How to handle damage and a challenging sit

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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Hi All,

New to posting on forums but used them many times for reference. We are both owners and sitters and recently had a challenging sit and looking for advice on how to navigate…and to possibly avoid in the future.

We recently had a 10 day sit for our cats in our home while we were doing a sit ourselves. We selected this couple for the sit because they seemed genuinely decent and had over 20 5 star reviews and most of them were glowing and we had no concerns based on our interview and communication after that. Very soon after the sit started the challenges happened with as we didn’t receive an update but noticed one of our shy cats which has a different nuanced routine (which we go over with sitters before sit, during hand off meeting and have documented in our guide) seemed to be waiting for dinner in that catio (we have an external catio cam) and we weren’t sure what we had laid out was working so we prompted them with a check in.

Communication was challenging as we had to decipher what was happening and were very supportive and accommodating offering solutions and helpful tips (again) to make sure everyone was happy, eating and sticking to routines as close as possible. We felt like it was not all that well received or communication was just poor that we were left hanging on most conversations of it that worked, waiting on confirmation that anything helped, waiting on confirmation our suggestion was received and tried.

It was just not a very good dialogue back and forth and we were usually forced to prompt them to check in and we tried to give some space and see how things were going but we are not sure that really anything improved and still after the sit is complete we don’t feel confident all our advice or tips were acted upon or what happened based on only activity we could get from our external catio cam but we try not to check on that unless needed. That was generally how the sit continued and although not horrible, was more challenging and stressful then it should have been and partially ruined the sit we were on ourselves that went very smooth and was lovely overall.

In addition, when we got home we started noticing some little things, then not so little things. It’s clear the house was cleaned and an acceptable effort to leave it as we left it was made (we always do a deep clean and leave the house extremely clean before hand off) some things were not good.

We had recently refaced our kitchen cabinets only a week before hand off and a few of them had drips of some kind that looked like they had stained or something had run down the front. The big thing that anyone would notice right away is the bottom of the dishwasher panel was inset about 3 inches from the top. I still don’t know how this could possibly happen but it looks like the dishwasher bottom was pushed in the bottom so it’s starting to tip over forward but since it is secured at the top it just kind of stuck there. I managed to get it back to somewhat how it was left and should be but still scratching my head on how that could have happened and how someone could not notice or mention it. I will still need to do some further readjustment and reposition but hopefully is not damaged to where it can’t be ok.

There were some small random marks or stains on the floor which we could not tell what the cause was and I’m less concerned about because we were mostly able to clean them immediately. The next thing we noticed was the walls coming down the stairs (2 turn stairs) have black markings running almost the entire length of the staircase about 3 ft up on white walls. Some level of dings, marks, etc happen as not everything was perfect but these 100% did not exist before and we are very careful with things like that. It looks like someone dragged some suitcases or bags down the stairs rubbing on the wall the entire way. I haven’t attempted to clean yet because they are matte smooth walls and generally don’t clean up as easy.

Today I noticed a ceramic antique item that sits back on our counters has a chip on it and I found the small piece that broke off inside the opening, we just cleaned this and the area before we handed over and it was in good shape and again…not sure how it could have gotten chipped based on where it sits and how there is not any activity in that area of the kitchen really where accidents can happen.

Some little other things aren’t worth mentioning and some odd things like a cat tower were moved from where we had it, which in turn also marred up the floor. Nothing was mentioned for their departure communication and generally left things pleasant. I don’t think they had any ill intentions and generally I think they meant well but two things were apparent: Communication was very challenging and they didn’t seem as comfortable with cats or cats that had some detailed requirements that require some observation and open communication with us.

They lived in the house much harder than we do and much harder than any other sitter we have had. We have had 7 sits in the past year of being on THS and all but 1 other (mostly poor communication and not being open with alternations) have gone very smooth and we would have all of them back (one we have already lined up for a future sit).

I am not sure if it’s worth contacting THS support over the damages as it likely will not amount to much. We are really not looking forward to a review and really dreading how to nicely convey that this did not go well for someone who has nothing but 5 star reviews.

We are a bit jarred and shocked by how this all went and it’s certainly not the end of the world and nothing is beyond repair (except the ceramic antique my mother gave to me) but it left us feeling uneasy about who we let into our home and if it is worth it and how can we do better at screening and getting the right fit. We thought we were getting pretty good and had mostly all good experiences but questioning what to do with this sit and where to go from here.

On the flip side all our sits we have done have been wonderful and had great experiences and have yet to have any issues arise. Good, clear, consistent communication goes a long way to getting through anything. Any advice on how others have handled a sit like this is appreciated and hoping we can learn something from this and can continue to confidently use THS.

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Hi Vcatman, we’re HO’s too. Your final para re ceramic antique….you could claim on your household insurance and have it restored. It’s frustrating how some people don’t treat your home as you do but I guess they have no emotional attachments to it.
When we started on THS we talked about our ‘precious’ stuff and ensure we put it away and installed a safe. The stairs paint….my husband would’ve been furious but try and get it off with a damp cloth. Fingers crossed it’ll come off if it’s relatively new. I’d mark them down and leave an honest review. Having said that; our last sitters were great, they looked after our cats who’re pretty self sufficient. I left them good reviews but our home wasn’t left as we left it. I just think some peoples standards aren’t the same.

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I don’t think it’s worth contacting THS about this, as it sounds like on the whole the sit went fairly well. If you don’t think they are 5 star sitters, then don’t give them 5 stars, it’s entirely up to you how you review them.

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I agree with @Chrissie , it sounds as if no malicious damage was done
and it’s simply the case that not everyone has the same standards. If you feel that communications and cleanliness was not up to par, then knock stars off in your review and possibly explain why. For future sits, it’s best to remove anything of high value (whether sentimental or financial) to avoid the potential for damage.

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How can you tell what your cat is ‘waiting for’?

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@Vcatman have you contacted the sitter about the damage ? . That should be your first step before contacting THS. They may offer to reimburse you . Take photos of the damage to show them .

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It sounds like this was by text messages only. At some point it may become necessary with a voice call or even a video chat to clear things up. But in this case it sounds like that there were some other problems too.

Some of the damage and stains may have occurred during the final cleaning.

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Just speculation but could the disconnect have started from you not disclosing the camera ?

And from what you have written it sounds like you started micromanaging based on what you were seeing?

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On re-reading your post, it seems you are actually assessing the sitter’s compliance in maintaining your cat’s routines according to ‘activity’ detected on your catio camera? As a sitter, I’d hope that any catio cameras were solely utilised to occasionally take a look at your kitts.

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It is unclear to me how made aware the sitters were, prior to the sit, of you possibly monitoring them through an external camera - and so that may have caused tension as another poster suggested. The monitoring matter aside, in the interests of fairness, you do need to be absolutely certain that the sitters caused damage, before you point the finger directly at them in a review and dock stars. Also, bear in mind that the sitters have a right to reply.

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To my past post… :blush: … and all feedback doesn’t have to be in a public review. I think that many smaller matters could easily be given directly between sitter and HO without going public om everything. If it is forgotten to provide bedding or go out with the waste - just give a quick message between yourselves.

«Thank you for hosting us/ looking after my pets. It seems you forgot to… I fixed it «this way», so don’t worry about it, everything is ok. Just wanting to give you peace of mind when you remembered it. All the best!»

Most people want to do good. And if at some point you find that one that don’t, they’re probably just happy to not «be found out». I don’t loose in the long run to give people some slack.

That doesn’t say that you should be taken advantage of, just that we usually lose nothing starting on a good note.

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As a sitter I would very much like to be contacted about concerns. In my opinion they should have contacted you about it, but maybe were afraid to. I know many people are very reluctant to anything that could smell of a «conflict», unfortunately exactly that often leads to conflicts. They should have contacted you, but as they haven’t it could be good for you to contact them. It will also help you process this and maybe get some more information that you can learn from.

In my experience one can really say anything - it is about what words you choose to use. I see here in forum that many choose to «light a torch» very quickly. In my experience that seldom solve anything. Being a little open in the start will keep more solutions open. «When we came home, we noticed…» , «I found a chip in my…», «there are stains, and because I don’t know what caused it, it is hard to know how I should go forward removing them».

Trying this first do not exclude you from raising complaints later, but might well lead to solutions without.

One can ding stars (and maybe you should) but dinging stars really say very little or nothing either to the sitter or other HO without some words about it. If you ding stars, say a few Words. Keep it based on facts and not on feelings. Reviews based on facts are more valuable. Reviews based on strong emotions can backfire on the one who wrote it. If it is based om facts others can more easily decide if that will apply to their situation, and is also a better feedback to the sitter, as to what they can do different.

Jus my 10 cents. Sorry you had to experience this. Hope your sitter is able to bring light to this.

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Hi Vcatman, sorry this sit in your home did not go as you’d hoped and it caused you stress during your own sit. I’ve had one sitter with poor communication, who also left my home with some minor (and bizarre) damages, and it’s disappointing. The important thing is to take a step back and breathe.

As others have said, I would not contact THS over this. I also recommend contacting the sitters to just ask what happened with the dishwasher, and mention that you would have liked a heads up about the ceramic figure getting chipped. Their response (or lack thereof) can inform how you approach the review.

I think it’s worth knocking off a star for cleanliness, and maybe reliable? (how I wish there was a category for Communication for sitters!), but the most important part is how you word the review. If I can make a gentle suggestion, it would be good to have a friend look at it before posting, or post it here for feedback. I know emotions are high right now, but as another HO, if I saw a review on an otherwise 5-star sitter written like your post, I’d give the benefit to the sitter.

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All our exterior cameras are disclosed multiple times both in our listing and our guide. We also alert all sitters again when doing the hand off. With this sit we also show the sitter exactly what the camera sees and also always tell all sitters they can turn off any cameras while they are at home

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I wonder sometimes how HO choose sitters. I applied for a sit I really wanted. The wife was in touch, she wanted me but she said her husband was reviewing apps and they would be in contact for an interview. She checked with me availability and we had a great rapport. Then declined. The husband had the final say, he didn’t interview me, though I was his wife’s first choice, it appears. Maybe it is because I only had 3 sits done. I have 6 booked through the next few months. Maybe that makes a difference. But I am retired widow, active, clean. No worries about me going off for a day siteseeing. I sit dogs so that is an issue. But as HO have said, sometimes they think they are getting that will be a certain way, and then come back and the home is not as they expected. That is why I got my 3rd sit, which was a great sit with a small older dog, easy to take care of. They had bad experiences with many younger couples, and went for the older retired widow. Not to malign all younger couples. And, generally, their activities will be different than mine, more house use etc. But I think HOs are generally afraid to lower the ratings. Like this HO. She had damage, not disclosed and stains not cleaned. But hesitant about lowering the rating.

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We only checked in when our sitters had let us know that they “had not seen one of our cats” when we gave them a run down of timing and schedules.

There is not enough room or need to go into our entire cat household or needs/schedule but we have a shy cat who lives in a house in our exterior catio most of the time and part of the sit is keep an eye on him during feeding times. When we checked in to ask how everyone was eating and doing we were told they had not seen Crush so we then checked in on the catio cam and could see him out and active the times we had said over a few hours waiting for dinner.

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As I said above, we disclose all exterior cameras in our listing, our guide and also at hand off 100% of the time, every time. We also showed the sitters at handoff exactly what the camera looks at (our catio) and tell all sitters if they prefer the cameras can be turned off at any point when they are home. These aren’t cameras we only setup for sits, we live with them and they function mostly as security and safety cameras for exterior places around the property.

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Appreciate this take and advice. This is what we are thinking and trying to process as well so will take this feedback into next steps. Thank you

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I didn’t go into detail but part of the challenge was one of our cats they were not seeing and at times could not confirm if they were eating. We were very supportive and offered multiple options to help make sure he was eating and getting sufficient food but were left wondering many days because we wouldn’t get an update. Another cat who got medication we were told at the end they weren’t sure if he had gotten any medication the last 2 days so to us it did not for the most part go well as we were left wondering many days how cats were doing, if certain cats were eating, getting meds. We were the initiators of most of the communication and were very supportive and offered suggestions so everyone had a good sit but were not getting much back and eventually just backed off and hoped for the best and only reached out the next time they reached out to us as not to try to micro manage the situation.

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I think this is really important. It is the core of petsitting. If a sitter doesn’t make sure the cats are eating and taking their medication and doesn’t update on the situation after having informed the owners that there’s a problem, they are simply not fulfilling their responsibilities as sitters. I wish there was a communication category for sitters, (I started a thread about this with no success) but you do have a pet care category and I would not give them 5 stars there and would clearly explain what happened, as you have explained in your last post, the original post was quite obscure about it and I actually thought

might be some irrelevant matter.

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