For The Love Of Pets

Rescued Dog

Why do some pet owners seeking pet sitters identify their domestic feline, canine or other members of the animal kingdom as a ‘rescue’? Are they under the impression that we, the pet sitter, will love them more?

According to animal psychologists, “It will always be a mystery to us precisely how our [pets] think of us and what their relationships with us mean to them.” ~ Psychology Today

Guess what I'm thinking now

Humans have the capacity to consider the past, be in the here and now, and contemplate the future. An animal lives in the flash, instant by second. They are instinctive and are moment by moment thinkers. 

As pet sitters, our duty is to care for the cat or dog or bird. Some of the advertisements for pet sitters we’ve read online put up a number of insecure requests and we sometimes roll our eyes at the demands expected of us. 

Some ads are enticing and encouraging, while others are unappealing and uninspiring.

See if you can tell the difference.

• Must love dogs
• Pet sitter needed for our rescue cat
• One horse requires meds daily, by mouth
• Must allow our dogs to sleep with you on our bed
• Pet sitter must be alpha or dog will disrespect you

Kitten's instinct is that a human's mouth may contain food

In the case of the must love dogs advertisement, we will care for your dog, cat, bird or horse, but we can't say that we will love them the same way you do. We take dispensing of love very seriously. We humans love each other, for example. We can look into each other's eyes and receive acknowledgment and reciprocation verbally, physically and spiritually. The animal you love stares back at you but it is likely waiting for a command or better yet, a food reward.

Carla Safina says Life is very vivid to animals. In many cases, they know who they are. They know who their friends are and who their rivals are. They have ambitions for higher status.  They compete. Their lives follow the arc of a career like ours do. We both try to stay alive, get food and shelter, and raise some young for the next generation. Animals are no different from us in that regard and I think that their presence here on Earth is tremendously enriching.

  

Cat Days in Luseland

Chapter One

Luseland, Saskatchewan is located on Highway 31 south of Denzil. Both towns are worth exploring.

This morning, we drive to our house and pet sitting job in Luseland. The new large farmhouse has been built around the original 100-year-old home. It is surrounded by a twenty-five-hundred-acre organic farm. We pull into the well-manicured property of Pearl and Allen and are met by them, their one dog, and a large cluster of cats. We learn that it’s Allen’s inherited haven and recently Pearl brought her three cats and her enthusiasm for hard work to the marriage.

Barn Cats

“The first thing I want to show you,” Pearl says, “are the cats in the barn. We’ve got twenty-five.”

I look to my right and watch as Frank follows Allen to where the large farm equipment is stored.

I sense a matter-of-fact tone in Pearl’s voice. I can tell that she keeps track of the exact number of felines in her care.

Before we reach the barn door, the scent of cat urine, feces, cat food, dead rodents and birds, birth, rotting wood, soiled carpet and fabric chairs fill my nostrils. Bile forms in the back my throat. I barely step over the threshold and the cat owner is deep into the building. I stand firm and look down at cats – too many to count. All eyes follow their provider as she makes her way to the feeding centre. The moment she opens the large dry cat food bag a stampede of cats encircles her feet. She pours their food into several metal containers and within seconds the eating frenzy begins. A little black kitten wobbles over to the trough and struggles to squeeze between the stronger ones. Pearl scoops a fistful of food into her left hand and brings the small feline to her face and kisses it.

“This little one needs lovin’”, she says. We want her to get used to humans so that she doesn’t stay feral. We feed them all, but I’m partial to this one."

Pearl thrusts the kitten at me.

"Here. Do you want to feed her?” she says.

More Barn Cats

The fragile feline is fur and bones. Its hair is slicked back from constant licking by its mother and perhaps other maternal females in the bunch. I see that its eyes are oozing with clear liquid. At that moment, it sneezes mucus onto my bare arm. I hold back my inclination to toss it to the ground. I continue to offer the little rascal morsels and it nibbles a few.

Pearl removes a rag from her jean pants pocket, wipes the goo from the mutt’s face and stuffs the wet cloth back into her pocket. She takes the kitty from me and presses it into her face.

“I’d like you to come to the barn a couple of times a day and cuddle with ‘Mixy’. She’s so cute”, she says.

I blink. Pearl sets the kitten back among the others.

“Let’s go into the house. My special cats are in there,” the homeowner says.

Once inside the cat-scented home, the training begins. She picks up each feline and reports on its medical condition. One has heart issues, another is depressed, a large black cat, I’m told, is friends with Toby the dog and sleeps all day on his cushy dog pad.

“This one doesn’t like to go outside much”, she says.

 A fourth indoor feline is old and never meows beyond a purr so Frank and I would have to watch for her scratching at the door to be let out or in. Its needs are quite evident based on the missing paint on all three doors.

Pearl walks throughout her three-story house and points out the various pee-pads taped securely to the walls. The fifth cat, apparently, has bladder issues and tends to spray the walls. I nod my head in approval.

Patio Garden at Farm House

We step outside so that she can have her cigarette. We are met on the patio by Frank and Allen. Allen is lighting up.

Later, that evening, Frank and I tuck into our motorhome and fix ourselves dinner. Frank explains his outdoor duties and I share my looking after the cats and dog obligations.

To reiterate, our purpose and duty are to care for the homeowner’s pets and property. Their duty is to provide us with a detailed list of chores and pet habits. We were negligent, in this instance, to ask for a policy and procedure document before we arrived. This particular couple had no such paperwork prepared. We’ve learnt another lesson.

Cat Days in Luseland

Chapter Two

I wake from a comfortable sleep in Big White. Frank is holding his clipboard so that we can record the farm sitting duties. When we do meet with the couple, what we hear is mostly about their illnesses and their long list of medication. Frank's face presents a sense of foreboding. 

Lillies Welcome Us At The Front Door

It’s day two of training at this Luseland house and pet sit arrangement. We knock on the house door and are welcomed in by the owners.

“Oh, Stinky,” Pearl is speaking to one of the house cats.

“This is the one with the bladder issues I told you about yesterday, Susan. I see that he’s now peeing beside the pads.” She’s bent over wiping away the urine.

We step over the kibbles and bits spread across the kitchen floor. Frank steps out the back door with Allen. Pearl asks me to join her in the basement. We approach the stairwell and I’m engulfed in the stench of what I guess to be cat-urine-soiled carpets. I learn later that two of your cats died downstairs.

“If one of our cats dies while we’re away, please use this”, she says and holds up a white plastic bag. “You can fold the cat in half and it fits perfectly into the bag; tie it up secure and put it here.”

Strawberries in a Bag

She reaches for the handle of the freezer and begins to pull it toward her. My mind swirls with ideas of my having to look at a packaged dead cat. She shuffles clear bags filled with berries from one side to another. “This is a good spot. There’s room enough for two”.

I release my breath.

Outside, Allen is teaching Frank how to operate the over-sized riding lawn mower. 

We hear a grinding sound and then a clunk. Pearl charges up the stairs, out the door and stands on the patio. She remarks to Frank that he’s ripped some bark off the tree. He ignores her because his ears are covered with muffs. She turns to me and tells me that Frank wasn’t very careful. I ignore her comment.

Later that day, we hear a tap at our RV door.

“We are sorry to tell you that we are both too sick to go on a vacation. You are welcome to stay as long as you like, but we won’t be needing your pet or house services,” Allen says.

Sadly, there was no offer of a stipend or compensation for our long distance of travel to care for their animals and property. We had turned down several other sittings to experience this one. Namao, AB to Luseland, SK -  387 kilometres. Too bad, so sad. 

We exchange niceties with the couple and advise them that we will be leaving the property today.

We are now left to ourselves and begin planning our three and a half weeks of travel adventure throughout Saskatchewan to visit family, friends and make new acquaintances. 

Ah, life is grand on the road

Our Luxury Home Sit

Sample of luxury home

Just a few kilometres north of the small hamlet of Namao, Alberta, is a dynamic series of paved roads leading to a panorama of luxury homes.

We were originally scheduled to care for a large dog at this home, but at the last minute, the owners advised us that they would be taking their pet with them. They still wanted us to manage the house – good for us and a wise decision on their part.

We feel strongly about the serious job we are performing as house and pet sitters. For one thing, the homeowner's insurance policy becomes void after the property has been vacant for 30 days.

Insurance policies offer limited coverage for vacant properties due to the increased risk of potential damage. Policy conditions vary widely but there is typically no coverage for vandalism, theft, water escape, or glass damage starting on the first day of the vacancy. After the property has been vacant for 30 days, the entire policy becomes void and there is no coverage for any damage, not even fire or windstorm. ~ http://www.brokerlink.ca/blog/vacant-properties/

We drove past a number of homes which we dubbed the rich and famous. We knew nothing of this home owner’s wealth or their celebrity status, but we imagined what income bracket they must be in to satisfy the creditor of their capacity to manage the payments on their mansion.

2016 BMW

The entrance alone of this particular place, projected opulence, and their three car garage, along with a large motorhome housed in its own Quonset Hut told of their love of materials things – big ones. We were invited into the garage to view their his-and-her motorbikes and their matching off-road all-terrain vehicles. Their massive truck is used to haul either the bikes or the ATVs to and from adventure sites. I smile at the young couple. Their run-to-town vehicle is a new sparkling BMW. 

Big White - Our home on wheels

My mind wonders to our home on wheels, or as Frank calls it, our poor man's motorhome. We’re very proud of her and its capacity to satisfy our humble needs for a place to enjoy a meal and a game of crib inside when it’s raining, and a comfortable place to sleep on our drop down Murphy Bed.

My thoughts are interrupted by Frank’s hand on my back guiding me to follow our homeowners into their household. It is extravagant without being overdone. Their decorating ideas are simple and each seating room almost looks the same because of the matching furniture.

Sample black leather sofa

“If I’m going to buy one sofa, why not buy two,” she says. They are identical pieces covered in leather. It seems that she also applies her theory to the coffee tables, end tables, TV stands, light fixtures and accent carpets.

Our hostess prepares a wonderful dinner meal and after a discussion about what tasks they expect us to do while they are away, we trot off to our assigned room. It is one of four bedrooms including the master suite, and ours has its own bathroom. We chuckle and whisper that we have a toilet in our motorhome and it is very near the bed.

Fill your heart

Home is where your heart is.

When we are caring for someone's home, we treat it with as much respect as our own. Frank tends to the outdoor chores and I perform the household tasks. For example, if we use their oven during our stay, we clean it afterward no matter its original condition. Together, on this last morning of our stay in a stranger’s house, we strip the bedding, wash it and stuff it into the dryer, fold it afterward and set it on the bed they so kindly provided us during our stay.

Pride and integrity come to mind when we look for a homeowner. We want to feel as safe, sound and secure about them in exchange for our offer.

Our Big Embarrassing Departure

Broken drinking glass

“Honey, they’re home!” Frank calls to me from the back door as the homeowners open it and set their luggage on the landing.

I stand up from the table where I am using our laptop to access the Internet. It is our daily ritual to explore house and pet sit notices.

“They’re home?” I choke on my shock. I feel confused. I’m embarrassed.

The homeowner had sent a message to advise us that she and her husband would be home at five post meridiem tomorrow. My mistake was to imagine the email had been sent this morning. In fact, it had been sent yesterday.

Frank and I spend the next hour frantically tossing our belongings into bags and hauling them out to our motorhome. Luckily, earlier this morning, Frank had loaded the bike onto the trailer. He too was under the impression he was ahead of schedule. That action, alone, was the best thing that happened today.

Yoda, the one-eyed cat

I glance at the homeowner who is swaddling her one-eyed cat. She cannot release her hold because he’ll scramble out the front door and perhaps lose his other eye. He’s very vulnerable these days. She glances back at me. No smile is returned to mine.

Frank and I stand at the front door holding our list of debriefing topics. I let the homeowners know that I broke a mug.

“What kind of mug?” she says.

“A beer mug. A large drinking glass,” I say.

I try to appease them by reporting that Frank had cut the grass and trimmed the edges as indicated on their to-do list. They thank Frank. We report that Yoda, the cat, was a rambunctious feline, emphasizing his rough playful manner.

All four of us reach a no-talk stage. I look at Frank and he recognizes my ‘let’s go’ face. We honk our horn as we drive away. Not too fast, but if you look from behind, you can see my tail between my legs.

Yellow bowl

Later, as we settle in at the Walmart parking lot north of Edmonton, we find a yellow bowl belonging to the homeowners among our gear. We text them and account for our error.

“I’m very partial to my plates. They have a strong sentimental value for me. Please wrap it up in bubble wrap and send it to us,” she writes in a text message.

We dutifully comply sending it express, insured and with a Canada Post tracking number.

“Thank you very much!” she writes.

We are two days away from our next house sit. Yellow for Alberta.