When you are hired to perform a job, it is the most basic of expectations that you simply fulfill what was asked of you.
As that is the reason people are willing to pay you.
If you don’t do what was instructed and expected of you, there are often severe consequences.
Up to and including, no longer getting paid.
Redditor catmom51525 recently hired a cousin of her fiancé’s for a very important task while they were away on vacation.
Before taking off, the original poster (OP) left this cousin with very specific instructions.
Upon returning, the OP discovered that her fiancé’s cousin had ignored one of her most important instructions.
Resulting in the OP withholding the agreed-upon pay.
Concerned she may have gone too far, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA For Refusing to Pay My Cat-Sitter?”
The OP explained why she declined to pay her fiancé’s cousin after she watched her cat:
“I (29 F[emale]) have an eleven year old calico named Daisy.”
“A year ago, I moved a few hours further from home for work, which came with the issue of needing to find a new sitter.”
“My fiancé (34 M[ale]) and I were lucky to find somebody pretty quickly through a pet sitting app, but she ended up being unavailable during the week of our trip.”
“This came up over dinner at my sister’s house, and her daughter/my niece suggested her cousin (BIL’s family) Ava (18 F[emale]), saying she’s been looking for some side jobs to make money before she goes off to college this fall.”
“I contacted Ava and she accepted the job.”
“I invited Ava over a couple days early so she could meet Daisy and get acquainted with the space.”
“The most important detail here is that I emphasized our main rule to not let Daisy out unleashed and unsupervised.”
“I showed Ava the harness and leash I use to take Daisy on walks, explained the risks of letting her out unsupervised, and she seemed to understand.”
“Fiance and I left on our trip a couple days later thinking all was well.”
“We finally got back yesterday, after a genuinely lovely week, and met Ava as she was finishing up with her last drop-in.”
“During our reunion, I found scratches on Daisy.”
“I asked Ava if she had any idea what happened.”
“At first Ava’s story was that she didn’t know, and then she admitted it might have happened when they went on a walk.”
“I went to find the harness to see if there was any damage to it, but it was in the exact spot I left it in, along with the leash.”
“I asked Ava point blank if she let Daisy out by herself and she finally admitted yes, that Daisy wouldn’t stop hounding her for food and treats and that she was yowling so much during a drop-in when she was having a headache that she put her out for ‘a little while’ while she set up the food and cleaned the litter.”
“She then FORGOT DAISY OUTSIDE ALL NIGHT.”
“She said she realized when she dropped back in the next morning for a feeding and a walk and Daisy wasn’t waiting just inside the door that she remembered she’d put her out so she tried shaking a bag of Daisy’s favorite cat treats (which worked, she’s a greedy little cat).”
“I was furious at the point and asked Ava to leave.”
“She asked what about the money, and I told her she wouldn’t be getting paid.”
“She got upset and said it wasn’t fair to not pay her for an entire week over one mistake, but eventually left.”
“She has texted me an apology since, but I’ve also received some texts from my BIL, who is mostly taking her side in the issue and saying I should absolutely pay her, but that he would understand if I docked a day off.”
“I told him I’ll be putting my money towards a vet visit, which I have an appointment for tomorrow.”
“AITA if I stand my ground here?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to pay Ava.
Everyone agreed that Ava did not fulfill her assigned duties, and as such didn’t deserve to be paid, with some even urging the OP to make Ava pay for the vet:
“NTA.”
“Tell her you’ll pay her whatever is left of her fee AFTER the vet visit, provided your cat doesn’t need anything due to her injuries.”
“Daisy very easily could have been infected by FIV from a feral cat.”
“That’s the part that would terrify me.”
“Quite frankly, she’d be lucky if you didn’t sue her for the vet care if Daisy did contract a disease.”- NorthernLitUp
“NTA at all.”
“She’s lucky your cat didn’t get lost or worse.”
“I’m currently dog sitting to help my friend out.”
“As I’m not usually around dogs he’s given me a comprehensive list of Dos and Don’ts.”
“You bet I’m following that list to the letter because he knows his dog better than I do.”
“Although we’re getting on quite well.”
“She even took me for a walk earlier.”- Gemzanity
“NTA.”
“Stand your ground.”
“I’ve done some pet-sitting in my time for both cats and dogs and I can quite honestly say that if I f*cked up as bad as that girl f*cked up then I would never be asked again.”
“She THREW the cat outside to fend for itself because the cat was fussing too much because it hadn’t seen any human for hours.”
“Some cats are very greedy and won’t quiet until they’ve been fed.”
“This girl was young, and she acted her age by showing her inexperience.”
“I can imagine this girl’s thoughts – cats are cute, cats are no trouble, that’ll be easy money – only for the reality to bite her hard.”- skiveman
“NTA.”
“The cat was injured in her care because of her neglect, and she shouldn’t get paid.”
“I’d feel a little differently if she had called you because the cat got out and wanted to inform you of what was going on, but like, she straight up did not care about it.”- Lady-Faye
“She forgot she’d dumped the cat outside and left her out all night and only realized the next morning?”
“What the hell was she smoking?”
“The Vet bill alone will cost more than paying the sitter.”
“NTA.”– TheSecretIsMarmite
“NTA.”
“Small pets left outside overnight are often carried off and killed by coyotes.”
“She put your cat in SERIOUS danger.”- PumpkinSpiceTrauma
“NTA.”
“If it was due to Daisy escaping, then it would be different, but Ava put Daisy outside and then forgot about her until the next day!”
“That is no accident, she CHOSE to ignore what you had told her and put your kitty Daisy at risk.”
“She didn’t even tell you what she’s done, tried to lie about it to cover her stupid a**.”
“Thankfully, Daisy came home.”
“I wouldn’t pay Ava a single cent and if the vet trip costs more than what you had agreed to pay her, ask her for that!”
“You are only taking Daisy to the vet due to Ava’s incompetence in the 1st place!”
“Oh, and tell BIL to shut his pie hole, it’s partially his fault that he raised such an incompetent kid, who can’t follow basic instructions!”- Nanamoo2008
The OP later returned with an update, explaining why she didn’t plan on sending her vet bills to Ava, and sharing where things currently stood with her cat:
“To clarify a few things:
“1) Ava is not a family member of mine.”
“She is my BIL’s niece (technically step-niece, as his sister is Ava’s step-mother).”
“I do not consider her a niece or cousin of mine.”
“Family is not a factor here for me.”
“I didn’t know her at all and admit I should’ve been more cautious about hiring her.”
“BIL said she was a very good, responsible kid, and she had done some pet-sitting jobs before, so I thought everything would be fine.”
“Won’t be making that mistake again.”
“2) To those suggesting I still pay Ava, but dock the vet bills from her pay, if I do that it will result in her owing me.”
“I do not want to pursue legal action or try to get any money out of Ava.”
“I have told her and BIL this and expressed more than once that the best I will do is compromise and consider us square- I don’t pay her, she doesn’t pay any of Daisy’s vet bills.”
“3) I know results for certain things won’t be available/reliable, so soon, I will be doing follow-up appointments for further testing and assessments.”
Ava is lucky that Daisy came home with only a few scratches.
Even so, those few scratches could have easily been avoided had she simply listened to the OP’s instructions.
As the OP pointed out, not getting paid saves Ava OWING the OP money for the harm she caused Daisy.