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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think my neighbour’s cat care problem is not mine?

988 replies

Thepartwhereidrun · 26/06/2026 07:35

My neighbour stopped my son on his way out last night to ask if he would look after her cat when she is away from tomorrow for 2 weeks, going in twice a day. He said sorry but he couldn’t.

I didn’t know she had spoken to him until she knocked our door and told us. Her cat sitter has let her down last minute and now she won’t be able to go on holiday unless she can find someone else. Nightmare for her, but her cat sitter is ill so it can’t be helped. I said I can’t help her but I text our dog sitter, who also does cat sitting to ask if she had availability and said I’d get back to her if she could do it.

She asked if I would also ask my son again, which I did when he got home, but he doesn’t want to do it. He has just finished his A levels and wants to be free to come and go as he pleases which is understandable. I said that if he has said no then that means he can’t.

Our dog sitter text me back to say she didn’t have any availability for the first week but could do the second week. I text my neighbour to let her know and to give her sitters contact details. She has just text back ‘no good, what am I meant to do for the first week?’

I haven’t replied as although I get she is probably feeling desperate, how the fuck is her cat my problem?

OP posts:
Doubledutchbuss · 05/07/2026 16:31

someladdersandsnakes · 04/07/2026 18:50

I would just do it, or tell my son he has to do it. Whatever happened to people helping their neighbours out. Country's going to the dogs I tell ya.

read. The. F*ing. Thread.

imagine telling your boss - sorry I can’t go on two scheduled work trips because my neighbour is going on holiday and can’t be arsed and is too cheap to get a pet sitter

Thebinisrightthere · 05/07/2026 17:04

someladdersandsnakes · 04/07/2026 18:50

I would just do it, or tell my son he has to do it. Whatever happened to people helping their neighbours out. Country's going to the dogs I tell ya.

And will continue to do so with batshit comments like this

pestowithwalnuts · 05/07/2026 17:49

christ on a bike op ... You've taken some crap on here from some mum posters.
Your son has been tied down to studying.exams and two jobs Of course he doesn't want further tied down to ndn's sodding cat.
Youv already told her NO and she's pushing the loss of her holiday on you.
And god bless the poster who thought you and your son should sort it out between you..lol.

godmum56 · 05/07/2026 18:18

pestowithwalnuts · 05/07/2026 17:49

christ on a bike op ... You've taken some crap on here from some mum posters.
Your son has been tied down to studying.exams and two jobs Of course he doesn't want further tied down to ndn's sodding cat.
Youv already told her NO and she's pushing the loss of her holiday on you.
And god bless the poster who thought you and your son should sort it out between you..lol.

ermmmmm the story has moved on quite a lot.....did you not RTFT? or even just the Op's posts?

HeIsPerfect · 06/07/2026 13:42

Thepartwhereidrun · 03/07/2026 13:41

Hi all. Not much to update, but when I got home last night the cat was in our garden and came in the house as soon as I opened the doors at the back of our house. I gave him some chicken as I wasn’t sure how much he’d actually been getting fed and then popped over to see the elderly neighbours when I saw the carers were there. The carers said they had tried to feed the cat morning and evening but he hadn’t come every time they had called so he has missed a couple of meals and therefore medication. The cat had followed me over so they gave him his medication and he ate some food with them then. The carers said that the cat hasn’t been in the house at all and the elderly neighbours had hardly mentioned him, so it’s all fallen on the carers to remember. I asked if cheeky neighbour had been in touch and she hasn’t.

Your neighbour is a shit human. How can she not even care enough to be in touch and ask if her poor cat is ok? 😢

HeIsPerfect · 06/07/2026 13:43

Thepartwhereidrun · 05/07/2026 13:42

I ended up staying at a friends house last night as I had a few too many glasses of wine. 🥴 No sign of the cat today so far so hopefully he is with the elderly neighbours.

I’m not sure if a report is worth the time , still thinking on that, but I will definitely be speaking to my neighbour when she is back.

Have you seen the cat today OP? It’s very warm so I hope he is alright.

CanterThroughChaos · 06/07/2026 13:48

Tell her to post on next door app or local Facebook group for pet sitters, cat sitting isn’t hard so she is likely to get professional animal sitters and local people who want extra cash replying. Other than that just say you hope she gets it sorted.

HeIsPerfect · 06/07/2026 14:14

CanterThroughChaos · 06/07/2026 13:48

Tell her to post on next door app or local Facebook group for pet sitters, cat sitting isn’t hard so she is likely to get professional animal sitters and local people who want extra cash replying. Other than that just say you hope she gets it sorted.

She didn’t want to pay. Read OPs updates.

Summersongroses · 06/07/2026 16:20

She offered him £30 for a week. Stone the crows. I pay my cat sitter £30 a day for 2x visits!

Thepartwhereidrun · 06/07/2026 17:28

HeIsPerfect · 06/07/2026 13:43

Have you seen the cat today OP? It’s very warm so I hope he is alright.

I haven’t seen him since Saturday morning so I’m hoping he has been to the neighbours to eat and is sleeping in their house or garden. I haven’t had time to go over and check with them but I’ll try do go over later when the carers are there as I’m away again from tomorrow for a couple of days.

OP posts:
thepariscrimefiles · 06/07/2026 19:35

Summersongroses · 06/07/2026 16:20

She offered him £30 for a week. Stone the crows. I pay my cat sitter £30 a day for 2x visits!

No, she offered OP's son £30 for two weeks! Her elderly neighbours and their carers are now caring for the cat and she offered them the princely sum of zero for their help.

SweetPeasandGerberas · Today 12:35

purplecorkheart · 26/06/2026 11:16

Or in the case of our local facebook page the cat gets out and cannot be found.

How sad. Luckily, that never happened to us in the many years we ran the cattery.

Shinyandnew1 · Today 13:13

How’s it going? Did they arrange for cat sitters for the second week or not?

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