Why I Need a Vacation From Vacation

Friday has a nasty habit. He hates company. Anytime someone comes over he growls, hisses and once he even attacked my brother-in-law. Though you may come visit every day, he will not like you. He would faint dead away if a hamster attacked him but let a 200lb, 6’5” human male come in the door and he’ll square off and show fangs. Charming. Simply charming.

Thankfully, he’s not putting as much effort into his company-hatred as of late. Yet, his newfound ambivalent attitude did little to ease my mind while I was preparing for my recent vacation. Vacation means that “company” has to come into the house. He doesn’t care if they’re there to feed him. He can’t be made to like anyone. I worried that he would be uncooperative at best and lethal at worst.

Because our dog can be aggressive, we keep the cats separated when we’re not home. That alone doesn’t present much of a problem as Friday doesn’t mind being “wrangled” into the bedroom but he eats in the bathroom which is not connected to the bedroom. It’s an old house. I knew that twice a day Friday would have to be steered from bedroom to bathroom and back to bedroom. Two years ago, he spent my vacation shut in the bathroom, as he refused to come out and threatened to bleed the woman who was watching him. She put a litter box in the tub and a water bowl out for him and called it good. Naturally, he scattered litter everywhere and I was determined that he would cooperate this year.

I racked my brain. His sitter needed a way to move him without having to pick him up or on a bad day without even touching him! I finally struck on it! Tuna! Friday would follow Satan himself to the gates of hell at the mere promise of tuna. Feeling smart, I bought a couple cans and left the sitter a can opener and several little plastic bowls. Sure enough, one morning after breakfast, Friday decided wanted to sit in the dining room and watch the birds through the window. He promised to stay put for hours. But with a flick of the can opener he was front and center and not only was he willing to go back to the bedroom but he led the way!

Knowing I’ve figured out the trick to buying Friday’s cooperation for anyone, company included, makes me feel much better about my future travel. Since I spent so much time and energy prepping for a sitter I decided to offer you a list of tips from me, a professional pet sitter with nearly ten years of experience taking care of everything from hamsters to horses. Hopefully, your cats are better behaved than mine and you won’t have to go to tuna lengths!

When using a pet sitter be prepared:
Clean it up: Don’t leave a mess in litter boxes that calls for a back hoe to clean it out. Change it and leave fresh litter for your sitter. Likewise, wash water and food bowls before you leave. Your pets don’t like nasty dishes any more than you do and a good sitter will wash the bowls again before you come home.

Get organized: Sitters have limited time. Time spent looking for the cat food is time that could be spent socializing with your cats. Clearly describe where food is stored. If it’s stored at the back of the pantry slide it to the front for your trip. The same goes for litter scoops (you wouldn’t believe how many hours of my life are spent looking for these jewels. Where do you people put them?!) brushes, treats, can openers, medications or anything else you would like your sitter to use for your pets while you’re gone.

Medical info: If your pet is on medications, be sure to tell your sitter. Leave medicine where the sitter can find it but somewhere safe where your pet cannot chew into the container and accidentally overdose. If you hide the meds in treats or food leave everything your sitter could possibly need to get the pill from the packaging to your pet including: scissors, spoons, paper towels, etc.
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One More Web Link

Being a blond I sometimes miss the obvious. Ok, being blond probably isn't really an excuse for that but I'm running with it anyway.

On Tuesday, I published a list of cat friendly web sites and I left off the cat site I visit most often (besides this one.) TheCatSite.com is a fount of kitty info. My favorite section is the forum page where you can delve into an assortment of cat questions. I love reading about other people's problem cats. It makes me feel like Friday might not be so strange after all!

Check it out, ask cat questions maybe even answer a few. Just remember that no advice there, or here for that matter, can take the place of a vet's advice. That person with the screen name howtoholdacat? Yep, that's me! I hope to see you there.

Why Your Head Does Not a Cat Pillow Make

In case you never noticed, cats like a warm place to nap. They’re often spotted napping in a patch of sunlight or sleeping on top of laundry fresh from the dryer. Ordinarily, this is considered cute behavior and the Web is flooded with adorable pictures of cats sleeping in funny poses. However, it’s not so cute when at 2 A.M. your cat decides your head is the warmest place. How do you keep them off your face so you can get your beauty rest?

I’ve written before about Friday’s nighttime habits, but that was limited to play at night and did not discuss how I got him to be a good bed buddy. Once he decided that sleep was cool he began to sleep with me. On my head. We’d overcome his need to play at 4 A.M. but we hadn’t yet found a sleep pattern where I actually got to sleep. He literally would lie down on top of my head. It isn’t as cute as it sounds, trust me. If it wasn’t my head it was my rib cage which he would plaster himself to with amazing staying power. To get him off of me I had to wake and physically move him which really ruins a good night’s sleep.

After some trial and error, I learned a move which I call the Kitty Spatula that went a long way to keeping Friday off of me at night. I let Friday snuggle up wherever he wants when he first gets in bed: head, side, whatever. Then I read for about 20 minutes. While I’m reading, Friday begins to get sleepy. Once he’s good and soggy I slide one hand under his shoulders and the other under his hips and deposit him at the foot of the bed. If he’s sleepy enough and if I’ve moved him smoothly enough he’ll sleep there for the rest of the night. This arrangement works out very well as I read every night anyway.

Perhaps you’re not into reading (why are you here then?) or perhaps my method simply doesn’t work on your particular cat (I understand I’m wrong from time to time). The key to finding a solution you can live and sleep with is to create a sleeping environment for your cat that is more desirable than the one he created.

Try giving your cat his own bed. You can make one out of anything soft such as old towels or blankets or you can buy one such as this. Cats also like to lie on paper. Try putting out a few newspapers (in another room so you don’t hear crinkling) or if you don’t want newsprint on your hands a magazine or some scrap paper. Anything will do so long as your cat won’t shred it which is counterproductive since shredding paper is loud and will also wake you.

Remember cats like it warm, especially in winter. A favorite product is this heated cat bed. A sensor turns on a small heating unit when the cat puts weight in the bed. There are several varieties to choose from so you can find one to fit your cat’s needs. Just don’t try to substitute with a heating pad. These beds only come on when the cat is in them and a heating pad left on all the time is a fire hazard.

Finally, when you make a new bed for your cat sprinkle it with a bit of catnip. This will draw their interest and after 20 minutes of catnip, cats often become sleepy. Oh, look, there’s a new cool bed for them right there…

Good luck and remember cats are individuals so a bit of testing will be necessary to find the right solution for your furry friend.
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The Cat Friendly World Wide Web

The web is full of useless information. Occasionally, you run across a site that just happens to be funny or not quite as useless as others. Here are a few not so useless cat related sites that I dug up for you my devoted reader.

Weekend Warriors!
Summer is on the way (or if you live in the south like I do it's already here) and now is the time for Do-It-Yourself projects. Who says all your hard work has to be wasted on something that benefits you? Isn't it time you did something for your cat? Here are a few ideas from truly dedicated cat owners.


Build Your Own Cat Tree
Hey, cat trees are expensive. After all that top quality food you buy for your cats who has money left over for trees? I know my cats eat better than I do (Spaghetti O's are less than a buck a can) but is that enough for them? Heck no! They want to be able to climb to the ceiling and kamikaze each other from new heights.

If you want a tree for your kitties but don't want to take out a home equity loan to do it, check out PandEcats.com. Their step by step instructions will have your cat napping feet about your sofa in no time!

Build an Outdoor Enclosure
When fake trees aren't good enough, build this nifty enclosure so your kitty can enjoy the great outdoors (real trees and all) without the worry of predators, catnappers, automobiles and cooties (*actual enclosure does not prevent cooties.)

Mary Anne Miller of The CatSite.com will show you how to set up this outdoor enclosure for your cats. All you need are some 2x4's, chicken wire and, of course, cats. The site has great photos of their version but altering the enclosure to suit your (I mean your cat's) needs would be quite simple.

For the Non-Hammer Savvy
Not into tools? No problem! Cat Wallks has the coolest cat furniture around. It's a cat tree that hangs right on the wall. Customize it to suit your needs. Talk about a conversation piece. Cat Wallks lets your cats be your decor. No dusting needed! Framed art will be so passe after you install these kitty toys!

For the Broke and Lazy
Who says the internet has to be about work and spending money? Why not use it for it's original intent? Goofing off! For an overdose of adorable visit KittenWar.com where two cat pictures are pitted against one another in a battle to be the most cute. Vote on your favorite. Picture after picture brings you snuggly cuteness versus even more snuggly cuteness. It's engrossing so be ready to explain to your boss why that project you're "working on" is still in a pile on the corner of your desk before you click this link!

You've seen it here before and you'll probably see it here again. Stuff On My Cat is a fantastic web site where you can see what happens when good cat owners get bored. People submit picture of stuff they put on their cats. You'll see everything from pinatas to laundry baskets on top of these cats. The site is well organized and you can search the images categorically. It's a must see and a personal favorite.

The Internet Has Helpful Information?
A little known truth I recently uncovered is that there are some web sites dedicated to the betterment of the world. Two cat related sites are Animal Hubbub and Feral Cat Behavior.

Animal Hubbub is a slick site that discusses all things animals. Their For Felines Only page answers cat related questions (which you don't need because you already know the answers from reading my blog), discusses cat issues and features a plethora of cute cat pictures.

Feral Cat Behavior is a blog about one family's devotion to homeless and abandoned cats. Whether you have feral cats or not, learning about them can offer tremendous insight into cat behavior. If your cat is behaving strangely check out this blog (after you've read mine of course!) you might find the answers you're looking for.
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