Directions for the Kitty Sitter

[NoahsMommy]

How funny is this? My best friend (we are eachothers kitty sitters) is watching the furkids from this Thursday until next Tuesday (Eeek! I've never been gone this long away from them! ). I typed up directions for the cats and when I finally finished, I had to laugh at how long it is...check this out:

Hello Auntie Kim!!

THANK YOU so much for watching us while our MEAN parents desert us for 6 LOOOOOOONNNNGG days! Here is what we require for our happiness:

Noah and Noel eat from bowls on the computer desk in the den. They each get two scoops of Max Cat (darker orange bag) in their bowls a day.

Basil gets two scoops of Max Kitten (lighter orange bag) in his bowl a day. His bowl is under the desk…against the wall….where you put your feet. You’ll have to kneel down low to see it.

Basil is also on meds right now for conjunctivitis…he is taking the Amoxicillin in the fridge. He won’t take it alone, so I give him a small bowl with about a tablespoon of milk and .5 ml of the medicine (put meds in first, then milk). He needs to take it until Monday, Oct. 1st. I wont give it to him on Thursday, so please start that day.

Please, please keep the desk chair far away from the desk because Basil has learned to climb up and eat the Cat food and chokes. Not fun.

Treats: Noel and Noah can have three a day…Basil can have one, broken into three small pieces a day.

Please fill the water fountain daily….they drink a ton of water. Especially if it’s warm outside.

Litter box fun…please scoop it daily (if you don’t mind). Just use the plastic bags on the table and put it in the empty plastic “Fresh Step” box on the balcony.

Would you mind watering my plants for me too? Just fill the watering can twice and water every other day (or more if its hot out). We’ll water on Thursday before we leave.

Some anal cat-mommy things (Thank goodness you understand ):

ö When you come over, would you mind playing a bit with them? They all LOVE the wand that has the rainbow felt as well as the feather sticks. Basil LOVES the green feather that fell off one of those sticks.

ö We keep the den window open, as well as the window in our bedroom open (window cat bed). If it gets really hot, can you close them and turn the air on?

ö We’ll keep a light on and maybe the TV as well…just for sound.

ö We’ll keep the blinds in the den & sliding glass door open, but the blinds in the bedroom and living room closed.

ö Steer clear of Noah….just ignore him physically. (Not that I even have to tell YOU that!) He loves being talked to and you may even win him over with some treats. I think he’ll get used to you after awhile. He loves playtime too…so he may end up being your best friend after awhile.

Vet information:
Newbury Park Vet Clinic
(805) 498-3684
1536a Newbury Rd (Behind that liquor store, next to “In & Out” and the post office)
**Everything is under Cotte**

Our numbers:
David’s cell phone is best: (000) 000-0000
Brett & Christie’s (where we’ll be staying Thursday-Sunday): (000) 000-0000
**I’ll call and give you the hotel number for Sunday-Tuesday**

Thank you SO much for doing this for us!! We’ll be back on Tuesday, October 2nd.

Hug and kiss my furries for me! I’ll miss them SOOOOO much!!!

[margaret]

That's really very funny, but also SO cute and you can tell how from reading it how much you love your furkids! I work for a pet-sitting company on weekends, and let me assure you that notes/directions like yours are pretty much the norm. People know their cats so well and they want to make sure that all their needs -- practical, emotional, physical, etc. -- are met! Don't want to miss anything or leave anything out! And I know that when *I* have had someone watch my own two cats my directions have been just as long and detailed as yours! Maybe mine aren't quite as humorous, though! Thanks for sharing!

[kitten645]

Those instuctions sound like mine! One of the first time I dogsat for my sister she had six sheets of instructions! My favorite one was:
"Scruffy loves McDonalds. He prefers the Quarter pounders. If you are feeding him at home he loves Quarter pounders with whipped cream on them. He also loves whipped cream but not on his cereal."
I about died laughing at all the minut details about Scruffies likes and dislikes. Could have been used to find him a girlfriend!

[wolflady]

That is GREAT!!! I love love love it!! Those are definitely 3 spoiled furkids! How nice it is to have a friend be able to look after them for you while you're on vacation! It really offers peace of mind while you're away, that someone you trust is looking after your animals. That's my trouble when I go away...because I don't know anyone that lives close enough or a pet sitter in the area that I could use when I travel.
**hugs** to you and lots of scritchies for your 3 babies!

[Edwina's Secretary]

The directions my parents have for anyone taking care of their dog include when you are suppose to say..."Go tinkey-winkey."

[toughCookie]

oh LOL LOL as soon as I started reading it, I laughed, because that is exactly how I am. before I had cats, I had so many plants, with a note by each group and just the right size glass to water them. some take more light, others more water etc. !!!
I hardly pay attention to what plants I have left now!
last year when I went to Phoenix for a few days, I had just 2 cats, and oh, you would have thought I was leaving for a month! I left the vet phone and address, and the after hours emergency vet name and address, phone. the number where I was with room number, cell phone number!! the directions were pretty easy, at that time there were no sick cats, and no problem with them getting along! but I had to set everything out, to make sure there was enough food and water, I left water bottles out and extra food bowls with lids, so the neighbor just had to uncover them if the last one was empty. and I had 3 places where food/water was, plus a 4th where just a fountain is at, and I left more water bottles there. I had 3 or 4 litter boxes thru the house, instead of the usual (at that time) 2 ! and of course I called her after being gone for a day, then again on the day I was coming home. LOL.this years reunion, was in Tucson so I didn't need a sitter. next year is something else, I don't know what I will do with them, am already worrying! and I have so much more to worry about now!

well at least your friend understands , if she has cats

[Fuzzy317]

Those sound a bit like the instructions for our cats.

Of course, in our house, we would have half a page for cat instructions, and a whole page (perhaps more) for our dogs. Our foster's needs (named Asgrim) would take most of a page, and the page filled up about the other dogs.

[Vermontcat]

That is really great, you can tell you love your 3 kitties very much!
I am going to PM you about one small detail you forgot ok.

[Former User]

Kelly, this is cute! I'm glad you have someone you can trust when going away.
Have a safe and nice trip and enjoy!

[yumyum6970]

My husband and I have never been gone that long from our furbabies...usually just 3 days. They seem just fine without us there but boy do they get mad at us when we return.

[gini]

Kelly, can I borrow your instructions and just change the cat's name, your names and phone numbers?

When I take care of my neighbors two Golden's and her four outdoor cats she leaves me three typed pages with instructions. I never thought twice about it, but waded through who gets what and when - who gets fed inside and who out.......and on and on.

What is cute is that I mixed up the dogs and kept the wrong one in the kitchen. She just looked at me and wouldn't eat. I knew immediately that I had made a mistake, changed dogs, and everyone was happy.

Another neighbor just gave me a bag of food and a bowl and said, give him a cup a day - nothing else! This little guy, a cocker really missed his owners and he needed some TLC while they were away. When they came back - he "dismissed" me with a glance. Like - "thanks, we don't need you anymore."

You have to love all of these different personalities!

[lynnestankard]

Wonderful Kelly!!! LOL. You know the feeling when someone starts a thread and you think 'Oh good I'm not the only one'!!

When we come over to the USA on 7th Oct., Elizabeth is coming back home to 'sit' our three - now remember they were here when she lived at home.
So last time we were going away, she saw me writing instructions on an A4 sheet of paper - she said 'I thought I was sitting the cats for you?'
'Yes' I said - 'Just thought I'd remind you of their likes and dislikes'
I really can't repeat her reply here!!!

Lynne

[tuxluvr]

I would love to find a kitty sitter for Ritzy - I just don't think the kennel thing would go over with her.

I sat once for a kitty named Pookie. I actually stayed at the house since it was too far to drive back and forth. For the first 5 hours, I wasn't sure they even had a cat. Other than the food and water bowl and an obvious "leaving" in the litterbox, there was no cat to be found.

I lit a fire in the fireplace and dozed off on the floor next to it...I had had a long day at work and a headache to boot. When I woke up, there was a grey tiger kitty stretched out next to me against my tummy, purring up a storm.

"Pookie?" I said, and received a sleepy mrrrrowwwr in return. We were fast friends after that.

I was also asked if I would see to it that the litterbox stayed clean because sometimes Pookie 'missed'. Well, he didn't exactly "miss"...in fact I think he was doing it on purpose. Pookie liked to perch himself on the corner of the litter box, with his "business end" hanging almost OUTSIDE rather than inside the box.

With uncanny precision, Pookie would lay down "kittie logs" so they would perch exactly on the ledge of the litter pan. I wondered if he was trying to build a little poopy fort. It wasn't for lack of a clean litter box - this thing was filtered regularly.