I’m somewhat taken aback. I applied for and agreed to a repeat cat sit a couple of months ago after looking after this cat in early summer.
I contacted the H.O. via WhatsApp this morning to ask if I’d be able to contact them easily while away if needed (there is no emergency contact. I requested one prior to my first sit with them, but was told I only needed the H.O.s contact details.)
She has replied I can contact them on WhatsApp as before and that she was meaning to get in touch to let me know they took a stray in yesterday, haven’t had him microchipped and neutered yet, but will do so after their holiday if he stays. The message continues ‘sorry, it’s very late notice, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn the poor thing away.’ The cat is very thin apparently. They have previously given me no vet details and will be travelling to USA from UK for 2 weeks on Friday.
A further WhatsApp message has stated they have now taped the cat flap door so both cats can get in and out. (I asked them prior to my previous sit whether their long term cat tends to bring birds in as gifts as I have a bird phobia I’m trying to overcome (not ideal in a catsitter I know but forewarning of habits helps with choosing sits).
I do want to do the sit, despite the fact it could have been better in some ways last time (e.g. disorganised lists of significant gardening, allotment and household tasks only made available on arrival, no wardrobe/drawer space, washing machine full of H.O.s clothes) It’s a very pleasant, historical village, lovely, easy to care for cat (the one I expected!) and I was allowed to have my elderly father visit me there, which I always value greatly on sits.
At the same time I’m annoyed at the sudden imposition of another cat without genuinely getting my consent and am sure it breaks T.H. rules. I feel I’ve no choice but to do my best to look after him for 2 weeks. I can understand her reluctance to turn the cat away, but 3 days before having a sitter! There are also cat rescue centres in the area.
Isn’t there a THS rule that sitters can’t complain about past sits if they accept a repeat sit for the same host? If not, there should be.
Bummer about the bird phobia. I can see where an indoor/outdoor cat sit could be unsettling. If it helps, we’ve had cats that would gift us kills but don’t recall it ever being a bird. I don’t think a skinny stray will be much of a threat to bring home gifts; their being skinny suggests they’re pretty rubbish at being hunter/killers and, even if successful, are quite unlikely to gift it to you.
I guess that, technically, the addition of a 2nd cat to a 1 cat sit might violate THS T&Cs but it’s not like 2 cats are twice the work of 1 cat, cats being hardly any work at all anyway. You’re not coming across as very adaptable.
Sorry that this happened to you. It does feel like she’s giving you no choice, so close to the sit date and with this poor thin cat who needs help. She totally should have asked you - some people are very kind to their animals but not kind to their sitters. I once had an extra foster cat on one of my sits and was asked to hand that cat over to someone who wanted to adopt her! The person I was sitting for said that she didn’t want the upset of saying goodbye to that cat, was afraid that the adopters would change their minds if she waited until she was home from her trip!! Very cheeky, and that person thought of the cat and of herself, but not of me for a second. The cat was lovely and no trouble, but the human who fostered her took advantage of me. (It was not the only issue during that sit!)
I know it’s not advice that might help you, but at least you are not alone. I hope you’ll have a good time anyway and enjoy the time with your father, and I hope you’ll find a better sit in future where you can still spend time with him.
I would be more frustrated by the lack of consideration in the HO’s preparation for your arrival than I would about the extra cat. If I were in your shoes, I would reflect on the shortcomings and benefits during your previous sit with this HO and decide if the trade is worth it to you. You might see a pattern of behaviour that could help you avoid these types of situations in the future.
What would worry me is this is a stray! Do they know if it ever had a home with humans. Does it even get along with the other cat? Once it is no longer skinny and gets its strength back will it be aggressive towards you? I would also be concerned (and I am a cat lover)and had cats and have sit with a lot of cats. You don’t like dead birds and if I ever saw a dead mouse or rat in the house, that would freak me out so I understand completely. Ask them what to do if the cat gets aggressive. Is there a rescue center you can take the cat. What if it starts fighting with the other cat. Just know you asked and they said to call them so you are not responsible if things go south. I just don’t want you to be harmed as a stray cat can be unpredictable if you had them for such a short time and don’t know their behavior yet.
You’re allowed to refuse the sit @catsdogs as the host has broken Ts & Cs by adding an unlisted pet last minute. You could either say “Sorry I can’t take an additional pet as that breaks THS Ts & Cs so please find it a temporary home whilst you’re away. “ they might and they might not and you haven’t forced the cancellation issue on your side. It’s not a great plan health wise for you or their current home cat either to have it at all until it has had jabs etc. Hope it works out. #feralfelines
@catsdogs, congrats on the repeat housesit. Housesitting is a trade between pet parent and housesitter. Repeat sits presumably reflect that the trade was fair; conditions/responsibilities were fair; and that execution was positive. Seems that your ‘trade’ includes permission for family member to visit. Sounds valuable to you. Great.
We see two topics of note - incremental pet; stray animal.
Attitudes towards stray animals varies enormously. We have completed numerous housesits in Southern Europe, several of which have included stray animals. In some countries, stray dogs or cats are commonplace (FYI, never heard of this in USA). In our experience, stray animals can vary from still stray (external food) to effectively pets. One great pet parent in Algarve noted that they had ‘animals that chose to live with them’. In our view, provided that they have received medical clearance (yes you should ask pet parent!) then we don’t see issue.
Unannounced pets are different. As @Cuttlefish duly noted, last-minute incremental pets is a breach of THS terms. OP states intent to travel from “UK to USA on Friday”. Should you be a premium THS member then sit cancellation insurance may apply, provided that other conditions apply (recommend read weblink as there are quirks). Clearly you may continue sit. Choices.
Once, we had a housesit with last-minute puppy. Really. Also a former stray. We had booked international flights and had confirmed a series of back-back housesits. We openly engaged with the pet parent, asked questions and requested an updated welcome guide. We sought to understand incremental impact on pet responsibilities and our experience. Ultimately we took deep breath and completed the sit. Mercifully the puppy had an easy disposition and was a pleasure. That said, we would never have applied for the housesit had puppy been stated in the original listing.
Many thanks for the helpful replies. Sorry not to respond in detail, at least at this point. I’m getting ready to travel to the area today to stay in the guest room at my dad’s retirement block before going to the sit nearby tomorrow. I’m not keen to cancel at all but feel the stray cat addition needs to be flagged up with TH at least.
@catsdogs, please note that THS staff do not monitor the THS Forum. If you seek to highlight this topic to THS then recommend contacting THS via support@trustedhousesitters.com, THS.com chat function, phone call or otherwise. If email then encourage provide your member number (profile); listing number; specific information; relevant evidence (e.g. original welcome guide).
I once sat a formerly feral cat and received acdead mouse. But I just threw it outdoors. Sad but not squeamish. Sometimes something that comes up that annoys me, I vent on these pages, because I think that is part of the purpose here. A safe place to vent but maybe after a moment or so, you will be OK and take care of this poor animal that has a safe place to live. I know it would annoy me, but maybe you can get through it.
We agreed to two extra kittens between confirming and arriving at a sit, originally for 1 dog. After we agreed we realised we had potentially been stupid agreeing to extra pets we knew nothing about. Fortunately the kittens were a delight and one in particular I would have loved to own. So we were lucky, but we learnt a lesson all the same. Fingers crossed the stray will be easy.
I admire the HOs for wanting to help this stray cat, but it is unfair to ask you to take care of it unexpectedly. I would refuse, because the risk of bringing a virus, parasite, fungus, etc from this cat to other cats in the future is too great. A thin cat might just be hungry, but may also be sick.
I do a lot of cat rescue and normally new cats need to be quarantined from others for at least 14 days to make sure they have no contagious or infectious conditions. It is irresponsible of the owners to mix this cat with their existing cat, and you don’t know if they get along. At a very minimum, I would want the stray cat to have a vet visit and get tested for diseases, etc, before the sit.
