I’m 3 days into a 3 week sit, and realizing both elderly pets are sicker than I was led to believe. The cat vomits at least daily, meows all night long, and last night urinated in the dog’s bed. The dog vomits regularly and barks to be let out overnight. These things were mentioned as “possibilities” in the home visit, but now I’m realizing cleaning urine and vomit is part of every day, along with not being able to sleep for more than a few hours at a stretch. Talking to HO today, he told me for the first time that the cat has stage 3 kidney disease. The HO’s are lovely people and I’m comfortable in the home. However, I’m feeling a little “tricked”. I’m also dedicated to finishing this housesit as I’m already settled in here, not looking to relocate. Is cleaning up urine and vomit within the scope of THS?? Any general advice??
No, they are not. They are not nice to you.
And their cat may be in pain.
Thank you for being a responsible sitter and finishing the sit despite the less than ideal circumstances!
I would say that cleaning up vomit and urine is within the responsibilities of a sitter, but it’s only ‘fair’ if it has been disclosed properly and you know what you’ve signed up for, which doesn’t seem to be the case.
I think the only thing you can do now is to be honest with the owners and make this reflect in your review.
Hopefully the sit’s not too long…
Maybe they are more anxious with a new person there and it will get better further into your sit? Lots of cats throw up because they eat too fast as well…maybe try giving kitty her meal in increments. I had my own cat that did that as well and I bought a bowl that looked like a maze to make her slow down and she never yacked after that. Just a thought… hope it gets better!
We have had that on occasion too.
I think that sometimes people get so used to dealing with their pets on a daily basis it becomes ‘the norm’ and they don’t adequately describe the situation to others.
Also maybe the issues have worsened from when they first posted the sit and they don’t update the info. Like you we get on with it for the pets sake but it’s unfortunate when you may have not applied with full disclosure.
Good for you hanging in there but please review honestly after the sit.
I’d contact membership services now so you have a paper trail if anything deteriorates.
Also document every single incident/observation, and communicate them to the owners in writing.
Make it clear to the owners that because it wasn’t disclosed beforehand it wasn’t part of your expected duties and ask if there’s anything they can do to support you with cleaning (a paid cleaner a couple of times a week/ a family member who can drop by).
Enquire about when their most recent vet visit was, and what advice they received then for managing their pets’ conditions (particularly pain management).
Also, I know you say you want to stay put, but investigate if there are workable alternatives nearby in case it comes to that.
It is possible, as @SoloGal says, that this is not normal behaviour for the pets and they are anxious because the owners are away. Many animals react differently when someone new is taking care of them. Hopefully they will settle down. Did the sit have reviews from other sitters and did they mention the pet behaviour?
Is the cat being kept out of a room that she normally uses at night? That could cause the meowing. It could be stress, but it could also be a sign that something is wrong with her health.
It is possible that the kidney disease is causing the cat to vomit. I had a cat with CKD that didn’t vomit, so maybe the owners didn’t expect puking.
Cats with CKD can pee a lot, sometimes inappropriately. They get dehydrated and drink a lot of water, so have a lot of urine. Sometimes they can’t make it to the litterbox. Putting extra litterboxes, especially if the house has a few floors, might help. I would suggest this to the HOs. The one “consolation” (using the word very liberally!) is that the urine is usually so diluted that it doesn’t smell as badly as normal cat pee.
@KatLikesDogs If the pets health has deteriorated from what the homeowners described as normal prior to the start of the sit then they may need urgent veterinary treatment .
I suggest that you go back to the owners with your concerns ask them about seeking vets opinion since their pets health is much worse than they had described ( daily vomiting rather than occasional possibility) state that you are concerned that it has deteriorated so quickly. Or maybe they wish to come home if their pets health is declining rapidly ?
Have you already discussed what their expectations are around who would pay for the vet bills upfront and how you would transport them to the vet? If this hasn’t already been discussed then it’s even more important to do this immediately in light of the new disclosure about the poor cats stage 3 kidney disease.
There is also the THS vet line that you can call for advice. Certainly sitters need to be fully aware before the start of the sit about all pets existing medical conditions so that they can monitor for unusual behaviour or deterioration of conditions requiring urgent veterinary attention.
Have to agree fully with this.
Poor pets…may they get the best care from you.
And @Silversitters is providing very wise counsel.