@Peg, thank you. I thought I had made it clear about the desired amount of communication, but I will be more specific on my next sit. Since last night, the PS has reached out conversely – sharing updates via text and such, but no photos yet. In my last message I asked for a daily photo to be sent.
This particular PS has 15 positive reviews, and as mentioned previously, we video chatted and all met in person before the sit and for the key drop.
I appreciate the guidance on being honest and forthright from the get-go.
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We had several messages before, had a video chat, and met in person before I handed over my keys – so it wasn’t a blind handover by any means.
I also outlined and stressed several times that the cats are on a strict feeding at 10 PM (food, meds) to mitigate sounds with neighbors, all of which was communicated and noted in the Welcome Guide.
I texted when I left at 4, I checked in around 8 and she said she was on her way. At 9:52 PM still no word. Finally 10 PM a message and check-in.
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Which was in time, if I understood your instructions correctly.
I do not quite see the problem.
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Totally fine to set out all your expectations and, as has been said by @Crookie & many others, communication is everything in this lifestyle! However, I’m with @pietkuip on this one @theperfectstorm - the request was “please arrive by 10pm and feed the cats on time and message me to say that’s done.” They did exactly that even if it was last minute in your eyes. Whilst it’s totally fine to have a set of wishes for your sitter, they aren’t an employee, this isn’t a job and they will all have different styles of sitting so you’ll have to both adapt and achieve what you want from the sit on both sides. Best of luck 
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@pietkuip – have you tried medicating cats you’ve only just met? I live with them, and it’s a challenge. So, yes, it would’ve been ideal for the PS to get there ahead of time to nurture them a bit. Now, they are hiding when she comes home from University.
I’m learning many lessons from this first sit, and it’s only Day 2.
So, if she arrived at say 8.30pm, then she messaged within 1.5hrs of arriving. That sounds very VERY acceptable given her priority would be to make friends with the cats, bring in her bags/case, familiarise herself with your home, go to the loo, and quickly familiarise herself with feeding the cats too.
It’s not bad at all. I think maybe the fact it was later at night may have had an impact on how you feel, but the reality is, it was within 1.5hrs of arrival, when she it is your cats that would have been her first priority.
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Just trying to suggest that you include whatever is truly important to you in a way where a sitter would know your expectations.
IMHO most of us HO & Sitters just want to be clear about expectations before agreeing to an arrangement: basic courtesy, no?
We had a large property (over an acre), our dog liked walks with us but didn’t need set times. On the other hand he was a cuddly dog so I asked for him to be given affection. Cats were indoor/outdoor: just meals!
Our first Sitters were terrible with providing updates, used our vehicle for 3+ weeks with the understanding they’d collect us from the light rail stop 12 minutes away when we flew in.
E-mails & two phone messages saying we had boarded the plane on time; that we’d landed at our home airport, that we were on the light rail 30 min from reaching our stop, and finally that we had reached our stop went unanswered.
Dead tired travelling from the EU to the Pacific Coast, after waiting for 20 min at our stop, dialing a cab we finally got a call: “On our way.” That 12 minute drive took them another 20 min.
Now that we’re sitters we try to be communicative and appreciative.
Some people are just more casual than others.
We had one HO send a note well in advance of when we expected him: “Sorry! Not coming until LATE - can you top up pet food & just leave the key when you want to go?”
Ships in the night is fine with us: especially when we get a note with loads of time to adjust plans. Just want to know what to expect or what’s expected!
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Hi, everyone – thank you again for the feedback and guidance. I appreciate your sharing ALL sides of the experience.
Quick update: the PS and I had a day of back-and-forth texting yesterday – I think we’re at a good spot. I got visual confirmation last night and feel less ‘crunchy’ about the situation.
In retrospect, it’s very possible that jet lag was a contributing factor to my disease — yesterday was a long travel day. It’s one of the reasons I chose someone local for this first sit.
Despite the heightened emo state, I’ve gathered much intel from all your comments and will be more specific in my descriptions moving forward. Thank you!
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If I had specific instructions about a precise time to feed and medicate a pet - I think I would also wait until I had completed the task successfully and on time to notify the owner and reassure them that the duties had been completed on time and without any incident.
It seems maybe you expected them to
contact you on arrival and again when they had feed and medicated the pet.
Glad it’s all working out now .