sitters who genuinely care for animals. It sounds like the sitter you mention didn’t have the cat’s best interests at heart (to put it mildly, considering they left the cat unattended) whereas the HOs struck gold when they found you!
Personally, I love looking after animals with additional needs as it is so rewarding and the time spent caring for the animals only increases the bond you share. I looked after a little dog recently who’d had spinal surgery and part of his bowel removed. He needed medication and extra attention, but it was a joy to look after him and monitor his progress, and it makes me sad to think someone could view things like medication as an issue.
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I think there can be a middle ground and more kinds of sitters. Personally, I have my own pets at home. I sit for the free accomodations in the areas I am interested in travelling to but I also love pets and am used to taking care of them so I don’t consider it a burden in any way and would rather have that responsibility AND the company of the pet then pay for the accomodation. Other people see it as a trade off to save considerable money on rent AND also enjoy the company (without long term committment or expense) of a pet.
But I also think no matter why someone is sitting, they have to realize what sitting is – a responsibility and if you are taking on that responsibility sometimes things can go downhill and there can be unexpected events such an emergency vet trip or the need to give medication. We are all paid members. This isn’t like cancelling a hotel or Airbnb. It is leaving someone (and a pet) in a last minute lurch and shouldn’t be done lightly.
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That is probably the most unfair, untrue and most ridiculous comment I have ever read on this forum.
You are forgetting to mention the third category, the one the vast majority of sitters fall into.
Those of us who want to use the HO’s home as a base to explore AND whose priority is looking after animals and will go to any lengths to ensure they are comfortable and well looked after in the absence of their owners.
Why can you not understand that It doesn’t have to be one or the other?
With almost 200,000 members there is always going to be a few bad apples but to insinuate sitters who use THS as a way to travel see the pets as an inconvenience, and sitters whose priority is looking after animals have no interest in the travel aspect of THS is showing compete disrespect for the vast number of THS sitters and also a complete ignorance of the concept of THS.
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@Colin has hit the nail on the head! Slow travel with the benefit of living like a local with the company of pets. That’s the win-win scenario. We’d have zero interest in pet sitting “just because”, makes no sense unless you’re being paid. Travel opportunities are at the core of all our sitting choices. The pets & hosts are simply an added benefit to feeling like a local as we head off on our adventures. #lovethislife
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@Lchardiman have you reposted your sit ? I hope you have found a sitter and your cat is well with the treatment you are giving her.
I apologise, and agree with you. That’s not what I was trying to say though. My intention was not to put sitters into one category or the other, but to suggest there are those for whom exploring the area is a greater priority than looking after animals (to the extent that administering medication may be seen as an inconvenience), not that it was ‘either/ or’ for all sitters. I’m sorry if that was not clear from my post.
I am well aware that the vast majority of sitters equally enjoy both elements of house sitting: travelling and looking after animals (as I myself do). But it is undeniable based on some of the posts on this forum about those who have abandoned animals or go out partying and return the next day, that there are those who do not have the best needs of the pets at heart, which is what I wanted to communicate in my post in response to what @Visit said about a sitter abandoning a cat.
I am not ignorant nor disrespectful of the concept of THS. I have been on this site for several years and am going by some of the posts I have read here. I have said many times myself in response to posts about poor sitters that this is a rarity and that the vast majority of sitters are kind and conscientious.
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We actually list our dealbreakers in our profile, one of which is undisclosed medical conditions.
We recently had a confirmed sit for two rather large dogs, and received a message from the HO the day before the sit was due to begin, saying that one of the boys had an ear infection and needed his ear cleaning and medicating several times a day. We ascertained that he was happy having this done and that the HO anticipated no change to that scenario with strangers doing it. We were happy to proceed (and the dogs were absolute darlings!).
I think what’s important here is that sitters have choice - as is presently the case - and that pet parents are completely transparent when any changes occur.
My listing was totally accurate at the time of posting and the sit being agreed upon. The hyperthyroidism was discovered during routine annual blood work months after the sit was confirmed. I totally understand that he was within his rights to cancel as the responsibilities changed but please stop saying that my listing was inaccurate.
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Thank you. I did repost it immediately but didn’t get any takers. I found someone local who is going to come but at the cost of $1100. On the good side, I also posted dates for April, got five applications in one day and have secured a lovely person for that sit.
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I think @Garfield means that the new health condition rendered your initial listing inaccurate, not that you intended to mislead by not including the facts (that’s how I read it, anyway).
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I realize I’m heading into off-topic, but the irony here is that THS is actually a travel-hack site that BENEFITS both sitters and hosts. Sitters get to stay in great locations and often very comfortable homes without paying $. Hosts get to have their pets (and homes) taken care of for no dollars while they travel. In both cases money not spent is being used to stretch travel dollars. The commonality between sitters and hosts is that both types need or want to travel AND love pets. In terms of life experience, most sitters have been pet owners and/or grew up with family pets. Many pet owners have also done some sitting even if only for friends and relatives. So we all need to treat each other with respect and grace and realize that what we are doing in both roles is important.
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I agree completely, and think this applies to the community we have here too. People are vilified if they post something that others disagree with or were not as clear as they could have been, as in my example above. We’re all human, trying to do our best. As you say, whether sitter or home owner, we have much in common. A little respect and compassion go a long way.
Hi everyone,
I’ve moderated some of the replies on this discussion, as things were getting off-topic. It’s fine for our members to disagree, but we don’t want it to derail the topic, or target any particular person.
@Lchardiman I really hope that the advice you’ve had here has been helpful! There’s been some great replies here from our members - thank you for popping back to update us. It’s a shame that you had to look elsewhere for this sit, but I’m really glad that you have a lovely sitter secured for April.
I hope your cat is coping ok with her new condition, and feeling better for having medication for it. 
I think that it’s time to close this topic to new replies, thanks everyone!