Ok. I have a little kitty who has allergies, special, food needs, and occasionally prior medication. I have been quite candid about these needs in my ad. I have to say i have had experiences with several sitters not specifically replying to sit but offering suggestions re diet, exercise and pet care! ( ummm as if I don’t know my own 14 yo cat??!?)
I get that it’s probably meant to be helpful but to write me and suggest outdoor hunting for my totally indoor cat’s as she is allergic to some pollens and grasses and we have coyotes around) is what she needs, is a bit much?
How NOT to get the gig.
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I would think of this as a giant red-flag blessing in disguise. You can easily decline the sitter and move on. 98% of sitters here (unscientific guess) understand that petowners know their pets better than totol strangers.
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Wow, that’s incredibly arrogant and presumptious! No matter how much cat experience that person has, they have no experience with your cat.
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I understand this frustration. Still, as a sitter with the pleasure of meeting dozens of cats per year, I come into contact with many new products and innovative solutions that I believe could be extremely helpful to many of the kitties I’ve come to love. But I keep my mouth shut, even when I desperately want to help.
I do wish that some HOs would ask if I’ve encountered things that might be useful to their furbabies. Yes, owners know their pets best, but by no means does that imply they know about options and solutions they’ve yet to encounter. Who has time to constantly research?
For me, though, the research comes with the sits; I view a greater variety of pets and in their home environment (and various related caretaking systems) than even most veterinarians (NOT saying I’m a veterinarian, of course — only that I have a unique means of seeing new trends!).
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Thanks
Lots of great sitters out there- I don’t need the added hassle factor of working with some one who suggests things - even well meaning- it suggests someone might be too content to do their own thing bc they felt they “knew better “…
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Thanks for your thoughts. I think many pet owners do quite a bit of research, imho.
I felt that as an experienced educated pet owner who explicitly described my pets needs in my ad do it wouldn’t be a surprise to a sitter- along with ensuring my pet has received excellent vet and nutritional care - to have it suggested that if they just “went outside” for their well being and if they ate certain foods ( as if we hadn’t researched or known) their situation would be better was misguided, and presumptive at best, (despite being well meaning )on the part of a prospective applicant who hadn’t even committed to dates!
I’ve read of homeowners who avoid sitters with lots of reviews for that reason - they wonder if the sitters will think they know better than th HOs!
I must agree with you; that sounds pretty insane of them, actually! I try to avoid giving unsolicited advice as a general rule!!
Yep, we live in a society of advice and opinion givers when it hasnt been asked for. I’ve been on pet sits with cats that eat too fast and toss it all up and I want to give them advice, but I dont…its their cat and they didnt ask for my advice. If advice hasnt been asked for then the person should get your permission first before giving advice. We both know that rarely happens.
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