After two weeks, I returned to my home. The cats were seemingly happy (always a good sign), but the house smelled like cat pee. Even when I asked, I had no updates from the PS about cat accidents or behavioral changes.
Upon further inspection, I found a few takeaway boxes on my bookshelf, a broken washing machine door, unexplained wet spots on a bean bag chair, sticky stuff on the floor, and a depleted cat food supply.
Before you ask, I did not specifically request an update on the household. The PS reviews suggested they took good care of previous homes leaving them in good care âbetter than left.â Also, in my mind, itâs common sense, and if Iâm honest a common courtesy from one citizen of the world to another to let them know if anything goes awry. It takes a moment to text, âFYI, the thingamajig on the washing machine snapped off,â or âWe used the last can of wet cat food this morning.â
My cats were well taken care of but looking after the property was a bit slipshod.
As this will be my first review â how does it work? Is it like Airbnb, where you can leave a public review and rating? And then privately respond with suggestions for improvement?
Review EXACTLY according to how you feel, nothing less. Point out the good AND the bad, in a non-confrontational manner. Be positive in regards the pet care but do comment on the shortcomings insofar as the cleanliness of your home also. It is important not to pussyfoot around with feelings on TH any longer from all members. If the PS wants to refute your review, that is their perogative to do so and they have right of reply on their review. At least you will be honest in YOUR side of the story, and of course there are always two sides to a story - wink wink you know who
Oh, and I definitely would not be privately responding with âsuggestions for improvementâ. That to me sounds condescending and nobody in general likes to be suggested such things. It is human nature to believe that we are always right so donât try to suggest to someone that they have a shortcoming, your review is all that is required then move on.
The updated review system is currently being set up and will be implemented soon and will be blind reviews, but in the meantime, they are not blind, but donât let that hold you back. Itâs kind of like a Mexican standoff, he who draws first etc If you review first, the sitter will see that review and respond accordingly, and you may not like it But stand up and be counted.
Be honest but fair. Make sure to think about reading it from a future sitterâs perspective. Is it going to be clear what went wrong so they know what to do/not do? Sometimes less detail is more.
It sounds like they werenât very clean. The only thing that as a sitter Iâd be confused about reading is the depleting cat food - youâd expect it to go down if he was feeding the cats? And maybe more than expected if e.g. he gave them fresh every day rather than just topping it up.
Concerning cat food â I donât know when they ran out of wet food (there was none left when I got home today) and reverted to dry only. Knowing the timeline helps me to stock more next time, and I can easily have it delivered to the house without asking the PS to go to the grocers.
Thank you â appreciate the candor. I did reply to the PS in our inbox asking about the cat pee â because I still have to figure out whatâs going on and giving a heads up that, for me personally, knowing when things in the house go awry is better than discovering them getting home exhausted and jetlagged. I appreciate the guidance â I know it can be hit or miss until you find your groove with any service, so I appreciate having the forum to consult / gut-check perspectives.
You donât say if the smell was a result of the cats staying inside and using a soil tray that wasnât changed or they are cats that are allowed access/egress through a cat flap but still (perhaps) urinated inside for some reason! If it was the soil tray, did you tell your sitter that it should be changed?
As for some minor damage, like the washing machine door, hardly a CATastrophe! Accidents happen and finding some stains somewhere doesnât sound too bad, I suppose it does annoy some. As for the cat food âbeing depletedâ You should have made absolutely sure there was sufficient. You know how much food your cats eat so simply multiplying by the number of days you were away with a couple of tins over is easy to do.
Yes you should be honest in your review but it is also important to realistic and not descend into pettiness.
Not making excuses for the sitter, but you can in response to feedback they may leave or in your review clarify your lessons learned or what you would do differently. I always ask for daily updates. By saying you donât expect that, you might set up a situation where they donât want to bother you and are trying to be self-sufficient. I donât think itâs condescending to leave clear instructions for how you want the house left either. (I also donât think there is anything you did thatâs an excuse for their not telling you about the washing machine door.)
Iâd be honest in the review, and address what needs to be addressed, but the main takeaway is your house wasnât a disaster, and the cats were okay.
I also think even pre-review getting in touch and asking about the smell is not a no-no. You need to know if someone had an accident and why as it could be a medical issue or turn into an ongoing behavior. It might be theyâre not changing the box enough or something else, but in either case good to know.
As a sitter, I get quite annoyed by the HOâs lack of foresight when pet food runs out. Of course I will ask the owners where I can find more. When they then reply that I can buy some and that I can ask the cleaning help to reimburse me, I am even more annoyed. Of course I will buy it, but that is then for the petsâ sake.
Ken, my inquiry for the forum is far from petty â this is my first TH PS experience as a HO, so Iâm learning the ropes and getting my bearings.
To respond to your comments: They are indoor-only cats â a note clearly stated in the Welcome Guide, along with a daily clearing of the litterbox, is preferred. The PS works in an emergency room, so I noted they can go for (2) days if needed. Thereâs no way for me to âtellâ if the latter was the norm for this particular PS without them sharing as such.
I know accidents happen, and I am not upset by the door, etc., only by the lack of communication. Understand, I came home to a pet smell, and my initial instinct was to wash everything, but then I couldnât because the door on the washing machine was broken.
As for cat food, we recently changed brands, as noted in the PS Welcome Guide and on a cheat sheet I leave on the counter. There was backup food with directions, just in case the other food ran out, but after counting the packets, it doesnât appear any of that was used.
Piet, we had recently changed brands, as noted in the PS Welcome Guide and on a cheat sheet I left on the counter. There was backup food with directions, just in case the other food ran out, but after counting the packets, it doesnât appear any of that was used. I would never expect a PS to purchase, but if I had known could have easily ordered replacement cans using Amazon or Instacart (at least here in the States).
Communication has been mentioned all over this forum. You âpreferâ the litter box to be changed every two days!! Tell the sitter to change it daily or whatever, be precise. Communication goes both ways of course and the sitter could have and possibly should have mentioned the washing machine in a message to you. Again you should have asked for âupdatesâ if that is what you really wanted, why leave it to chance?
As for the food, Iâm sorry thereâre no excuses that suffice for not leaving the required amount, or type, of food you give your cats. In your review, if you leave one, it is only right that you give a balanced and fair appraisal. In my view if you state the complaints you have you should also balance them by stating that you didnât ask for updates and the food situation was entirely your fault. Never leave anything to chance, you are dealing with people and some will be casual if you donât make your requirements clear.
If something broke during my sit, Iâd let the HOs know. Timing would depend on what was broken, but something like a washer is a no-duh, tell them now so we can get it fixed ASAP. Itâs a pain in the rump to come home from a vacation and find out that your washer canât be used.
Food wise, if you left backup, then it sounds like you were covered once any preferred was depleted. Otherwise, itâs good to leave money if supplies are dwindling or to communicate before leaving that you will order more. That seems like something to do anyway, since you know youâll be needing more food no matter what and it doesnât expire immediately unless itâs fresh food.
If you want info about when the preferred food ran out or such, just ask. Thatâs not something a sitter should have to mind-read. I might mention something like that in passing or I might not. Being dinged by a HO for not mentioning it would seem unreasonable.
Please reread the OPâs comments and my comment. You appear to have misunderstood. And you appear to communicate in ways that come across as aggressive, even if I give you benefit of doubt.
I donât agree, of course! Was there enough food for the cats? NO! Back up!!! we are not talking about anything other than taking care of our pets, back up!!! There isnât any backup! There is only first action. Take care of my pets or donât sit.
Hello everyone, just a reminder that everyone has had different experiences whilst housesitting and engaging sitters, this can lead to different perspectives and ways of managing individual arrangements and you might not agree with what someone is saying, or their opinion but please keep comments and replies respectful and kind as per the forumâs values.
But stand up and be counted. 
everyone, just a reminder that everyone has had different experiences whilst housesitting and engaging sitters, this can lead to different perspectives and ways of managing individual arrangements and you might not agree with what someone is saying, or their opinion but please keep comments and replies respectful and kind as per the forumâs values.