Hey all, I have a petsit booked to start a week from now. The cat is 19 years old, but on the phone was described by the owner has perfectly healthy, just slower and lazier than in his younger days.
She wanted to meet in person before the sit (she’s local to me), and that happened yesterday. During the tour she stated that the cat hasn’t been eating “lately”. I asked for clarification–did she mean he eats less in recent months/weeks, or something else? She said no, she meant he kind of stopped eating much at all in just the last day or so.
The cat was clearly not in good health, though he was alert and friendly, his bones were showing and his breathing was slightly labored. As soon as she said he hasn’t eaten in days I thought to myself, he’s not going to be on this mortal coil by the time my sit is due to start.
Then, funny enough as we were still talking in the kitchen he came in and took a few bites of his food. The h/o was relieved, but I’m not so sure.
Coincidentally, my very first sit on THS was with several elderly cats, the oldest also being 19 and who looked remarkably similar to this cat, with the bones showing, the dull coat and labored breathing. Well, on that sit the h/o messaged me exactly a week after my sit ended to say that he had peacefully passed away. (I was so grateful he waited until after my sit, as having a pet die on my first house sit would’ve been quite traumatic)!
Anyway, I guess I’m asking for feedback from other sitters…I can’t really cancel the sit as her vacation is booked, but I’m so afraid that the poor cat, if he makes it to the date the sit is due to start, he’ll die during my sit! What to do?
Definitely speak to the homeowners about it. I personally never sit cats older than, say, 14 for this very reason. I would never recover from the trauma of a kitty passing away under my care.
But as a former pet parent whose elderly cat passed away at the ripe old age of 19, I would have been open to a gentle and honest conversation with a sitter. I knew perfectly well she might pass while I was gone on a trip, and I just wanted her to pass peacefully and with dignity. If I had had a sitter at the time (and I did not), I could have told them about the arrangements I had made in advance with a lovely service that would come to my home and help her pass in peace when the time arrived. But it is so awkward for both parties - the parent is afraid to bring it up, because you might back out. You’re afraid to bring it up, because they might think you don’t care about their cat.
But it has to be talked about. You can say, “A cat of her age has already lived well past her life expectancy, and reduced appetite can be a sign that she does not have much time left. If it does appear that she is declining rapidly, how would you like for that to be addressed?” Said with kindness and compassion, of course. Had it been me, I would have wanted her to notify the service to come out (who would determine if she was, indeed, in her last hours or simply needed an antibiotic or something) and me so that I could hop on a plane to be there if possible. And I would have had to have forms and payment arranged in advance for this.
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I’m not sure how much this helps, but some cats live until 25 year old, but a lot appear old and frail by 12 years and then go on to live for years and years.
You’re doing a beautiful thing! A magical thing! You’re an angel! Remember that! You’ve got a heart of pure gold.
Just make sure she’s covering the vets bill herself (just incase), and that her emergency contact can make any hard decisions if you can’t get a hold of her.
We love the oldies… but that’s probably because we’re not spring chickens either.
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Hello ! This just happened to us in January. The cat was 21 years old. When I accepted the sit, I can of thought “Hopefully he’s not going to die on us!”. But he nearly did, had to be put down the day after the sit… We arrived at the house the day before, and the home owner left very early the next day. Then during our first day, I felt the cat was not eating enough and seemed rather poorly. I immediately expressed our concern to the HO (very nice lady), contacted her emergency persons, offered to go to the vet, and kept them all informed with daily updates. We managed to keep the cat alive till the HO returned, we left, and were told that the cat had a huge tumour and had to be put down the next day. However, she gave us a very nice review. I would say just be honest, express your concerns beforehand (some in writing, say by messages, as well as by phone), ask for advice, and if the HO is a decent person, all should be well.
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This is awesome advice–thank you so much! I actually was trying to broach the topic of him possibly dying while I was still there yesterday, but h/o is a bit of an “ADHD” type (as am I lol) and we got way off topic, and I just couldn’t find a way to bring the conversation back to the morbid prospect of him dying on my watch.
I think what I"ll do is message her in a few days, see how kitty is doing, and then bring up her wishes for if his time comes while she’s away. Thank you again for your feedback!
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Oh wow, that sounds like a really difficult situation you endured, and you handled it with grace and compassion. <3
Thanks! I hope he makes it!
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I’m glad it was helpful. I thought I’d note another option: Palliative care for animals is often available near larger towns and cities. This is care that makes the animals comfortable but is not intended to cure the underlying disease. Many owners do not think of this, but it could make sense to proactively arrange for palliative care if needed (many such services make house calls or even video consultations), so that if the kitty falls seriously ill while the owner is away, the cat can be kept comfortable and pain-free until the parents’ return, at which point they can decide if they are ready for euthanasia.
Regardless, it is essential that the pet parent have instructions in writing and signed for the vet. I always left instructions that my sitters were authorized to approve treatment up to, but not including, euthanasia. Only one family member, who was quite familiar with my wishes, was authorized to approve euthanasia. If you are not the pet parent, a vet might not agree to euthanize without a signed approval, even if the animal is suffering, because of legal concerns.
AND - insist that the owner have a printed copy of the animal’s most recent rabies certificate available. Some house call and emergency vets will not treat without proof - not just a statement - that the animal has had their rabies vaccine. Since so many medical records are online now, it pays to think ahead and have that copy.
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