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Friday, October 8, 2010

Busy, thankful weekend ahead.

Friday was an especially busy day as I had lots of keys to pick up for the holiday weekend and some of the homes were new clients (Oh...how I love new clients) so time was spent meeting the new cats and learning their schedule. I met two gorgeous cats, one black and one white and their little black doggy friend. After going over the cat's schedule and seeing where everything was,  the owner and I started chatting about the cats. It seems that at one time these two cats got along fine. Recently though, there are some 'potty issues' starting and the cats, all of a sudden,  are not seeing eye-to-eye. The black one has become very dominant and will go after the white cat to swipe and interrogate.
Interrogator
The owner is very distraught about this and, although I am sure they will be fine for a few days while they travel, the question is "should we find another home for one of them?" "One of them" being the black cat. Soooooo........we walked around and looked at all their things together. I noticed both litter boxes were beside each other in the basement (a nice basement) and their feeding stations were in two different rooms. I thought it was good to separate them at feeding time for now but I was concerned about the litter boxes. I suggested that they take one of them and place it on the first floor of the house or if preferred, the second floor. I thought that part of their peeing outside the box problem was because the white one probably did not want to be in a box when the black one approached. Also they were both using both boxes. Perhaps if they are separated they may choose one for themselves although they could still want to use both. I noticed they use pine clumping litter, "great", and she keeps it very clean.

The reason I am posting this is because I would love to hear some of your suggestions for these two cats, one is 6years (black) and one is 8 years (white). I would like to help this family so they do not have to find a new home for their beloved cat. They really do want to keep them both.

It's going to be a FUN weekend. In between Thanksgiving celebrations I will be very busy caring for some of the sweetest, most gorgeous felines on this planet of whom I am very thankful.
By the way, besides all my personal blessings I am also very thankful for all my blogging friends that I have made since last February. I have learned so much, met so many lovely families through pictures along with all your adorable cats and dogs. I learn new things every day and am in awe of some of your talents. I Am So Thankful for our Friendship.

Lily dresses up for company. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my Canadian friends and a fabulous weekend to all.


hugs, Deb

6 comments:

  1. The owners dilemna caught my attention because I have been asked the same questions from my pet sitting clients and I think your suggestion to put the litter boxes on different floors was a wonderful one. Another suggestion could be to completely change their litter box and perhaps invest in another type of cat litter (even though the kind they are using is great) or if they are using uncovered litter boxes to switch to covered or the other way around. I know cats do not appreciate scented litter so that could be another tactic to review with the owners. Perhaps one of them is marking the litter box as their own so I agree that the boxes should be separated. Do they use liners? I personally don't see the point of liners and I don't think cats like the slippery feel of them so I would suggest to have them removed.
    A client of mine had the same issue with his 2 cats and after doing the above things all is finally well between them!
    I hope the owners keep both of the cats so keep us posted!
    Great post! Thanks for asking for our opinions!

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  2. I had this problem when my younger cat Emily (the Calico from Hell) started attacking Charlie. WE had to separate them and their litter boxes. Our Vet is the one who suggested that Emily was ambushing Charlie(who is much older). It worked out. Unfortunately we lost Emily last summer!

    Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy all your new kitties!

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  3. I hope the problems with the kitties get figured out so that nobody has to leave their home! :(

    Your clients must have such piece of mind knowing that you Deb, such a loving and caring person is looking after their balls of fluff while they are away. It makes it so much easier to leave our furry friends at home when someone is peaking in on them. We are going to Calgary this weekend and my BFF is going to come every day to ensure Banjo has fresh water and his food, give him a combing and a cuddle, just so he doesn't think we have forgotten about him. This makes it so much easier to enjoy a little get-a-way! :)

    Have a fantastic weekend friend!
    xo Catherine

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  4. I hope the litter box changes help; thankfully, I've never had that problem...Enjoy Riley's first Thanksgiving, Deb!

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  5. I enjoy your blog so much Deb. I wish you were in my town so you could take care of my babies when I have to leave them for a weekend. As to the litter box problem, I had a similar situation with my Spunky. At three years old she suddenly became afraid of her to real sibs. The stress caused her to get a UTI and stop using the box because it hurt her to pee and she would also get ambushed. I treated the UTI with antibiotics and a change of diet (Royal Canin SO) and moved a separate litterbox upstairs. I also let her have her own room during the day while I am at work with food & box and the door closed. At night everybody is together while I am there to supervise. I also rub a drop of Bach's Rescue Remedy in her ear fur everyday for the soothing effect. Hope this helps your client.

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  6. I was fortunate not to have this problem when Gypsy entered Stimpy's world. But your comments seem like they make good sense.

    I send you happy Thanksgiving greetings from Michigan! Celebrate the harvest this beautiful day!

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