If you have pets, you may have found yourself in a position where you need to ask someone you trust to check in on them while you're away from home - whether that's a neighbour, a close friend, or a family member.
But one woman who agreed to look after her neighbour's cat is beginning to understand just how much responsibility it is to look after someone's pet for them after she managed to lose the moggy when it didn't come back home.
The woman said her job involved feeding the cat in the morning and then letting it outside, where it would stay until the evening when she came home from work and called it back inside her neighbour's house.
And while the first two nights saw the cat return home at around midnight, the third night was different - as the feline seemingly went missing and would not come back when called.
The woman said she ended up calling for the cat until 3 am, but just "couldn't stay awake" any longer so called it a night without seeing the cat come home safely. And the next morning, the moggy was still missing.
In a post on BabyCentre, the mum wrote: "I am cat sitting my neighbour's cat, letting it out and feeding it in the morning and then calling it in at night. The first night, I called it every hour from 8 pm and it stayed out until 12:30 and finally came in. The second night it was out until 12 and came in …
"Last night I called it and called it every hour from 8 pm - 3 am and it didn't come back! I eventually admitted defeat and went to sleep. I usually go to bed by 10:30 as have work and the school run, so it's been a bit of a pain but after 3 am I just couldn't stay awake anymore! It hasn't been back this morning, I called for it at 7 am and now I'm so worried."
The woman then asked if she should wait to see if the cat returns during the day, or if she should tell her neighbours what has happened as soon as possible.
Commenters on the post were quick to reassure the mum that she'd done nothing wrong, as many of them said it's almost impossible to call a cat in, and the home should have a cat flap to allow the feline to come and go as it pleases.
One person said: "They should have a cat flap. To expect you to stay up all night waiting for the cat to come back wouldn't be reasonable at all. I'd call and let them know the situation but there's not much you can really do about it. My last cat didn’t come home for days at a time occasionally."
While another added: "You can't call a cat in. If that's what they've asked you to do that's very unfair. They should have a cat flap."
And a third wrote: "I presume you get on well with your neighbours, so I don't think a text would hurt to put them in the picture. They may well tell you not to worry and that the car does this sometimes. I would shout to the cat when you go to bed if you like but then leave it. They'll come back. Cats do their own thing, the little buggers. I bet it's grumpy the owners are away."
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