Just having a moan into the void

Post Reply New Topic

I think I'm going to have to cancel my holiday because I'm useless and disorganised.

I need a pet sitter and can't find one. I had hoped my friend who pet sat last time would do it again. She kept telling me how much she enjoyed looking after my pets, but when I sent her a message a few months ago asking if she wanted to this year, she ignored me. I talked to her a week or so later and she says she's not well at the moment, so that's fine I understand, but it would have been helpful if she had just text back to say, "Sorry, I can't this time, I'm really ill at the moment."

So I text my other friend who says she loves pet sitting and she's been really curt and weird with me lately, so that's a no.

I asked another acquaintance and she didn't text me back either. I saw her in passing a couple of days ago and she said, "oh sorry I didn't text you back" and didn't actually say yes or no. She had to hurry away.

And then I realised that my only other friend is the one I'm going on holiday with and now I'm stuck. I don't really want to leave my pets with a stranger.

My boss volunteered one of my colleagues, but I don't want to ask him because he lives further into the city and it would be a hassle for him. I don't want to ask my neighbours either because I don't know if I can trust them, even though one does ask about my pets whenever I see him.

I'm starting to get depressed about it and I don't want to go away now. I'm travelling with my friend and her friend so if I just text and say I'm too ill to go and give her my half of the money she can still go. I am technically too ill.

Why is everything so hard? I should have sorted this out months ago and now I have literally days left. I'm an idiot. i hate dealing with people

I have a question.

In the entirety of your post you never picked up the phone and called anyone.

Had you phoned people you could and likely would have received an answer then.

I know I'm OG but I think we would all be better off if we used the phone to call people rather than text AND picked the phone up when we are called.

I don't phone because I don't want to put anyone on the spot and make them feel like they have to say yes if they don't want to do it.

When people text me, I text them that same day with a response.

sometimes you have to put people on the spot to get a definitive answer. without a definitive answer, where are you?

How many pets have you got? Can they go on holiday with you?

I mean I don't want them to feel like they have to say yes when it's not something they actually want to do. A no is totally fine. A begrudging yes where they won't really look after my pets is not fine.

I'm in the UK.

Sadly no, I'm going on a mostly by train journey round Europe.

Nice. Hope you can find someone. What about a kennel? (You have not said the type of animal. A fraggle?)
I live not far from four different railways, and three more within an hour or two south, and another two further west, and another line, though connected to one of the first four, is about 45 minutes north. Railways in all directions from here!

Never been across europe. Not been able to sleep on a train as tried many times. The movement keeps me awake.

Thanks. I'm sure I'll work something out. I just needed to have a moan about it. I've been ill a lot lately and have just been pushing this task down the road again and again thinking I'll just deal with it when I feel better and now I'm stressed because of my own inactivity. Ho hum.

Yeah it's a bit of a bummer that. I wish you could work something out though.

I know how you feel. Getting someone to look after your pets always seems to be a massive pita and its stopped me doing stuff in the past. You need to know they're being properly cared for. Is it the kind of pet where you need someone to come into your home to look after it, or one that can be sent to stay with someone else?

Independent animal. I just need someone to come in and feed them twice a day, make sure they are happy and empty the litter box. I'm making this bigger in my head than it needs to be.

If worst comes to the worst I can drop them off at my parents who live an hour away. I don't really want to unsettle them though.

Yeah, it's tougher if you can't move the animal. Can you afford to pay someone to come in and do it? There's loads of people advertising that sort of service around me.

There are licensed and bonded pet care companies that will go to your house for a small fee, if you're comfortable with that.

I don't know if you have dogs but I was in desperate need of someone to watch my dog for a weekend once and I arranged to have his trainer take him. He hadn't worked with the trainer in years. Another option is the breeder, if your pets are from a breeder.

Regardless of who cares for them you can set up a camera to watch the pets.

Cats can be left with automatic feeders and a few water fountains or the kind that dispenses water from a jug like a water cooler. If you had a camera you'd be able to monitor if they ran out of food or needed a neighbour to pop in for an emergency refill.

Well, that problem sorted itself out in the worst way possible. I'm too ill to go.

I'm feeling pretty depressed now. I don't have anyone I can rely on and I'm sick. Actually, that's not true. A friend dropped a bag of groceries off at my door for me.

Next year I'm booking the pets into boarding on whatever week is available and then booking my holiday for that week. This year I booked the holiday and checked to see if there were spaces and there were none.

Sorry you had to cancel your holiday, and sorry you're ill. Hope you feel better soon. Europe will still be there next year. (only 60% confidence on that, but it's the sentiment that counts)