Supposedly, that is a new feature that will be implemented. Read in the News section.
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Well just to update. The Home Owner has sent me this after I explained I couldn’t go ahead.
Would I have accepted the sit if it had been included in the preliminary details?
As an experienced sitter I have to say .. NO.
Who wants any possible backwash from a negative review? It’s sad because ultimately it’s the dear pup that suffers… but I’m getting harder nosed now and I put myself and my own welfare higher up than I used to.
I do think though if things are put in the early stages then cleaner negotiations result.
It’s a terrible way to start if one feels tricked or deceived into accepting a commitment that is so onerous. Surely however engaging the pup is everyone needs some time out?
I wonder how bedtime would go?
I’ve looked after puppies and it’s full on for sure, but the one I looked after was crate trained and I was able to get a full night’s sleep which made 4 days’ cover not only possible but enjoyable.
Puppies need consistency and as an owner I wouldn’t be going away very often and seeking cover from several sitters.. as is the case here.
My last thought is I hope things greatly improve for the pup, the Home Owner and the long suffering neighbours!
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I’m not sure what plans you have – a siteseeing tour? concerts? etc. Cats are creatures of habit but there is no reason the canned food can’t be a little later or a little earlier some nights. In your shoes, I would very calmly let them know that this isn’t in your previous notes and it is a change. You made some plans which you don’t want to cancel, so on some nights canned food may be earlier or later. (I would not insist that you’ll only feed them canned food in the morning as previously agreed because it is not uncommon that cat owners will change around food for good reasons like vomitting or behavior. If that is your stand, then you shoud ask them to “unconfirm” you.)
Let’s assume for the moment that they are nervous and made a mistake but aren’t terrible inflexble people. It is entirely possible that if you explain this is a a mutally beneficially arrangement, and you would never harm their cats in anyway, just a minor schedule flexibiity on the evening feedings, they will be fine with that.
I am making the assumption that no matter how much you love your social life you understand in taking on any sit, even if the owner says you can be gone a large amount of time you are still sleeping in the home everyday and living there. Not just dropping by for a shower, so figuring out a two times a day schedule for canned food shouldn’t be too hard. (If you limit yourself to sits with only one feeding a day that’s not automatic, you are probably eliminating the majority of catsits.)
If you guys can’t work it out, they can’t force you to do the sit and you can’t force them to have you sit. IMO it is in the best interest of both of you and the cats to work this out.
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Hi ILuvCats, It is rare to even have auto feeders for cats. Only come across it once. The normal feeding time for cats is between5-6 pm and approx 7-8am in the mornings. This has been the case for any sits I have done with cats. They sometimes, also have dried food to graze on throughout the day. If you cancelled I think you would find it hard to find a sit where cats (or dogs) are not fed twice a day.
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@Highfive glad that this is resolved for you . THS only works well when both parties feel that they are getting a good deal out of the exchange ( mutual exchange ) .
The new feature (introduced yesterday )hosts must now state in the listing how long pets can be left alone for ( mandatory tick box before a listing is published )
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/making-pet-care-clearer-in-listings
If this had been in place before it would have flagged up the issue with this sit before you even applied .
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They’ve had the tickbox, but what they tick hasn’t been visible for sitters, I believe.
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Yes you are correct - as useful as a chocolate teapot !! 
and it also wasn’t mandatory to complete it before
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HI
I would do as they request and make it happen to their requirements.
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The priority in pet sits is always the pets, taking on a pet sit with only the free place to stay in mind is not a great way to enter the pet sitting arena. Not saying you’re doing this, just saying. Yes, they should have mentioned the evening feeding but how far away from the house are you planning to be, exactly, and how many hours are you planning to be away - 8 or 10?
Sorry, I know this sounds like a callous response but I’ve been at this for literal decades and am seeing SO many newbie sitters coming in and being all about the free place to stay and the location and feeling put out by the pets’ schedules. Cat sits are THE easiest sits you’ll ever do, even if they have meds they’re on. Have a chat with the HO’s and explain to them you were under the impression there was no PM wet food feed, then let THEM know what you think your plans will be whilst you are there staying in their home as perhaps they’ll see YOUR schedule as not vibing with their cats’ either.
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I don’t know that bullying them into changing the cats’ schedule is the best advice, especially for a new sitter. She either can or can’t accommodate that time and if she can’t because she’s planning on being out for 7 or 8 hours everyday then it would probably be in the cats’ best interest if she allowed them to get another sitter who was willing to accommodate. Pets-first, our entertainment fits in where it fits in, that’s the pet sitting world.
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There’s no suggestion of bullying in my four suggested options for the new sitter. Eating wet food at a very specified time is not the norm for most cats (60 sits into the sitting life & having had cats since I was a child). Just have an open conversation with the host about how it could or couldn’t work. If they didn’t say wet food at 5 then it’s up for debate. #talkitthrough
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Right. Wet food at 5, for instance is a random human choice. I’ve sat cats for example where the hosts have said wet food sometime convenient for you in the evening (because that’s what they normally do themselves) and the cats have been fine with that variability.
Of course, there are exceptions based on actual health reasons, but they’re unusual. Like I sat a cat that had to be fed in stages, because she would barf if she ate too much food all at once. Those hosts were transparent upfront, though.
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I agree 100%. It’s surprising he will cancel a sit so he doesn’t have to feed a cat at night. I hope he gives them attention and play time. I had a great sit lined up for June of next year. Gorgeous house and scenery. Really nice host. Had only one sit using THS. Reviews good on both sides. He wrote me that he had a second sit and how bad it went. They left the two little dogs longer than agreed. No walking them just letting them out in the yard to do their business was required . They were gone longer than agreed to and dogs urinated all over and it smelled. He said he has to cancel THS. I think he thought they screened and so this would never happen. He apologized to me but said he is in shock and so upset. Unfortunately I saw his message after his profile was taken down so I couldn’t tell him I would continue with the sit privately. Since I started here a year and a half ago I see the qualities of homes going down. His was lovely and now he is gone. The point is THS should not paint a Rosie picture on both ends. The sitter should know sitting is work not just a free place to stay and PP should be aware sitters are only screened for criminal record not for character.
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"It may be that if you suggest cancelling they will rethink. You could offer a compromise and say for the days I’m home at 5pm I am happy to give the cats wet food again. " Okay, perhaps bullying is a strong word but what else would you deem threatening to cancel to “inspire” them to “rethink” the cats’ feeding time?
I’ve been at this since the 90’s, I’ve done hundreds of sits since I began, how many sits one has done on THS alone isn’t the point, I’ve done more than 30 on THS in the last year, the point is - as sitters we are to ALWAYS be pets-first and if we cannot do that we should not be pet sitting.
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Ohh this poor man, I can’t imagine putting all of one’s trust in a sitter, a complete stranger, believing they will treat your home with respect and your pets with the utmost care and consideration. I’ve done hundreds of sits since the 90’s and, to this day, I am 100% pets-first. I did a 3-week sit in a great spot in Dublin this year and the dog couldn’t be left on his own for more than an hour or he’d have a nervous breakdown. I knew that and I did it and it was just fine, we had a great time together. Standard for me is to never be away from home for more than 4 or 5 hours in a day but even 4 is a stretch for me, it just doesn’t feel right for me, and I know HO’s are appreciative of that.
True, quality homes are on the decline on the platform but there are still nicer ones cropping up all the time. I now assess who the HO is, what they’re all about, where they’re off to and why, and determine the balance for me that way. I did one recently for 2 dogs and 2 cats and the house wasn’t the fanciest, and I had to hoover everyday, but it was comfortable and in a convenient spot and the HO was off to do some philanthropical work in a war-torn country.
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I did a 3-week sit a few months ago for a dog who could not be left on his own for more than an hour, he is a very anxious pup. I was okay with that and asked the HO what one does if they need to do a shop and there’s a proper grocery 10 minutes walk from her place, it was plenty of time for me as I could pop out everyday if needed. She is in a great spot near the sea, darling little village, and I could take the dog pretty much anywhere on foot, sometimes by train if it wasn’t too busy or crowded. Some people will be okay with this type of sit, some won’t, if you can’t adhere to that kind of schedule you simply don’t do it. She never has a difficult time finding sitters.
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Agree pets first!
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I’ve been on exactly one sit out of more than 30 this last year where the cat had an automatic feeder.
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I guess it is a difference in how it is perceived. If a specific schedule isn’t agreed before the sit, and the sitter isn’t able to do it, no matter the cause for it, I would think it fair to offer an option on how one could proceed, if it is possible for the hosts to accommodate. Because it might very well be possible. The time could simply be “this is what we usually do”, and not “this is a requirement and it isn’t possible to alter”.
It doesn’t mean that a sitter is gone all day, either, just that at that particular time they are unable to be at home. Ofc it could also mean that a sitter will hardly be at the home. In that case it should be transparent so the host knows.
My pet gets her dinner every day at 1600, and she will sit in front of you and stare you down if your are late. 
That doesn’t mean that we couldn’t agree on her having dinner at 1700. She can’t be left more than 6-7 hours, and I would be firm on that, also because it is important for her wellbeing to have human company, and that is why I prefer a sitter to a kennel (but I do both). And a diabetic pet might need to have a shot at specific times. Some things are negotiable, others not. We can only figure it out by talking it out.
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I see no bullying here, IMHO @Cuttlefish was merely advising a newbie sitter - who is clearly unhappy with the revised schedule -to voice her own needs and provide the HO with opportunity to compromise on her newly-added requirements, rather than simply withdrawing from the sit.
There are absolutely no grounds for assuming @ILuvCats (who doesn’t like the new schedule which has been sprung on her) is going to be out for 7 or 8 hours everyday, or that she doesn’t put pets first. What it surely does signify is that she doesn’t appreciate being expected to comply with responsibilities which were not disclosed in the listing or during the video chat, but were only mentioned in the Welcome Guide.
We’ve recently had a similar experience, where we confirmed a sit for 2 cats who go out. We asked our usual pertinent questions during the video chat and there were no concerns or surprises. However, when the WG arrived, the 2 meals daily had changed to 3 and specified as being necessary at 6am, midday and 6pm. Sitters were required to ensure the cats were inside by dusk (which is around 4pm at the moment) and that might entail searching for them, ‘which could take hours’. It specified that one of the cats urinated in ‘obscure places in the house’ and when picked up, and occasionally ‘used the bath as a litter tray’. This was all news to us!
We drew their attention to T&C 5.2.5, which states:
- Pet parents must “notify a Sitter of any special requirements or behaviours relating to your pet(s) in your Home Listing”
and communicated that we would not be attending the sit.
You may assume that we intended being out of the home for 11 hours a day, or that we don’t like cats, but neither assumption would be accurate. We simply prefer to partner with hosts who are transparent, organised and considerate of their sitters.
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