What to do with my 2 cats while I'm away?

[debcos]

Traci,

Thank You for fixing my avatar. I know you are right about not trusting anyone from Craigslist or any other online classified. My problem is I have no relatives here, at all, and I only have one friend that is willing to help, but he wants the cats at his house. He's the one who has 4 cats of his own & mine might possibly have to be in one room for the whole time. Of course, he would take time with them & all of that, but like you said, I would rather find someone who can come to my home. Believe me, I will check out references & I will have the person come here first so I can talk to them & see how they act with the cats & how the cats react to them. You know, I just thought of something. You see, I live in a large condominium building & my next door neighbor just might do it for me. A few years ago, one of the security guards here in the building was flooded out of her apartment & my neighbor kept her cat for her while she was in between apartments, staying with friend & such. I've known this neighbor for 7 years & I trust her. She doesn't have any pets of her own but she loves animals. She's been over to my apartment & gets along great with my cats. She is immediately next door to me so it would be easy for her to come over in the morning before she goes to work & then again after work, in the evening. I took care of her plants one time when she went away for 2 weeks. In addition to that, I am friends with one of the maintenance men in my building. He has done work for me in my condo. He works here Wed thru Sun 7AM to 3PM. Maybe he can check in on them too.

[Traci]

I'd suggest talking to the neighbor instead of the maintenance guy (obvious reasons, not trying to be prejudiced here, just cautious for you).

I hope you know the neighbor extremely well and that she has or can prove her trustworthiness? (instructions, being careful the cats don't escape through the door, responsibility for your house-key, etc)

[debcos]

It's funny that you mentioned the cats escaping out the door. I am such a fanatic when it comes to being careful about that. If someone comes over I go into great lengths about telling them to be VERY CAREFUL not to let the cats get out. My cats tend to be sitting at the door whenever I come home & "Charcoal", the part Siamese (she's my little trouble maker), will, every once in awhile, try to run out into the hall. She can't go anywhere because there are closed doors at the ends of the hall, but never-the-less, I don't like her to do this. She knows that she's not supposed to do it & I think that is why she does it. She loves getting into trouble. She is 9 years old and still acts like a kitten (rolling around, playing with toys, running around & getting that "wild-eyed" look, etc) Anyway, I have to open the door very slowly & just a few inches at a time so she doesn't surprise me. She also loves to watch the bottom of the door from inside the house because when people walk by she can see their feet.

[debcos]

I found someone who will come to my home twice a day & spend time with my cats. They are called Chicago Cat Nannies & were recommended by my Vet. The owner of the service gave me several names to call for references. Every single person I called gave them outstanding recommendations. They have a website where I can check each day, while I'm away, for a remark, posted by my technician, stating her comments for that day. I really feel like they will work out fine. I have met with the owner & now I am meeting with the technician who will be coming to my home twice a day. I will be able to tell her all of my cats special little needs & quirks.

I don't know if you can answer this, but I have a question about food. I feed my cats both dry & canned. They each get one can per day. I mash the food with a fork & then use a spoon to make a mound & add a little water for gravy. They never finish the whole can but that's OK. I always throw out what they don't finish & give a fresh can every day. I feed them in the morning & then in the aftyernoon I kind of freshen it up by scraping off any hard parts & adding a little water to make gravy for the one who likes gravy. With the dry food, I change it every day, too. They never finish it all, either, but I throw it out & give them fresh each day because I'm afraid that if I leave it for more than 1 day it will get old & spoiled. Does the dry food get old after a day? Are there any tips you can give me or am I doing the right thing in the way I feed them. I probably give them too much because they never finish it all, but I would rather do that then not give them enough.

Debbie Costa

[Traci]

Glad to hear you found a pet sitter. As for the internet "messages", while a nice concept, I'd recommend a physical telephone call with the tech on a daily basis, this ensures her actual presence with your cats, if you schedule a particular time each day to call when she's there.

As for the feeding, assuming that you refrigerate the morning's left-overs (canned), this should be fine. Never leave out canned food for longer than what they can eat at a sitting, as bacteria can develop in it rapidly. Think of it as you would canned food for yourself, once opening, refrigerate unused portions promptly. (I personally recommend putting canned cat food in a plastic container with a lid for refrigerating left-overs, as opposed to leaving it in the can in the fridge...discard any refrigerated can of cat food within 48 hours tops).

As for the dry food, it can be left out for up to a week at a time (providing you keep your home's temperature at a regulated temperature) but ideally should be refreshed daily. Dry food left out longer than a week should be discarded and refreshed with new food from the bag or container. The actual feeding dish for dry food should be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed well at least once a week, since bacteria can develop on the dish. Stainless steel dishes are preferrable for both food and water dishes, this helps reduce the potential for feline acne (from bacteria), and is a much cleaner solution for your cats' dishes.

Since you have a preferred way of feeding your cats, please leave specific instructions for the tech/sitter, you want her to repeat what you do for the feeding so that the cats do not suffer stress as a result of any significant feeding alterations. If the tech/sitter is a good one, she'll follow your "rules" exactly without question. These "rules" should be applied to any other wishes you have...such as litterbox cleaning, favorite toys or playtime sessions, etc. Also be sure you tell her where in the home the cats are likely to be found sleeping or hiding so she can physically check them upon entering your home and before leaving.

And of course, leave your vet's number and emergency clinic number, as well as where YOU can be reached. Your vet should have prior knowledge or a note with your signature and where you can be reached, giving full permission to treat if necessary (this is just a precaution/safegaurd in the event of an emergency).

[debcos]

Thanks, yes Cat nannies have already told me that I need to notify my vet & either set up a credit card number with the Vet or leave my checking account info with the vet or leave a check on my fridge made out to the Vet.
I plan on calling each day when the tech is here to make sure everything is going OK. I'm going to go over all my specifics with the tech as well as typing them all out for her.
Yes, I keep the canned food (what they don't eat at first sitting) in a covered plastic container in the fridge. I wash the wet food dishes twice a day (each time I use them), and I wash the dry food bowls about twice a week. I didn't know that dry food could be left out for a week. I still change it daily. They are used to that & beside that I rotate between a few different flavors of Eukenuba. On the days that I don't wash the dry food bowls, I wipe them out with a paper towel.

Thanks for all your great info
Debbie Costa

[Traci]

Debbie, would you be willing to let us know your thoughts and experience with the sitter/Chicago Cat Nannies when you return? It would be interesting!!

[debcos]

Traci,

Yes, I certainly will let you know all about my experience with the sitter & Chicago Cat Nannies when I return. Talk to you after Oct 1.

Debbie

[debcos]

Hi Traci,

I was reading the forum & thought of a couple of questions. I don't know if I should have started a new topic or not. I hope it is OK that I came back to this topic to add my questions. First of all, I must commend you on all of your knowledge about cats. It is very impressive.

I read in one of the messages that kitty grass is actually not good for cats, nor is it needed. I never knew this. I've been giving them grass for about 3 years now. I buy the Cat Grass Plus, at Petsmart, that you just add water to & let it grow. I also occasionally buy kitty grass that is in these little containers & has already started growing. They have this at my grocery store in the produce dept. After reading the note in your forum, though, I am going to stop giving them grass. My question is, can I just stop, cold turkey, so to speak?

My 2nd question pertains to the food & water dishes. I read where you said that stainless steel is preferrable because it "reduces the potential for feline acne (from bacteria), and is a much cleaner solution for your cats' dishes". I use ceramic bowls. What are your thoughts on using ceramic bowls for food & water?

My last question pertains to water. I don't keep their water next to their food bowls because I've learned, from experience, that they do not like their water next to their food bowls. I don't know why, but when I kept the water next to the food they wouldn't touch it & my "little trouble maker", as I lovingly call her, would push the water bowls so that they would spill. They each have separate prefferences. One cat likes her water in the kitchen sink, so I have this tall container that I keep in the left side sink. She actually gets in the sink & sits there & drinks. She makes an event out of it. She'll take some laps then sit for awhile, then lap some more, sit, lap, etc. That is the only place that she will drink from. Now, my other cat, he likes to have several different "watering holes". I keep a bowl up on the kitchen counter for him. It is up against the wall & the sink, so they can't knock it over. He also likes to drink from the faucet - he lets me know when he wants that & I turn it on & wait for him to drink. Luckily, I work from home, so I can serve him at his whim. There are times when he will follow me to the bathroom & make me fill a dixie cup with fresh water. He jumps up on the sink. I put the cup down in the sink & he puts his front paws down in the sink & drinks. Lately, I've been keeping a dixie cup with water in my guest bathroom sink for him. I also keep one in the master bath in case he gets a yen for that. He drinks from all these places. Lately, it's been the guest bathroom & the kitchen sink, so in addition to the bowl on the kitchen counter, I put a tall container down in the right side sink for him. He doesn't get down in the sink like my female does. He just puts his front paws down in there & keeps his hind end on the counter. Any thoughts on this? Is it too weird? Do I have water in too many places?

[Traci]

1) I may have went overboard on that one, but in my personal opinion, it still applies. In effect, cats truly do not need grass in the diet, they get their nutrients in a properly prepared diet (commercially). If you notice outdoor cats eating grass, then vomiting shortly afterwards, there is a reason for that and it is simply because they cannot fully digest it (some may be passed in the stool, but the majority is vomited). The barbs on grass are also irritants to the esophagus and stomach lining, and cats usually won't chew grass into tiny pieces, but rather, swallow entire blades whole. I think cats eat grass outside because it initially tastes good to them, and it is also a comfort factor, but it doesn't mean it is good for them (cats eat plants too, but we know they are toxic to them, they can't make that connection).

As for kitty grass and kits sold in pet stores, if the owners' cats like them and do not vomit from eating them (fed in moderation), then there is probably little harm in this. The kits are intended to contain grains with no additives, fertilizers, etc, unlike grasses found in the outdoors. If you feel your cats do ok on a kitty grass kit, just check the package labeling and ensure that the grains are only oat, wheat or barley, and no additives or unusual ingredients (no "natural" additives, no herbs, etc). These kits generally produce a soft grass that doesn't produce harmful barbs, and they don't usually gow too tall that the cat can't chew in small pieces.

Having said that, I think I would advise you to not buy the grass already started, but buy the kitty-grass kit and grow it yourself. I'd be afraid of the environment the pre-grown grass was exposed to prior.

2) As long as the ceramic does not contain lead (in the kilning process), or lead/silver/gold trimming anywhere, and does not have chips, scratches or other mars in it that could contain bacteria, it would be ok to use. I personally prefer stainless to ceramic or glass (and never plastic), because it is more sanitary, lasts longer, is easier to clean.

3) All cats have quirky preferences to their water, and the placement of their water dishes. Most of us do whatever the cats want The most important thing is that the cat has access to fresh water at all times and is drinking normally on a daily basis and has normal urine function and output.

Most cats do prefer to drink out of the tap (or a glass), its both fun and interesting to them, and it's fresh out of the tap, so it probably tastes better to them. There's no harm in accomodating whatever quirks they have, but of course, don't leave out glasses of water to get spilled near any electrical outlets or appliances, etc.

There's other posts in this forum about our cats' quirks, I'm sure others could chime in with more, but I think yours tops the beverage accomodation!