My neighbor just e-mailed me and asked if I'd feed his new cat while he and his girlfriend are out of town. I have mixed feelings on this, because
A) This guy is the nicest neighbor a gal could ask for, and he helped me move a giant, old, disgusting blue chair out of my apartment last month. And I'm flattered that, with my outward appearance of a crazy slob, he would entrust to me his cat and his house keys.
but
B) I am not the most responsible person in the world. And I'm neurotic. So even if I was super careful with his keys, and managed to get out of his apartment without poisining the cat or destroying the furniture or knocking over the plant or locking the keys inside, I'd probably spend the whole weekend worried that I'd left the door open or written "bitch ass" across the wall in lipstick without realizing it or that I'd touched a pile of mail in such a way that they'd come home and say, "She went through all our stuff!" And I'd probably be so afraid of transferring a tropical kitty ailment to MY cat that I'd classify myself a level-3 biohazard and shower and burn my clothes after every encounter with the neighbor's cat.
So, what do you think, blogosphere? Am I so lame that I cannot handle feeding a cat for four days, or should I be honest with the neighbor? And if I'm honest with the neighbor, how do I tell them "no" without sounding either crazy or ungrateful?
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7 comments:
If even one of the things you mentioned is true, you need to back out gracefully.
Tell your neighbor that you have weekend plans and cannot help him. I don't think helping move a chair qualifies him to ask you to take care of his cat. That's too big a responsibility.
Good lord. Tell the neighbor you're going away for the weekend and can't.
Hi, Michele sent me :-)
just grow up and do it...
and being neurotic is not cool. just feed the cat. you will be fine, the cat will live and the neighbour happy...
I believe you could do it with total success. But what I believe is not so important as what you feel. If it doesn't feel right, then politely decline - give a fake answer if that seems to smooth things over for everyone - and then know that you did the best thing for you, your neighbor, and the cat.
feed the freaking cat.
Carli how 'bout trying the straight up direct approach and telling him everything you just told us.
30 bucks says he laughs and says "I'm willing to take the risk if you are!"
Maybe that would lessen the neurotic inclinations?
I like Sarch's suggestion!
Of course my brother was OCD so I understand a little of what you're feeling & would say it could be as difficult as you say!
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