@FJLOVER and others have recently posted on sitter cancellations.
Just a note that it goes both ways. I’ve had 4 sits cancelled over March/April.
I’m okay - fortunately not out of pocket for any of them.
And understand mostly -
in one case, the dog died; another, a friend of the HO became homeless and the HO took them in, 2 times changes of travel plans.
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Oh no, how disappointing! I guess anyone’s circumstances can change. “Change of travel plans” doesnt sound a good excuse though.
It’s lucky you’re not out of pocket (as a home-owner that would worry me, causing that). I expect you’ll fill the gaps in your schedule quickly though.
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‘Change of travel plans’ certainly isn’t an acceptable excuse for a sitter to cancel, so it shouldn’t be for an HO either.
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Hi @toml - we’ve had three international sits cancelled too earlier this year. One for a totally fair, big emergency operation but two for flaky “we’ve changed our plans” reasons. Definitely happens on both sides. Glad to hear you’re not out of pocket & filled the gaps 
#housesittinglife
I can understand the frustration with a HO who says they have a “change in travel plans”, but there can be many reasons for this as well. Maybe they were going to a family gathering that was cancelled (wedding, graduation, etc) or maybe financially they had a problem and could no longer afford their trip (I know I would not want to post that something happened financially causing me to cancel my plans…maybe a loss of employment, divorce etc).
I know it can be upsetting, but we must all realize that things happen out of our control…on both sides. As long as you are not out financially, we should all just understand and look elsewhere for a replacement.
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Does it shock you a cat sitter who wants to go ahead with the trip when the PO announces the death of the cat 5 days before the sit starts ?
The PO told me that most cat sitters would have canceled their trip under these circumstances.
I don’t have travel or THS insurance. My train is booked and not refundable. I had planned meetings, outings, bought a transport card and a show ticket.
The PO replied that their apartment is not an Airbnb accommodation.
However, I was a faithful catsitter who returned regularly and I spent most of my time at home, with the cat. They know it very well.
The PO go ahead with their trip on their side. They finally canceled the catsitting 2 days before departure.
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That’s a real shame, and a surprise that as you’ve been there before they couldn’t see it from your side.
No they didn’t ‘need’ you anymore though you would have kept the house occupied. Did they offer to refund your expenses?
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No they didn’t.
@Solela 
no it doesn’t shock me that you want to go ahead with the house sit that you had committed to . I would feel very disappointed if the owners cancelled the sit at short notice for this reason and especially as it’s a house sit that you have been doing regularly for the owners ( and presumably had built a good rapport with) so they knew that they can rely on you. It seems that the owners are definitely viewing this as a “cat” sit rather than a “house “ sit .
We do always have a Plan B in case the sit gets cancelled or curtailed due to an valid emergency situation (which could happen on any sit at any time and has happened to us twice)
Can you apply for a last minute sit in the area or close by ? You could save the day for another owner and it may work out well in the end .
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But “change of travel plans” sounds disrespectful to the sitter and breaks the sitting agreement. If the owners cancel because of one of the circumstances that you mentioned, they don’t have to specify if they don’t feel comfortable by surely they can apologize and express it in a way that makes it clear it is something beyond their control and not just a change of mind.
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Thank you for your answer. No I can’t find any other sit. There is none unfortunately and I would have had to pay a very expensive supplement to change my Eurostar ticket. One way costs almost 300 euros in July for standard class !
Which country are you looking for a sit? There are other pet sitting platforms that have more sits in certain countries (Nomador for example has lots of sits in France)
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London. Very hard in 2 days to find something. Thank you but it is too late now. I would have had to change the dates of my Eurostar trip and that would have cost me a fortune.
No, as a sitter, I would probably already be travelling in the area, and I would have wanted to stay in the home during that time. In this case, it would seem to be empty?
But I am aware that things can happen, and when the surcharge is not too much I buy flexible tickets.
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@Solela I’ve done sits without pets. There are many reasons why someone might want a housesitter and not a petsitter. Seems like since you’ve sat for them before and it was such late notice, they could have gone forward with the sit as just a house sit. If they get another cat in the future and ask you to sit be sure to say no.
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@systaran I think that bridge is well and truly burnt by the HO’s.
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For our next sit, the cat is quite elderly and they were quite up front that they don’t believe he’ll be around for too much longer. During the video call, I asked them whether they would still need us if anything happened to him BEFORE the sit. They were were a little startled by the question, then realised it was a valid concern, and quickly confirmed they still saw value in us being there. If they had have said we wouldn’t have been needed, i would have had second thoughts about accepting but probably still done so with a more solid plan B. Its a tough call but at least my homeowners realized it was a possibility and could pose a real inconvenience to us if they cancelled. Sorry you had the opposite see experience.
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Some people are simply kinder and more thoughtful than others. In your last-minute circumstances, plus you having sat well before, I would expect good hosts to go ahead and have you stay anyway.
I sat an elderly, sick dog who had catastrophic seizures a week+ into what was supposed to be a three-week sit. Her family rushed back from around the world to say goodbye before having her put down.
Their place was too small for me to stay on, so they offered to pay for my hotel room. That was considerate enough that I’d sit for them again if they got another pet.
I decided to pay for my hotel myself, because they’re young and were about to have a baby and must’ve spent a lot on their trip to Asia and the sudden return home. Plus, I know the emergency care for their dog cost thousands.
Despite their grief and financial pinch, they remained great hosts. They kept me informed about their return as they juggled bookings and we arranged to meet at the emergency care so I could say goodbye to their dog with them. They even wrote me a rave review within days of the sit ending, unprompted. I wasn’t expecting that.
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Sorry to hear about the sit. If you still have your Eurostar ticket and all the other bookings, have you looked at Surrey, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex & Kent instead of London on the search filter? Not sure how well you know the UK but those are all the counties that border it and people regularly commute into town from all those locations for work & the theatre within an hour/90 mins so could be a back up plan. Tonnes of UK sits out there. #planb
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