Somebody's gotta do it

Never a quiet moment for a busy cat-sitter.

While most Canadians celebrated this long weekend I spent the last week with stay-at-home cats and loved every minute.

Thought you may like to see them all....

GORD (converted feral)

Cutey-patuty Maggie.

Frank

Bud & Chase.

 Butch Pussy - this guy could be a stand up comic.

Didi & Emmi

Twinkle

Henry

Dominique

MOLLY

& BUD

Now take a moment to compose yourself
Nameless kitten (with dirty face) heading to her new home tomorrow

I almost pocketed this one.

Yes, it's been a busy weekend but HEY..somebody's gotta do it and it's not over yet. You know I love this.

Need a small vacation though so I'll be taking a break in September.

hugs, Deb 

Office candy & birthday promises

Do you think she's pretty? She's been around the block no doubt but I love the worn features on her. The top has been varnished and now to decide whether to varnish the rest. I probably will but not right away so I vacuumed and dusted her for now. The drawers are deep and will hold lots of items for my cat-sitting business. The files will be kept elsewhere and I'll show that later. The plastic file drawers are gone so I won't be snarling at them anymore.

It's much prettier in the office now. I picked these from my garden. Mason jars make wonderful vases....actually any attractive jar will do. 

 Do you keep a 'birthday book'? It's the only way I can remember special birthdays.


Speaking of birthdays,  Kane (our darling dog :) wants you to know we are good on our word and did take him for his birthday treat. He is now 11.

He hurries through the ice-cream so he can have his favorite part..the cone. Then we walked it off at one of his favorite spots. I'd say the birthday is over now...ok Kane......OK!


Today I start fresh with many new clients. One house has 3 which will be lots of fun and amusement. The others I have cared for before and am looking so forward to seeing them all again. 
Here is another photo of Gordon. I think he has become quite a 'hit' with my blogging friends. When I said 'good-night' to him last night he jumped up on his favorite chair and settled in for the night. 

What an enchanting little fella he turned out to be.

"Nite Gord"

I am going to miss him way too much but that goes with the job.


Hugs, Deb

Office accessory & "YIPPEE"

I'm quite smitten with my new office addition. I am still waiting for the last bit of varnish to dry but let me show you bits of her.

She's called a wash-stand and is approximately 100 years old.

Her hardware is original

She has very deep drawers

and a cute little cupboard

She's made of fine wood (pine, I do believe) Correct me if I'm wrong.

She is replacing plastic filing drawers (Ugh!)

and I just love having her here.

She makes me want to paint the whole room again.

She makes the room feel so cozy

Do you think NOW one of my cats will become the office cat? When she is all done I'll show her again.

Gord & I have become very close. He does not hide anymore and follows me everywhere. Even with all the insulin pokes he still gave up on being anti-social. Tomorrow his owners return. How I will miss this lovely 'ol guy who pretends he's crotchety and really he's just a PUSSYCAT. "Couldn't fool me, Gordo."

                                                           "GOT LUNCH?"


hugs, Gord's new friend

Three-legged Custer  (TLC) was adopted yesterday from our local animal shelter. This meant a lot to me after meeting him and seeing how he really needed to be in a home and exercised throughout the day to keep his muscles strong. What a beautiful cat he is and only 1 year old. I wish I could have hugged him before he left and whispered a sweet message in his ear.  "All the best to you, Custer. It was a privilege to meet you. Good luck, Buddy"

Riley time

It was Riley time today.

Off we went to Riverside Park in our little town to watch the Canada Geese and try not to step in their doo-doo. Holy.....they poop a lot.

I love to watch them as they go about their day

Carleton Place is such a pretty town

There were boats to watch, too.

Back at Riley's house, Ozzie took advantage of his friend being away and had a long snooze.

Off to visit Gordon and give him his meds. He doesn't hide on me anymore. We are buds!

hugs, Deb

Eat your blueberries.

I watched the news tonight and our NDP (New Democratic Party) leader, Jack Layton is fighting for his life. He has announced that he has cancer. He is taking time off to fight this disease. I think he is a good man and a strong party leader and my thoughts and prayers go to him and his family. 

Get Well, Jack

Two of the best cancer-fighting foods are blueberries and tomatoes. I have no trouble eating them but it's to remember to eat them often.  Another is broccoli. You either love it or hate it. I hope you are eating healthy and taking care of your body.
My little yellow VW cookie jar was a gift from my friend who passed away from cancer a year and a half ago. Her name was Christine and she was 52. I promised her I would learn all I could about keeping the body and soul healthy. I would exercise, eat from the earth, drink lots of water, fill my day with what makes me happy and dine on fresh blueberries.   I would stuff broccoli into every salad and casserole that I could. I would walk....oh boy, would I walk.
I really do believe Prevention is the best medicine, don't you?


"Have you had your blueberries today?"

hugs, Deb

Kane &Frank

First off, A big "Happy Birthday" to our dog, Kane. He is 11 years old today.
We have been celebrating his birthday already this month by taking him to favorite spots so today it will be an ice-cream cone and a few extra hugs. "We love you Kanie and hope for many more years with you"

Orange cats just make me smile.

They look like little clowns to me. Not sure why.

Frank is an 'ol fella who expects me to stay put and not leave until he is good and ready to release me.

He's a hard one to leave. I find I spend a lot more time with Frank than other cats but that's what you do when you are in my business. It's important to be able to read the cat and watch it's body language to give you an idea of how well it is doing on its' own. Tonight I sat on the kitchen floor and groomed Frank for what seemed like an hour. He was in heaven but then I think I owe that to him because he wants to go out and it has been raining so his leash and harness will have to wait. Poor Frank! Tomorrow is another day.

He is old, as I mentioned,  with a some-what fragile physique. Older cats sometimes do not drink enough water so water must be added to Frank's food. Even his treats have a bit of water added on top and he laps it up with gusto. 

I feel so privileged to care for the older cat. They are full of personality and  their little faces tell you the story of their life. Fortunately, most cats that I care for have had a very good life; a life full of love and respect. I love to watch their little habits surface as I get to know them and to listen to them purr in my arms. They are old souls and have such 'presence' in their home.

Frank's owners return tonight and I know he will be so happy to see them. He will have bed-buddies again and fall back into his normal routine which is so important to a cat of his age. 

I hope to care for Frank again....maybe in his 18th year. I reminded him today as I kissed him 'good-bye' that my Ginny lived for 24 years and that I expect him to do the same. I think I saw a grin on that little clown face.

So what's on your to-do list today? I'll be making Eggplant Parmesan (see recipe at My Farmhouse Kitchen http://myfarmhousekitchen.blogspot.com/)for tomorrow's dinner (main course for me...side dish for Gary) and since my new washstand is now sanded down on the top and varnished it will be finding a new home in my office. Can't wait to show you. Plastic be gone!


Lily wants you to know I trimmed her nails today and she's not speaking to me.

hugs, Deb  

Wordless Wednesday

hugs, Deb

Introducing a new cat to the resident cat

"SIERRA.....are you on the dining-room table again?"

"Oh crap!"

"NO, I'm not"


Although she doesn't fool me and does like to sprawl out on my tables,  Sierra is a GOOD cat. She is clean about herself and the litter-box, eats everything in her bowl (never a crumb left) and mostly, she lives quite happily with any cat that happens by. I feel she is just a very confident little gal.
You cannot say this for every cat.
This time of year adoptions are very slow at animal shelters.

The Lanark Animal Shelter in Smiths Falls, Ont. The cats have playrooms.

Mostly because people are busy and travelling or entertaining company and do not have time to integrate a cat into their household.
Come September,  the adoptions will go up and many people will be wondering how to introduce a new cat to the resident cat.
Here are a few tips from someone who really does believe that baby-steps need to be taken.
First, put the new cat in a room of its' own.
Give your resident cat time to get used to something being on the other side of the door.
Then rub down each cat with a sock. Be sure to rub around the cheeks where the scent glands are.
Put the opposite sock with the cats to watch the reaction of each cat.
Once they stop hissing (or they may not) from smelling the sock then switch rooms. Put the new cat in the room that the resident cat was in and the resident cat goes into the room where the new cat came out of. Let them roam around a bit getting used to each other's scent.

Think of it this way. If a person was to arrive at your home that you had never met would you feel more comfortable knowing something about this person before they arrive? Wouldn't you have lots of questions? Once being informed about this person would you not feel more comfortable once you meet? It is the same for the animals.

Before introducing them have on hand some treats and toys. There most likely will be some hissing so be prepared for that. Give the resident cat more attention and keep your eyes on that one mostly. If it looks like there will be an attack you should immediately put the new cat back into its' room and wait for another day to try this. This could take awhile so take your time with it. It could be up to a month or so before the cats can be left in a room unsupervised or you might be lucky and they like each other immediately. Remember....baby steps.

hugs, Deb

Goings-on with Gordon

Gordon is a thinker and he's been around the block.

I was on the road by 7:30 this morning. Lots of cats to serve breakfast to. My new friend, Gordon was at the top of the list. He needs insulin so the timing is important. I usually leave my cat clients to show you on Fridays but there have been so many lately that you'll see them pop up on any given day for awhile.We have become friends, Gord and I. He only half hides now. Just the front half.

 That tells me a lot. Plus I don't have to sit beside him and sweet talk him to come out. I just yell "Hey Gord" as I come in and he saunters out of his pretty lame hiding spot and joins me in the kitchen. We have come a long way in 4 days. That face had me at "Hello"
Now if only I could open the door for him I would be his bestest friend forever but It ain't gonna happen. "Sorry Gordo"

Isn't he just a darling. He is 17 years old and was once a feral which explains a lot to me.

He wants out but I have been given orders to keep him in.
Although frustrated with my lack of 'gettin' it', he is still a pretty happy guy now. We even played with his toys today. He has a whole box of them but I know his favorite toy is the next victim outside. :(

"I still want out!"


hugs, Deb