IF the owners are like this w/ their pets then I'd not be terribly optimistic about how they'll be with setting limits/boundaries/rules for the kid either.

I agree w/ ppl who said to consider whether you want to stay in the job longterm. I'm a pet lover and consider the way people treat their animals an extremely significant indicator of how they treat people, interact, handle themselves etc... I'm not sure I'd want to work for this MB.

In the interim though, teach the kid how to deal w/ animals, always leave the cats an escape route, and do what you need to do during the day to feel comfortable.

Sounds like a pain to me. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wow, swing that nanny door for the sake of the pet? Pet takes priority over the child. I didn't know this could be for real.

No, but the pet is a family member and therefore takes priority over the nanny. A family with pets should only employ animal lovers, because their kids need to learn how to interact with animals. (Leave escape route, dont touch animal that doesnt want to be touched, etc.)

I am the OP anf I want to clarify that I -am- an animal lover. Grew up with cats, dogs, rabbits and fish, so I get how to socialize pets. The problem is that MB is NOT socializing them. She treats them like spoiled children rather than like animals with different needs and instincts from humans, and THAT is what makes the situation so dangerous. This is not a matter of me no liking the cats.

OP I'm an animal lover too. I have two huge dogs and have grown up around cats and dogs (I even volunteer at the Humane Society, seriously I love dogs). All of that being said, if I felt an animal was a risk to my charges, they would not be spending the day out around us. If the parents want to work on socializing their animals, they need to do it on their own time at this point. You should not be responsible if some harm would come to the kids. I'd have a chat with MB/DB and let them know you are just not comfortable with the cat's behavior around the kids and you are concerned for their safety. Then tell them until the cat (cats, right?) you are not ok with having them free in the house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wow, swing that nanny door for the sake of the pet? Pet takes priority over the child. I didn't know this could be for real.

No, but the pet is a family member and therefore takes priority over the nanny. A family with pets should only employ animal lovers, because their kids need to learn how to interact with animals. (Leave escape route, dont touch animal that doesnt want to be touched, etc.)

I am the OP anf I want to clarify that I -am- an animal lover. Grew up with cats, dogs, rabbits and fish, so I get how to socialize pets. The problem is that MB is NOT socializing them. She treats them like spoiled children rather than like animals with different needs and instincts from humans, and THAT is what makes the situation so dangerous. This is not a matter of me no liking the cats.