Ha! Your post reminded me of a sit last year for a first time HO who let me use her car and had an amazing house in an amazing location. Only hitch was… there was a parachute covering the bed when I arrived. Turns out, the little black cat pees on that bed and she continued to do so, although I rigged a makeshift barrier to keep her out of that room when I figured out the door was busted. And, unfortunately, the grime on the kitchen cupboards was pretty bad, but I used your technique…big breath in, and one by one scrubbed them into a semblance of clean. Funny thing is, I loved that silly cat and her sister, it was a glorious month and I now wouldn’t have changed a thing. And the HO and I have become friends! The cat died but she and I are still texting semi regularly and will surely hook up again one day. Seems like equanimity was achieved…expectations not met, but a shift in perspective was all it took to have an unforgettable month in that jungle home.
I think the tenant not being mentioned is a real problem and this should be noted. If you agreed to it then fine but it sounds like the owner deliberately did not say about the joint kitchen. Also the cat being a differentcat is very strange! But, to be honest some of the other things are just regular stuff that happens on a sit. The plums and the coffee cup are really not big problems and if they are to you, maybe sitting isn’t right for you.
I’d be steaming livid! And I’d quit, with the appropriate notice.
To clarify (as some read more into my question than was there), I was not implying that the pets be abandoned. Obviously, the immediate cancellation would only take place if the host were still on site.