Hello - I am relatively new to THS. One of the reasons why I joined was to expose myself to animals since I do not have a pet. I have spoken to people who have pet sat only by feeding animals. The requirement to stay at one’s home seems to be a trend.
In my feedback to a HO regarding a pet and house sit for a cat, I had some very unpleasant experiences with the behavior of the cat. The HO also expected me to behave the way she did, so the cat expected to have no boundaries. The cat would jump on me while I was at my computer, while I was eating at a table, or would jump on counters where I was preparing food. It was extremely uncomfortable and unsanitary I thought.
Normally cats are more aloof, but this cat demanded intense, frequent rubbing, petting and proximity apparently 24 hours per day at will. I did not give constructive feedback to the homeowner because this seems very complicated.
What are your recommendations? As a human being, I felt my boundaries were being crossed.
My recommendation: discuss the pet behaviour before conforming a sit. Ask lots of questions about things that are important to you, like does the cat jump on counters, how much attention the pet needs etc.
The pets are not going to change their behaviour for the sitter, so you need to do the screening beforehand to find a sit that suits you.
It doesn’t sound like you know much about cats and went into the sit with a preconceived notion of them, which is a bummer for you and the cat. Many cats behave as you described and you can easily see that in social media about cats, for instance. Many humans actually enjoy cats like that, which is why they’re popular on social media.
If you do decide to sit more cats in the future, you should screen for your dealbreakers. That will mean various cat sits won’t be a good fit for you. But as others have mentioned, it’s your role to fit with the cats and not the other way around. Exceptions: If they’re aggressive or violent, in which case THS says such pets should not be on the platform for sitting at all.
My current sit cats sleep with me, hop on surfaces and want quite a bit of petting, which I’m happy to indulge them with.
They’re not supposed to be on the kitchen counters, which their humans specified. They use spray bottles to keep them off. But they’re cats and I know they go on the counters even though that’s the case, because I was told that they’d broken into kitchen cupboards before. And I saw one of the cats hop off the counter as I went into the kitchen this morning. I just wipe the counters, use the utensils and dishes that are in cupboards and drawers. I’ve been hiding my food in the fridge, cupboards and oven, LOL. The cupboards with food have been secured with Velcro or childproof locks by the homeowners.
That sounds like a pretty typical cat to me. My current charges climb over me at will, definitely jump on the counter, sleep on my clothes in the wardrobe, cuddle up at night, wake me too early in the morning etc. I don’t really mind any of that as the owners don’t mind any of it, it’s their cat, their home and their rules. Trying to stop or discourage a cat from showing affection by being near you or climbing on you sounds like a futile and in my opinion heart breaking effort - a cat’s trust is never guaranteed so should be appreciated.
It’s great that you want to expose yourself to animals but be mindful that home owners tend to choose sitters because they assume we love animals and want to be near them. If that’s not really you maybe sitting isn’t the right way to expose yourself and you could look at volunteering at a shelter or something instead. Also I would be impressed with any cat owner who is willing to accept ‘constructive’ feedback about their cat or do something about it - unless it’s something actually dangerous or destructive - I, as a cat owner myself, would just get defensive if someone dares to criticise my fluff ball.
That sounds like a cat, simply just being a cat. Yes some are aloof, but a huge amount of cats love being higher up on tables, sofas, worktops… anywhere, it’s their home.
Some love to be petted and won’t leave you alone, and they also love to rub their faces against the corners of your laptop… it’s just what they do. It isn’t poor training by an owner or anything like that, it’s just what cats do. You have no choice with cats, they will do what they choose to do.
Some sleep on beds, and if you don’t like that, then quite often a home owner will be fine if you don’t want it in your bedroom, but everything else you describe, is just cats being cats.
With both cats and dogs, you don’t have any boundaries, you have to accept them for them for the animals they are, and the habits they have.
Maybe look for sits with rabbits or hamsters instead, so they can be handled when you choose, rather than the other way around.
On the positive side, cats obviously want to be near you, so maybe, if you decide to sit again, you may see things in a different light, they obviously want to be your friend, and they obviously want you to love them.
I wouldn’t give any feedback to the homeowner. Just state in your review that the cat craved attention & constant company, and is used to having generous boundaries which include the kitchen counters, so future sitters will know what to expect.
As others have said, what you mention is typical cat behavior & to be expected. Unacceptable cat behaviors are aggressive ones (ex: biting, scratching, eliminating on your belongings & similar), which you don’t state is the issue in this case. My recommendation is you don’t cat sit. If you’re uncomfortable with normal cat behaviors, then you shouldn’t be sitting cats. It’s not fair to the homeowner or the cat. Why do you think cats are normally aloof? This sit right here shows you they’re not. If you REALLY want to cat sit, then my recommendation is that you learn more about cats & reassess your boundaries. If you can’t do that and learn to deal with a cat when it behaves as a normal cat, then cat sitting isn’t a good fit for you.
The whole point of getting a sitter is that the pet gets to stay in its own home and behave as it normally would. You should not expect to impose your norms. What you should do is have clear communication in advance to establish what the pet’s normal behaviour and routine is and if that is not something you are comfortable with, don’t take the sit.
Hi @AnimalFan
As someone that has looked after over 100 cats and volunteered for a cat shelter, I don’t think what you described is that unusual. Of course cats should be trained from a kitten not to jump on the counter. Some cats like to rub against you (they’re scent marking you and claiming you as part of their pack), like being fussed and feel safest being closest to you.
I’ve got to be honest and say I wonder how compatible you are if don’t like giving a cat attention.
Animals are just like people. They have different personalities. We just finished a catsit where the female cat liked her space and would let us know when she wanted affection. The boy cat wanted to be near us, with us, as much as possible. His biggest enemy was our computer mouse and would try to move it with his paw. If we were using the mouse, it meant that hand wasn’t being used to pet him all day. Next time ask about their personalities and behaviors before accepting the sit
As everyone already wrote - that sounds like a normal cat behavior. And by the way, you cannot train a cat not to go on the counter. If a cat doesn’t do something it’s not because they are trained but because they don’t like to or prefer an alternative.
With all that being said, as a HO who has kittens, I do specify in the guide that if while cooking/eating the cats are too annoying, to feel comfortable to close them out of the kitchen during that time (which I know is not possible in any home). In general I think it makes sense for a sitter to not want a cat to touch their food and we need to provide a way for them to cook and eat in peace.
I would take @AmyJayne’s advice re:writing the review and keep it professional and unemotional
learn more about cats as others have suggested and potentially don’t sit for them if after your research, you find you’re not up for those types of interactions.
in general, if an animal isn’t doing something dangerous, unhealthy or unsafe, it’s allowed and on you to vet if you’re ok with it before you accept the sit. So…I’d ask better questions to vet my next sit if there are things you know you don’t like and wouldn’t be comfortable with.
With puppies during training, setting boundaries is essential @Lauraa unless you want a seriously naughty dog. How do they know to follow commands or rules or not risk injury or escape if you don’t set clear boundaries?
I slightly disagree. You can train a cat to not go o the counter when they can see you. But this takes a lot of time and consistency. The cat may also resent this, and may even rebel depending on your relationship with the cat and the cat’s temperment. If the consistent pet parent and the cat have a good relationship and the cat understands that for some weird reason the pet parent is super possesive about the counter and doesn’t want to share the counter EVER, the cat may avoid the counter when the pet parent is home because they have a relationship and the cat is not a totally jerk (unless they are). HOWEVER, if a stranger has suddenly taken up residence and wants sole possession of the counter, that is just too much! Especially as the cat is certainly willing to share.
Training, yes. It may be a question of culture but I never heard the word ‘boundaries’ used when I was training dogs. I’ve been able to train a few cats to not do a few things. One makes a relationship with animals, cats can be influenced, as @Marion says below.
Agreed @Lauraa . You can spray a cat with a bit of water or push them gently off a table on numerous occasions and eventually they’ll connect both actions with not doing either of these things. Boundaries for dogs would be - no dogs on sofas, don’t jump up, sit for your food, come to heel etc etc - as Brits (& training working and gun dogs growing up on a farm), we call it setting clear boundaries of what’s wrong and right in their behaviour.
And cats do learn verbal commands and hand signals, like dogs, though teaching them is a bit different. Ours know quite a few. Our training methods never include pushing them off anything or used a spray bottle or anything like that. Positive reinforcement works for cats, too.
But still, I wouldn’t trust our cats to behave perfectly when I don’t see them
