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- Mar 10, 2012
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Ever wonder what your cats do when you're out of town and the pet sitter comes? When I pet sit, typically the cats or dogs meet me at the door. I always say hi to them and ask them how they're doing. I know they're probably hungry so I go straight to feed them. That usually takes a few minutes. If I am sitting a dog, I take them out on their walk.
When everyone is done eating, I like to pet the cats and that's when I get to know their personalities. It's also when I learn about their idiosyncrasies and if they need a nick name! For example, Yani ended up becoming Yansters, Ray-Ray I was called Roo, and Ray's brother Milo became Moo - I refered to them as Roo and Moo!
After petting and playing with the cats I will clean their litter boxes, eating areas and dishes they've used. Then it is time for some more play time. I always promise the kitties and dogs that I will come back tomorrow and I always make sure to tell them when their owners are coming home.
Sometimes my pet sitting experiences are really special. One of the cats I pet sit for, Olivia, always hides from me when I come. One time when I was sitting for her, I couldn't find her. I knew that she was around because I could hear the bell on her collar jingling. I followed the sound until it drew me to look up into the rafters of the ceiling. Olivia was in the rafters in the laundry room that followed all over the basement floor. I knew Olivia must be hungry since the other four cats would eat her food. So I flipped a bucket over and stood on top of it, so I could lift the bowl of food up for Olivia. I held the bowl of food for her while she ate. After a few visits of repeating the routine with the bucket and holding up the food, Oliva would very shyly appear around the corner and eat on the floor! It was such a good feeling to know that Olivia trusted me enough to be comfortable to eat while I was around.
Another excellent pet success story happened to me this past week. I have been pet sitting for Lovey for over a year now, and she always hid from me. For many times I never even saw her or knew what she looked like. I finally discovered that she was hiding under the bed. She is a dilute calico! I never knew that. On more recent pet sitting trips I would occasionally see her run from one hiding spot back to her safe zone under the bed.
Until this most recent pet sitting trip, I had never been able to pet Lovey. Then, this week when I came in she was not hiding. I slowly approached her and blinked at her to show her that I meant no harm. She blinked back at me and let her approach her. She was ready to run, but she let me pet her once and give her some treats. I was so surprised she even let me pet her. I was able to take a picture of her and was so excited to actually see her up close. The rest of the week while I petsat she showed up and let me pet her. She even purred. It was an excellent visit.
Pet sitting is a lot of hard work, but being able to pet a cat that had been so afraid of me, is so incredibly rewarding. I love pet sitting and it is the best job one can have.
When everyone is done eating, I like to pet the cats and that's when I get to know their personalities. It's also when I learn about their idiosyncrasies and if they need a nick name! For example, Yani ended up becoming Yansters, Ray-Ray I was called Roo, and Ray's brother Milo became Moo - I refered to them as Roo and Moo!
After petting and playing with the cats I will clean their litter boxes, eating areas and dishes they've used. Then it is time for some more play time. I always promise the kitties and dogs that I will come back tomorrow and I always make sure to tell them when their owners are coming home.
Sometimes my pet sitting experiences are really special. One of the cats I pet sit for, Olivia, always hides from me when I come. One time when I was sitting for her, I couldn't find her. I knew that she was around because I could hear the bell on her collar jingling. I followed the sound until it drew me to look up into the rafters of the ceiling. Olivia was in the rafters in the laundry room that followed all over the basement floor. I knew Olivia must be hungry since the other four cats would eat her food. So I flipped a bucket over and stood on top of it, so I could lift the bowl of food up for Olivia. I held the bowl of food for her while she ate. After a few visits of repeating the routine with the bucket and holding up the food, Oliva would very shyly appear around the corner and eat on the floor! It was such a good feeling to know that Olivia trusted me enough to be comfortable to eat while I was around.
Another excellent pet success story happened to me this past week. I have been pet sitting for Lovey for over a year now, and she always hid from me. For many times I never even saw her or knew what she looked like. I finally discovered that she was hiding under the bed. She is a dilute calico! I never knew that. On more recent pet sitting trips I would occasionally see her run from one hiding spot back to her safe zone under the bed.
Until this most recent pet sitting trip, I had never been able to pet Lovey. Then, this week when I came in she was not hiding. I slowly approached her and blinked at her to show her that I meant no harm. She blinked back at me and let her approach her. She was ready to run, but she let me pet her once and give her some treats. I was so surprised she even let me pet her. I was able to take a picture of her and was so excited to actually see her up close. The rest of the week while I petsat she showed up and let me pet her. She even purred. It was an excellent visit.
Pet sitting is a lot of hard work, but being able to pet a cat that had been so afraid of me, is so incredibly rewarding. I love pet sitting and it is the best job one can have.
We only had cats and birds after that. But I love animals, and agreed to help my coworker Genessa have peace of mind during her vacation by sleeping at her place to take care of her elderly dog Judy. 
