What are some icks you’ve experienced from clients or just small harmless things they’ve done that’s put you off them?
I was just thinking about this today when I was dreading going into a client’s home. She’s an extreme minimalist so she only owns 1 bowl per cat so every visit I wash and hand dry their bowls but it never feels like I can get them fully dry/clean if I don’t air dry them.
I have a new client that’s overseas for two weeks with limited connection. She discussed with me ahead of time that her cat is very difficult and sitters before have had a hard time giving her insulin. She originally wanted to book housesitting but my rates were out of her budget (no big deal, my rates are high for full time housesitting and extended visits). Per my suggestion, the two weeks leading up to the booking, I came by 3x a week so the cat could get used to me being around. In all of these visits but one, her owners were in the home so the cat was growling and hissing at me but calm. I did request that I do a few visits without giving her insulin because the reason for the visits before were to get her comfortable with me but the owner insisted I give her insulin for almost all of the visits. By the start of the booking, the cat was still not super comfortable with me and hissed/swiped at me when I gave her insulin but i was still able to do it.
Now that they’re on the trip, the client’s mom is staying in the apartment full time with her dog. I was told that the cat is comfortable with her mom and the dog but the cat has been hiding under the bed since they left and has barely come out. I was told that with the last sitter, it took the cat a few days to get used to him but he was the only one in the home the week of the booking so she would come out when he got the food out. I think for other bookings he’s also stayed in the home.
I finally got the cat out of hiding and gave her meds last night and today however it took a very long time to catch her, she bit me so hard through bite-proof gloves that it broke skin, and she got so scared and worked up that she pooped herself and stepped in it. I don’t want to continue this way for the health and safety of the cat but I’m unsure how to move forward. The client’s mom has limited mobility and won’t be able to help me. I can get another sitter to help but I’m worried about the cat soiling herself. I can’t get her calm enough to clean her. Is there another solution?
For those of you who take cat clients: what’s your hours for evening visits? Have you ever had a client complain about visits being too early or too late?