Back in California

We got back in California a few days ago, and let me tell you. This kitty did not miss the heat! She has been so lazy and hot the past few days, I've been trying everything I can to help her out.

Night Patrol

Suki sits here at night and watches for her frenemy, the black and white cat who sort of lives next door / everywhere and sits on top of my car at night.

Cat Sitting

Suki does not enjoy being left behind, but that doesn't mean she never is. Leaving your beloved pet with someone else is not only confusing for the animal, but it can also be nerve wracking for you too. What if someone accidentally lets your cat out? What if they forget to feed him/her? What if my cat thinks I have abandoned him/her? I'm always nervous when I leave Suki in the hands of someone else, but with a little preparation and a lot of comunciation with your cat sitter, i've gotten a lot more comfortable with it.

Preparation

Before you go, you need to have enough wet food and/or dry food to last your cat while you are gone, and a few days extra just in case your return is postponed for any reason. If you don't leave enough food, you're relying on someone else to go out and get it for you - which is not only really inconsiderate, but also - they are probably just going to buy cheap food  (that is loaded with unhealthy byproducts) from the closest store possible.

Another important thing to take into consideration is giving your cat flea meds before you leave. The last thing you want is to come home and find tapeworm egg casings. Not only are they disgusting, but you don't want your cat sitter (who may not even notice) to have to deal with that. Especially make sure your cat has had flea meds if your cat sitter has cats at home who have fleas. They can travel in on the cat sitter and get on your cat, who could then eat them while grooming, and get tape worms. Yuck.

Communication

Whenever I leave the Suk and have someone checking in on her, I probably text that person every other day. Just getting a quick confirmation of "She's fine" makes a huge difference if you are worrying. It might be a good idea to ask your cat sitter to shoot you a short quick text every time they go over, just to calm your fears or worries.

Instructions

Everyone is different, but I've got a few basic rules for anyone taking care of Suki. I do this because I want to minimize any possible risk of accident, injury, etc. I've put together a one-page sheet that you can fill out and leave for your cat sitter that covers most of the basics. You can fill in your own directions in certain areas.

Click here to download my one-page Cat Sitting Instructions sheet!



Am I missing anything? Leave a comment below with your advice relating to cat sitting!

Pillow Sharing

Sometimes we share a pillow.

Midnight Cat Snack

When I first got Suki, she almost seemed nocturnal. The first night I had her home, I had to lock actually her in the walk in closet so that I could get a few hours of sleep. (I found kitten Suki curdled up in the laundry basket the next day. It was adorable.) Up until just a few months ago, Suki would run around, bite my feet, use my body as a landing pad, literally meow in my face and lick my arms, all while I was sleeping. It was incredibly annoying, and for a while I had to lock her out of the bedroom at night.

The past few months I tried out a few things to see if I could alter her sleep schedule. In the evenings I try to prevent Suki from napping. I don't care if she naps during the day but between the hours of 7pm-12am, I try to keep her from catching any Z's. I'm not sure if this has had any effect over how long she sleeps at night but it has to help.

The other thing I've been doing is feeding Suki wet food right before I want to go to sleep. She wolfs it down in like a second because it's her favorite thing ever, and then she's really exhausted. She then climbs up into her cat condo to the very top, and sleeps through the night. I wake up in the morning and she is in the exact same spot and position. Once she hears me waking up she stretches, yawns, and then follows me meowing until I feed her some wet food!

Does your cat sleep through the night?

Kitty Dreams

Awww

Peacock Feathers - Best Cat Toy Ever

I bought Suki another peacock feather the other day from a Dragons, Crystals, & Katanas type store for only $1. She tore apart our first one after about 6 months of rough play with it. Suki loves peacock feathers because they are long and billowy, and also smells like a bird. I have to actually hide it out of view and reach from her when we are done playing with it so that she doesn't destroy it. She would tear it up if I left it out.

Peacock Feathers are a great cheap cat toy if you can find any weird stores in your area that carry them! If you have seen them for sale online, please leave a link in the comments! Thanks!