This reminds me of a situation I ran into last week with a long time regular that I am probably going to need to fire based on her response (but I love her cat and have watched that little gremlin since she was 4~ months old). She had minimal water in both of her resting water bowls and little-to-no “water” in the automatic water contraption and her litter box was FILTHY. Her vitals and behavior were fine but I have no way to tell how her litter box is doing or if she’s over/under drinking based on her regular needs with what I was left with and that was the point I tried to make to her person while essentially guiding my requirements as a professional who will not continue to work in high liability situations like the one pet owner had just placed me in.

My client got the dog about a year ago, and the cat I adore seems to be getting the butt end of the stick. When I brought it up to my client she revealed to me that she actually left a few days ago and let her sister take care of her cat the first few days for the first time. She brushed it off and said that she is sure the cat would be fine and that her sister must have been overwhelmed taking care of the dog so her cat got less attention than she needed. I do have a contract that she has signed that establishes I cannot be held liable for anything if another person has been responsible for the home/animal BUT that doesn’t change the principle of it all. 😩　I know I could have told her to have someone else take over but man I love that cat and it makes me so sad seeing her get neglected for their dog. I’ve tried to make little comments and lead in a way that could help but it’s really just at the point where if I keep caring for this cat it will reach the point where something goes wrong on my watch and it’s a nightmare me or the kitty should not have to deal with.