We recently had a pet sitting experience with Malia and her daughter that had both positive and challenging aspects. The idea of a mother-daughter team was appealing, as it suggested a collaborative approach to caring for our kitties. However, we encountered several communication issues that affected our overall experience.
We requested overnight stays for our cats, understanding that Malia also had dog-sitting and training responsibilities. We were surprised to learn on the day of our departure that her daughter would be bringing her small dog along, which we would never agree to as our older cat will defend itself when it felt threatened . While Malia mentioned she wasn't present during our initial conversation, although she was with her daughter during the orientation, which could have been an opportunity to clarify expectations. Malia was quick to accept this and said she would take care of her daughter's dog.
We had provided detailed documentation regarding our cats' feeding and care needs, emphasizing our specific practices. While we understand that our approach may seem excessive, it's essential for us that these preferences are followed. We also had a neighbor lined up as a backup, but this shouldn't have been a reason to overlook our guidelines.
During our absence, we faced an issue with our electricity external plugs tripping, this was due to an exposed Christmas light socket sitting near an irrigation sprinkler head. They notified our neighbor, who took care of the problem immediately. On the last day, Malia notified our neighbor about her need to leave early and her daughter had left because she fell ill, which we completely understand. However, I found it concerning when I mentioned that our neighbor felt very hot shortly after arriving; he said he was sweating almost immediately and that the temperature was 79 in the house. Malia responded defensively, stating she was used to a house temperature of 79°F. Our preference, as discussed, was to keep the temperature around 70°F for the comfort of our pets, especially our older cat. She said she kept checking and it was "set" to 70, but she didn't check the actual temp in the house. Also this high temperature would increase the humidity level, which would then increase mold growth. What actually occurred was that someone inadvertently turned the AC breaker off in the garage, which shut down the AC fan. There was no AC in the house!
I was taken aback when Malia suggested that I should just have a neighbor take care of the cats. This response felt dismissive and indicated a lack of willingness to engage with our concerns.
I appreciate that Malia and her daughter made an effort to stay with the cats as much as possible given their other commitments. But, her remark - when I asked about these issues was "at least the cats were fed" and she added "maybe you should get your neighbors to take care of the cats"--- would not be the response one would expect for a paid service.
Overall, while the pet sitting arrangement had its merits, clearer communication and a more receptive attitude would greatly enhance the experience for future clients.
We had 4 future trips pencilled in, which we obviously aren't going to do anymore. read more
