Complaint about a Guest

[Muiris0]

I am having an issue with a guest. I have two cats, listed in my profile. They are house cats, and have a litter box in the sitting room. this is cleaned out daily, is covered and has a filter on top. My current guest has complained several times about the "smell" coming from the litter tray. I apologised the first time and explained that it is cleaned daily, and we will always keep on top of this. My sister was visiting two days later, and I get a text from my sister while I am at work, saying that the guest complained to her about the smell again, and my sister had basically said she could not smell anything! With this, I messaged the guest and explained again that I cannot be responsible for the cats litter tray 24/7, that I was sorry, but we can only do so much, and clean it daily. 

The guest replied and basically said what about the ventilation? I responded and said that I could not leave the windows open all day, but this is probably a factor. My problem is that she has no issue with the cats, or at least she says that, but seems to not understand that they are animals and their defecation does create a little smell. I think that the guest is going to leave  a negative review, and moreover, she is making me feel uncomfortable about the situation and having to explain to her something that she should assume, as it is common sense. Am I wrong? I fee like she didn't realise we had cats, and is now taking it out on us?

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

There will always be a cat odor when cats are around. Cat owners get used to it and can't really smell it, but others will notice it right away. No amount of cleaning the litter box is going to help. Best bet is to be very clear right up front that there are cats and that the listing is suggested for cat people only.

[Amir-Homayoon0]

I can not agree more. Being upfront about it as Ed & Hugh said is a good idea in future but in this situation, I suggest to realize their point and work with him rather than confronting him in any shape or form.

Just my two cents 🙂

[Muiris0]

Thanks Guys!

I agree, and we were as upfront as possible! We even list a picture od the cats in our profile!

It's just very frustrating when people are not understanding of animals!

[Lisa7]

@Muiris0 You're not wrong. However...

You might want to make an extra effort for this guest and move the litter box into your bedroom for the duration of the guest's stay. Emphasize to the guest that you didn't realize that this was an issue and you've hopefully resolved the problem now. Then go out of your way to make them happy, maybe with a treat or a dessert.

Some people just are more picky. Try to be as accommodating as possible. 

And please let us know how you get on!!

[Muiris0]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your advice! It really isn't an option to move the litter to my bedroom, the cats are jot allowed anywhere apart from the living room, so the hallway, bathroom and bedrooms are off limits to them, something I am actually quite strict on, and I think it's quite nice for the guests to know that the animals will not bother them in their room etc.

We have gone above and beyond already, the guest is a violinist and we let her play all day long, my partner gave her a gift bag with loads of make up products. I told her that anything in the fridge or presses, she could have, including wine and beer. I don't think I'm being unreasonable, and apart from this one issue, the guest is very pleasant and well mannered. I'm at a bit of a loss tbh.

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

Have a friend that as cats at home in an Airbnb listing. She just as a picture of the cats literally saying "We cats at home". Use a photo in the listing it could prevent for the next guest bad review that won't be good to you.

[Wendy-and-Markus0]

@Muiris-

Here is another perspective.

Even though you state there is a cat who lives onsite, as a guest, I would not expect to have the litter box located in a common area such as the living room. Reading through your listing, I didn't read anything specifying that would let me know your cat is limited to the living room and therefore that is where the litter box is located. Due to this reason, I could see how your guest may have had a problem with it.

Honestly, I would highly consider relocating the litter box to a location such as your personal bathroom so the odor inconvenience is minimized to any future guests. You can ask your guest to keep their bedroom door closed so the cat doesn't go into their room.

[Michelle140]

Sigh. I came on here to vent about this exact thing. I state clearly in my listing that I have cats and there are litter boxes around (that I clean multiple times a day). I just added stating specifically that they are not hidden in closets or bathrooms. People keep on coming and commenting in their review about the odor and reflecting in the cleanliness star rating. I don't know what more I can do other than clean the box multiple times a day. For short term guests, I have glade plug-ins the whole time. My last guest was long, 15 days, and I can't leave the plug-in for that long, as it gets too strong. I told him that he could plug any of them back in if he ever wanted, and that he could cover any poop up if I was not home (that generally stops the smell near 100%). It gets really frustrating when guests don't say anything to you during their stay, you think everything is great, and then they do poor star ratings or make disappointing comments in their reviews... =( I am considering making this a bigger deal in my listing somewhere, that they need to realize that there may be odors if I'm not home to clean it, guests are welcome to cover anything not buried to stop the smell, and making a request for people to not come if they think it will bother them, and to please not reflect cat litter smells in their ratings, but I feel that would come across too harshly and I'd get no one else, ha.