Tag: cats

Besides being a cat behaviourist I work as a cat sitter as well.

People ask me whether I just feed and clean litter trays all day. Well, yes and no. I mean I do feed cats and clean litter trays, but there’s much more to it.
In this series of posts I share some anecdotes from my life as a cat sitter. I promise these stories are all true, though the cat’s names have sometimes been changed to protect their identity 😉

Today: multi-cat households

Quite a few people have two cats. Often siblings but sometimes completely unrelated. Some of them get along very well; others try and spend as little time together as possible. If the cats in the latter group live in a large enough house or have outdoor access then there usually aren’t too many problems. Each cat will have its own territory and a shared space for mealtimes, for example.
Today a few couples who luckily get along quite well.

First up the best mother-daughter duo I know: Lyra & Sooty. Lyra tends to eat her daughter’s food if they are not kept separated during mealtimes… But then, if Sooty is not yet finished that means more TLC for Lyra (who absolutely loves attention).

After all necessities (food, water, litter trays) it is time for their favourite game! These guys have various things to play with: boxes, activity feeders, kicking toys, balls, a laser pen, a play circuit, but none of these is quite as good as….. a proper riding whip! They love jumping up to get it, chasing it across the floor or chasing it underneath the rustling papers. They love it so much that they both want to play with the whip at the same time… Refereeing skills are essential here 🙂

Next couple are brother and sister Zeus & Belle. These two genuinely love each other.
Need more proof?

These two are so sweet! They take turns sitting in my lap. They generally want to play with the fishing rod toys or laser pointer. It’s best to have two toys and use both hands because they don’t share toys!
These two are normally in the same room during the day, but when I stay overnight Belle likes to sleep next to me whereas Zeus prefers his own bed. In the morning Belle will walk up to my face and paw at the duvet while Zeus will be meowing loudly downstairs: no need for an alarm clock 😉

Next time a few ‘golden oldies’

Besides being a cat behaviourist I work as a cat sitter as well.

People ask me whether I just feed and clean litter trays all day. Well, yes and no. I mean I do feed cats and clean litter trays, but there’s much more to it.
In this series of posts I share some anecdotes from my life as a cat sitter. I promise these stories are all true, though the cat’s names have sometimes been changed to protect their identity 😉

Today: Buddy and Gandalf

Buddy is a sweet old guy. I’ve been his cat sitter for several years now. He was recently diagnosed with kidney disease so timing of my visits is important as he needs medication every day.
Some cats can be a little tricky with pills, but not this guy! He’s practically begging for me to give him his pill 🙂 For those of you whose cats are tricky: try the pill pocket (although it only worked once with Dirk, the second time he refused to eat it).

After feeding, medication and litter tray cleaning it’s time to relax together and listen to the calming cat music playing in the background. I’m certainly feeling very zen when I leave.

My next guy is a teenage boy named Gandalf. He used to sleep on my arm and nuzzle my neck, but the hormones are kicking in and cuddling is not cool. Ever since he figured out how to open the sliding door he’s waiting for me in the hallway instead of the living room 🙂

I love Gandalf. He loves all sorts of toys. He likes giving any of his stuffed animals a good kicking and chasing the infamous “red dot” of the laser pen. In fact, I’ve never seen a cat jump so high up on the wall trying to reach it!

Next time: fun with kittens!