As you may have read before, I also work as a cat sitter.
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 the series of posts I’ll 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: a case of mistaken identity
I sometimes cover for colleagues when they are away and it’s not aleays possible to meet clients and their cats beforehand. However, we brief each other about the cats and their needs. On one occasion though, we had not briefed each other about what the cat looks like…
I went in to visit Stevie. Some rooms are off limits for him but he can come inside or go out as and when he pleases. So I wasn’t too surprised not to see him inside and opened the door to go into the garden. Sure enough, “Stevie” soon approached me and wanted lots of fuss and cuddles and breakfast of course.
As I walked into the house again I heard meows coming from somewhere, but not from “Stevie”. I listened carefully and they seemed to come from behind one particular door to a room that was off limits when the client was away. Guess where Stevie had spent the night? He ran into the garden as soon as I let him out of the room only to go and lie down next to “Stevie”. Turned out Stevie and his imposter were besties!
As you may have read before, I also work as a cat sitter.
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 the series of posts I’ll 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: the cat version of Eastenders
Cats are sometimes quite literally the talk of the neighbourhood!
Jinxy is one such example. She is quite a vocal cat, always meowing for attention.
I was looking after her when I received a text from a friend who lives in the same street. The neighbours had been chatting about a cat that seemed lost and was meowing a lot. My friend wondered if I knew the cat. I said, yes that’s Jinxy and she’s not lost and she is also being fed and cuddled.
Well, the neighbours weren’t too sure as she stayed in a garden at the end of the road for quote a long time and was very vocal (did I mention she’s a chatty one?)
I’ve known Jinxy for several years and she was fine when I saw her on the morning, but still. Things happen so I thought it better to go round and check on her on my way home.
Sure enough when I arrived Jinxy was no longer on the garden at the end of the road, but people thought she’d gone into someone else’s garden. No, not there either. I went to Jinxy’s home and guess who was not lost after all? She was quite happily snoozing in her own home.
She’s been the talk of the neighbourhood on various occasions since then. Somehow I suspect she’s loving the attention…
As you may have read before, I also work as a cat sitter.
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 the series of posts I’ll 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: kittens! Who doesn’t love kittens?! But they come with challenges too. They need far more entertainment to keep them happy and kittenproofing the home is not easy. After all, what was impossible for the kitten yesterday is suddenly possible. Jumping on kitchen worktops for example. Sometimes what was possible yesterday is suddenly no longer possible, such as crawling underneath the sofa without getting stuck.
Kittens are curious and they will try almost everything. Knocking over plants, chewing plants, eating rubber bands or plastic or even their litter, cotton buds are great toys / chews as well, your sofa is the ideal scratching post, the list goes on and on. So yes, raising a kitten is hard work. Good thing it is a lot of fun too 🙂
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 the series of posts I’ll 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, I’d like to share some stories about other animals visiting (or living in) the house of a client. And I’m not talking about the dead, half dead, or remains of mice the cats have brought home…
Although I actually did once encounter a mouse inside the home that was very much alive. The cat was initially very curious about a certain corner in the room, but then sat down next to me. Imagine my surprise when a mouse appeared and started walking along the wall towards the door! I decided to leave the cat to open the door so the mouse could escape. On my way back to the sofa I had to walk past the mouse, by then it had made decent progress towards the door. The terrified mouse squealed and my heart sank. I was certain the cat would come running. Actually, she stayed on the sofa and the mouse made it out the door 🙂
Bye bye mousey
Cats with outdoor access are sure to bring home a surprise every now and then, but not usually while I am there. However, once Isla came walking through the cat flap carrying a bird she’d just caught! She was so proud and made noises to announce she was on her way with prey (you’ll know what I’m talking about if your cat has ever brought home prey). And she was quick too: she’d only left the house a few minutes prior! Now, you should know that Isla is not an only cat… Even if her brother is not a voracious hunter, he was obviously very interested in this possibly very happy meal. As Isla came in she let go of the bird. Well, what ensued were a few minutes of craziness. Cats running, jumping and chattering, the bird flying around trying to get away and I stood in the middle of it all. Things calmed down when the bird sat down on a high shelf. I somehow managed to distract the cats and get them out of the house. I let the bird calm down for a bit and made sure the cats had left before opening the door so it could fly away and find a safer home!
Like butter wouldn’t melt…
Yummy!
Is it safe again?
Sometimes clients adopt another cat and there is no time for me to meet the new addition before my visits start. That is all right. If I already know the house and the other cat(s) then the new cat often quickly adjusts to having me around. I was once scheduled to visit two cats I’d known for some time. The owner told me she’d recently adopted a third one, a male cat. He’d spend most of his time outdoors, but would come in for meals and to sit on the sofa. She said she’d leave a picture of him on the table so I knew what he looked like. Great! As soon as I walked in I saw the new cat on the sofa. He lifted his head and then went back to snoozing. I was surprised that this cat was a boy, because it looked more like a girl, but then, I hadn’t seen the backside 😉 I started reading the note the client left behind and turned the page to look at the picture. Needless to say that this new cat looked nothing like the picture! Yes, it was an uninvited guest making themselves at home. As it turns out she (yes indeed) was a neighbour’s cat but she often frequented other people’s house looking for food…
Is she gone yet?
Can I come in again?
To prevent unwanted cats coming into your home, get a microchip operated catflap 😉
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 the series of posts I’ll 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 😉
On a nice, sunny day many cats enjoy spending time outdoors. When cats have outdoor access via a cat flap they may decide to stay out rather than have cuddles with the cat sitter. This is England, after all. It might well rain again the following day!
However, when cats do not have outdoor access they usually come and greet us. Sometimes they are snoozing somewhere nice and cosy, but at least we see them. Although….
Some cats seem to enjoy a game of hide-and-seek. I know they are inside because they did not leave when I opened the door, but where are they??? I’m not talking about hiding under the bed, sofa, or on dining chairs, all well-known hiding spots. Some of my clients’ cats have hiding places that I still don’t know about! One meows to attract my attention and is quiet when I walk through the room looking for him. However, as soon as I leave the room he meows again. He must be having fun watching me trying to find him 😉
Another cat likes to sit inside cupboards. A telltale sign is of course an open cupboard door. Except when he opens it slightly, squeezes through and then the door closes behind them. It’s a good thing hisowtold me that’s what he does or it would have taken me ages to find him!
Some cats are so nervous around strangers that they rarely show themselves. I always feel for those cats. Luckily this is very unusual, but it does happen sometimes. Most owners know when their cats are nervous around visitors so they will warn the cat sitter before visits. All I can do is wait patiently and hope they decide to come out and this has worked – eventually – on several occasions.
Another favourite hiding place: on top of the kitchen cupboards.
Happy cats 