ACtully no I do not think it’s unreasonable to expect a cat/kitten to be awake at 4:30. If the owner has not expressed that she wants you to feed the cats at that hour, then it is an issue. I have cats that eat at different times and always inform the cat sitter that it is an early morning feeding schedule. It’s up to them to decide if they wish to accept these times. Being at the beck & call of the cats, is for me personally not an issue if I’m catsitting…housesitting with cats/dogs is different. For the primary focus is the cats. If it’s clearly communicated that their feeds are irregular then it should be clearly communicated that you are not ok with that. Also I do not feed my cats dry food, it’s a easy way out for people who claim to come catsit but really just want free holiday accommodation and can leave bowls of food out without actually being present to interact with the cats. Also my cats are healthier without dry food.
Oooh, Sept is a fantastic month to be in Mexico - lots of independence celebrations. I hope you can stay awake enough to enjoy the atmosphere.
‘‘I sat for two cats recently and they were only fed on raw mince and nothing else.’’
I read that as ‘raw mice’ 
Cats being cats, I’m sure there are those who demand their mice not only cooked, but peeled, diced, sautéed in butter and served in vole-au-vents.
My cats like their organically-raised mice sushi style.
If you deal with kittens, you’ve got to expect a furball jumping on your head at any time of night. I love it. Probably because I was raised with cats and have dealt with these issues all my life.
Thanks everyone for your advice & suggestions. I have taken screen shots of the post and I have hard copy of welcome letter+whataspp. If I just can’t handle it, I will do the needful. Right now I am going to observe how things go for the next two days and maybe i will invest in that dispenser if I can find one.
I have had pets of my own all my life, so I know what to expect from both sides. I understand when I am taken liberty of and when a sit can make you sad to leave. But it is definitely good to know how strong the support system is on this platform. I really appreciate all the support, ideas and humor!
My intention is not to bail, maybe refine some habits. Thanks for all your support.
@anzoo, that sounds like a notably positive step forwards. Fingers crossed that some form of workable outcome emerges.
On multiple occasions during housesits, we have proactively taken a deep breath (say at some atypical pet expectations, behaviour, or otherwise) and orally reflect that it’s “not our pet”. We remind ourselves that our role is maintenance, not training (of owner nevermind pet 
)
Keep smiling 
Feeding cats at 4.30am is absolutely insane. No schedule should involve you doing pet care at anti-social hours.
Do they actually need to be fed at 4.30am? What would happen if you just fed them when you got up? I doubt very much the owner gets up at 4.30am every single morning.
There’s a listing in U.K. with dogs that have to be feed at 5am!!!
Not to mention there are 5 of them ( 1 is incontinent ) and they must all sleep on the bed with the sitter …in a not so big home .
#nosleep
@Silversitters, gotta laugh 
. Sometimes we see listings and reflect that they are not for us. Not even close. Not all listings deserve volunteer housesitters!
An ideal sit… said no one ever 
A dream sit!
No wonder you have to wake up at 5am, sleeping with one incontinent dog plus 4 others would make me jump off the bed right after lying down.
Just curious. Do they have previous reviews?
Honestly words fail me. I cannot imagine what they would have to offer to make that feel like a fair exchange to me.
It’s a new listing , no previous sitters .
Brand new listing, no reviews and no applications. I am an early riser but my limit is 2 dogs.
Surely that should be reported - although I’m not sure what category it would be in.
The unreasonable request category
We use this too. It has ice packs underneath. Our cats get wet food 3 times a day.
For cats, wet food is far healthier than kibble because of the moisture content.
Not really.
It sounds totally unreasonable to me but it doesn’t break any rules. If there’s someone willing to apply that’s up to them.