I spoke too soon (about the cat sitting)

"jmcquown" wrote in message ...


Yes, it's a pattern. The problem is she knows I don't really have an excuse
to say "no". She knows I don't travel. I'm always home. So... convenient.

Yes, it's a bit of a drive to town to the vet to get the cat food. I like
to plan ahead and make one trip with a shopping list. I don't like the idea
of having to make a special trip just for her cat food. But I won't let him
go without it. It's prescription food, kidney like Persia has been eating.

Yes, if I buy a bag of food she'll reimburse me. I'll just leave her the
receipt with the bag and a note. But my goodness, I don't understand why
she can't plan ahead. I'm starting to think she might be getting a little
dotty.

Jill

~~~~~~~~
Actually, you have a *very good* excuse to say "no." The "excuse" is that
the neighbor is being negligent. It is *her* responsibility to have
adequate supplies on hand for her cats, not yours. Even if you just want to
lie around and never go into town, that's your decision to make...not hers.
It doesn't sound to me like she can't plan ahead; it sounds to me like she
simply knows she can rely on you, and she takes complete advantage of it.

MaryL

"Bastette" wrote in message ...

Christina Websell wrote:

"jmcquown" wrote in message

[snip]

I really don't understand it. If I was going out of town for a week I'd
make sure I had at least two weeks worth of *everything*. Next time,
unless I can inspect her supplies the day before she leaves, I won't just
take her word for it. I should have learned by now.

Sorry, just venting again. I do love her cats. They're sweet, loveable
boys. But this is bordering on ridiculous.

I'd probably say to your neighbour when she comes home "I am happy to
look
after your cats but this will be the last time unless you provide enough
food/litter/whatever to last while you're away otherwise you'll have to
find
someone else"

[snip]

Myself, I would worry if I knew I hadn't provided enough food in case the
caretaker didn't, but obviously that's not a problem for your neighbour.
She expects you to provide food and litter!!
But what if you didn't?

Here's the problem with that: why should the cats suffer? If I were in
Jill's situation, I would be very annoyed about it, but I wouldn't let
the cats go hungry because their human doesn't know how to think ahead.
Then someone else always takes care of the consequences, so she never
has to learn.

I liked the idea of Jill inspecting the quantity of food and litter before
the neighbor leaves town, so Jill's assured there's enough to last the
length of her neighbor's trip. If the neighbor gets defensive about it, Jill
can then say that's her requirement for catsitting. Because the last time
the neighbor said there was enough, there wasn't, and Jill can't take her
word for it anymore. I think that's reasonable. It takes some assertiveness,
but it's certainly not out of line. Has she *ever* gone away and provided
enough of everything for them?

--
Joyce
*******************
As I've said, she always cuts it pretty close. I don't know why she does
this. The last time she went out of town she was at least where I could
reach her. I was able to tell her she'd need to stop at the vet on the way
home and buy another bag of food. (She was lucky her flight got in early
and it was on a day the vet is open until 7:00.) I don't have a phone
number for her in Puerto Rico, although she did leave a couple of cell
numbers that belong to her travelling companions. Not that it would do any
good to call her... her flight this time doesn't get in until the evening.
The vet will be closed by the time she gets anywhere near here from the
airport. And the next day is Sunday... the bet won't be open. If the dry
food runs out, I'm the only one who is going to be able (albeit grudgingly)
to buy more food for them.

Actually, I can only buy it for Schwartzie. Persia eats the same k/d
prescription kibble Schwartzie does, so I have a prescription on file at a
vet that is closer than the one we both use for actual veterinary care. I
can just pretend I'm buying a small bag for Persia. Fedders eats c/d and I
*know* they won't sell it to me. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to eat a lot
of it so he should be okay. I've been "stretching" the k/d by adding a
couple of spoons of c/d to Schwartzie's bowl. Probably not the ideal
solution but I didn't set this chain of events in motion!

She did leave plenty of Fancy Feast. The devil in me is thinking if the k/d
runs out Schwartzie will just have to eat FF. The cat-lover in me is
thinking he *needs* that prescription food because of renal problems. He's
also diabetic, although he hasn't had to have insulin shots for a long time
now. (If he still needed shots, I'd say NO to cat sitting.) I'm not
qualified to screw around with his diet. I'm fairly confident a few
spoonful's of c/d mixed in with the k/d won't be too detrimental, but just
eating FF for two days? I have no idea. I don't want him to have some sort
of setback.

I don't have a problem with being assertive, that's for sure. LOL I'm
taking part of the blame for not checking all this out before she left. I
know her track record; I should have gone over the day before she left and
checked out the supplies. In the future, I sure as hell will!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...


When you contribute the food and litter she "overlooked", does she
reimburse you for the cost?



So far I haven't had to do that but it looks like on this trip I may
have to. And yes, she'll reimburse me. It just shouldn't be necessary
for me to stock up for her when she knew she was going out of town.

Jill

I agree! Unless the absence is sudden and unforeseen - like sudden
illness and/or hospitalization - it seems only common courtesy to be
sure you have enough supplies on hand so your catsitter need not worry
about them.

MaryL wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree. I always keep at least 3 cases of cat food on hand even for
myself, just to make sure I would be covered if I ever have an
emergency. In addition to what Tweed wrote, I would suggest that Jill
request the neighbor always leave a certain sum of money for her. She
could use that for the cats, as needed, and return anything that is left
over. Even with that, the neighbor certainly should leave plenty of
supplies (but obviously doesn't) because it's not Jill's responsibility
to make purchases for her.

MaryL

I didn't realize Jill was doing the sitting job gratis! My last
apartment in California (when I was enjoying my trips to Europe) the
building manager looked after my cats, but I paid her approximately what
I had paid a professional cat sitter for previous trips. She was
willing to do it for free, but I knew she could use the money, and it
was simply more convenient for me to use her instead of an outside sitter.

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...



MaryL wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree. I always keep at least 3 cases of cat food on hand even for
myself, just to make sure I would be covered if I ever have an emergency.
In addition to what Tweed wrote, I would suggest that Jill request the
neighbor always leave a certain sum of money for her. She could use that
for the cats, as needed, and return anything that is left over. Even with
that, the neighbor certainly should leave plenty of supplies (but
obviously doesn't) because it's not Jill's responsibility to make
purchases for her.

MaryL

I didn't realize Jill was doing the sitting job gratis! My last
apartment in California (when I was enjoying my trips to Europe) the
building manager looked after my cats, but I paid her approximately what
I had paid a professional cat sitter for previous trips. She was
willing to do it for free, but I knew she could use the money, and it
was simply more convenient for me to use her instead of an outside sitter.


What does a typical cat sitter charge for the services I'm providing? It's
not really hard work. Food and water twice a day; scoop the box twice a
day. Get them outside if I can. Get them back inside (not always an easy
task). Oh, and there are two outdoor watering stations to be filled. This
time I'm watering her outdoor plants, too. She did move them from the back
patio to the front so I don't have to drag the hose around.

Maybe if I start charging I could tack on mileage charges if I have to drive
to town to buy food for them. Lord knows I could use the money, too!

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote in message ...

What does a typical cat sitter charge for the services I'm providing? It's
not really hard work. Food and water twice a day; scoop the box twice a
day. Get them outside if I can. Get them back inside (not always an easy
task). Oh, and there are two outdoor watering stations to be filled. This
time I'm watering her outdoor plants, too. She did move them from the back
patio to the front so I don't have to drag the hose around.

Maybe if I start charging I could tack on mileage charges if I have to drive
to town to buy food for them. Lord knows I could use the money, too!

Jill

~~~~~~~~~~~~
My cat sitter charges $20.00 to come in twice a day. It is well worth
it--she is fantastic. She feeds Holly and Duffy twice a day (washes their
bowls and puts out clean water), scoops their litter, brings in mail and
papers, occasionally turns different lamps on/off to give the house a move
"lived-in" look, rolls the trash cart to the curb on garbage collection days
(and back in again in the evenings), and checks around to see if there is
anything damaged in case of storms. I don't have plants for her to water
(Holly and Duffy would eat any indoor plants, and I have a sprinkler system
outdoors), but I know she does that for other people who need it. She
always spends extra time grooming my twosome and playing with them. She
also leaves a daily log to tell me how much they have eaten and their
general behavior.

I think you really *should* start charging. You do this often enough that
you should be paid for your services, and it would become easier for you to
charge for extra trips into town (just as you said). That might even serve
as a reminder to your neighbor to always leave adequate supplies of cat food
and litter. She is being irresponsible, and it is easy for a "good
neighbor" to become a doormat. I have fallen into that trap myself.

MaryL

jmcquown wrote:
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...



MaryL wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree. I always keep at least 3 cases of cat food on hand even for
myself, just to make sure I would be covered if I ever have an
emergency. In addition to what Tweed wrote, I would suggest that Jill
request the neighbor always leave a certain sum of money for her. She
could use that for the cats, as needed, and return anything that is
left over. Even with that, the neighbor certainly should leave plenty
of supplies (but obviously doesn't) because it's not Jill's
responsibility to make purchases for her.

MaryL

I didn't realize Jill was doing the sitting job gratis! My last
apartment in California (when I was enjoying my trips to Europe) the
building manager looked after my cats, but I paid her approximately what
I had paid a professional cat sitter for previous trips. She was
willing to do it for free, but I knew she could use the money, and it
was simply more convenient for me to use her instead of an outside sitter.


What does a typical cat sitter charge for the services I'm providing?
It's not really hard work. Food and water twice a day; scoop the box
twice a day. Get them outside if I can. Get them back inside (not
always an easy task). Oh, and there are two outdoor watering stations
to be filled. This time I'm watering her outdoor plants, too. She did
move them from the back patio to the front so I don't have to drag the
hose around.

Maybe if I start charging I could tack on mileage charges if I have to
drive to town to buy food for them. Lord knows I could use the money, too!

Jill

Their prices vary, depending upon where you are and what the traffic
will bear - check your yellow-pages. IIRC, I paid about $10 a day for
someone to come in, feed and play with them, scoop the litter box, water
my plants and take in my mail. (The services I used were bonded, which
makes their honesty a bit more reliable.) It's usually considerably
cheaper than boarding at the vet or a kennel, and the cats are happier
if they can stay home in your absence.

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...

jmcquown wrote:
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
m...



What does a typical cat sitter charge for the services I'm providing?
It's not really hard work. Food and water twice a day; scoop the box
twice a day. Get them outside if I can. Get them back inside (not always
an easy task). Oh, and there are two outdoor watering stations to be
filled. This time I'm watering her outdoor plants, too. She did move
them from the back patio to the front so I don't have to drag the hose
around.

Maybe if I start charging I could tack on mileage charges if I have to
drive to town to buy food for them. Lord knows I could use the money,
too!

Jill

Their prices vary, depending upon where you are and what the traffic
will bear - check your yellow-pages. IIRC, I paid about $10 a day for
someone to come in, feed and play with them, scoop the litter box, water
my plants and take in my mail. (The services I used were bonded, which
makes their honesty a bit more reliable.) It's usually considerably
cheaper than boarding at the vet or a kennel, and the cats are happier
if they can stay home in your absence.
************

I don't know about getting bonded, but it's not like I'm rifling through her
drawers when I'm there. LOL

Schwartzie went out for me today (a rarity) and when I let him back in we
played for a while in the living room. He was rolling around and purring
Fedders is more about the food than the attention.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:

IIRC, I paid about $10 a day for
someone to come in, feed and play with them, scoop the litter box, water
my plants and take in my mail. (The services I used were bonded, which
makes their honesty a bit more reliable.)

I don't know about getting bonded, but it's not like I'm rifling through her
drawers when I'm there. LOL

No reason to get bonded unless you're planning to start a petsitting
business.

Schwartzie went out for me today (a rarity) and when I let him back in we
played for a while in the living room. He was rolling around and purring

Aww. That's the main reason I like cat-sitting. I like playing with the
kitties.

--
Joyce

What I look forward to, is continued immaturity, followed by death.
-- Dave Barry

On 11/2/2012 8:54 AM, jmcquown wrote:

What does a typical cat sitter charge for the services I'm providing?
It's not really hard work. Food and water twice a day; scoop the
box twice a day. Get them outside if I can. Get them back inside
(not always an easy task). Oh, and there are two outdoor watering
stations to be filled. This time I'm watering her outdoor plants,
too. She did move them from the back patio to the front so I don't
have to drag the hose around.

Maybe if I start charging I could tack on mileage charges if I have
to drive to town to buy food for them. Lord knows I could use the
money, too!

My pet sitter charges $25 per visit. I had to use her when I was
recovering from my back surgeries because I wasn't able to bend over so
I hired them just for litter box scooping. I admit I didn't have them
daily for my recovery but I set up an extra box and they put in extra
litter so it wouldn't get full of waste.