Felix the Cat

Felix the cat,

the wonderful wonderful cat,

You’ll laugh so much

Your sides will break,

Your heart will go pit-a-pat!

Watching Felix, the wonderful cat.

How many of remember that song for the cartoon show of the 50s? I knew a wonderful cat named Felix.

A pet sitting client of mine recently lost her elderly cat, Felix, due to old age. I have been caring for Felix for over 10 years; he was the patriarch of a five-cat household. As he aged he had a private suite in the master bedroom where the young cats wouldn’t pick on him. I usually found him in his heated cat bed or he would meet me at the bedroom door, ready to dart out if the opportunity presented itself. We always spent some private time purring and petting.

I remember one time recently I lost my key, and when I called, Carolyn, his owner, was so relieved that I’d “only” lost the key and nothing was wrong with Felix. She was positively joyful.

After Felix died, I asked Carolyn, about his story. He’d been a part of her life longer than most of her family:

Yes, I had Felix prior to my kids. I found him September 13, 1990. I was sitting in my office in Sorrento Valley and looked out the window and he was in the parking lot. I went out to the parking lot and grabbed him. As I was holding him, my future husband (though we were just coworkers then) walked by and I asked him if he wanted him. He said no, but I always figured he married me because he regretted not taking Felix. So I took Felix home, named him an appropriate name for a black and white cat, though I had no intention of keeping him. He checked out fine at the vet, and got along with my other 3 cats so I kept him and had him neutered. His age was estimated to be 1 1/2 years old.

There is more to the story; my boyfriend was very ill at that time, and later someone told me Felix means comforter and it was fate that he crossed my path. I was told that that morning in Sept when I found him, I was hanging on to Felix for dear life, so I think I needed him more than he needed me. The next few months were very difficult and I spent most of my time at the hospital. My boyfriend died Jan 1 1991. I think Felix helped me get through that time in my life.

Kent and I married in 1993 and Kelly was born in 1995 and Craig in 1996. Felix never backed down from the kids, if there was a tussle over a toy between him and them; Felix always won. I have lots of pictures with him sleeping with the kids, the kids reading to him, and of course dressing him up in costume... Really a great cat.

One special thing about Felix is he loved a crowd and to greet folks at the front door. He was always the center of attention in the house no matter how many people were over. He also had a knack of being able to open the door if it was left ajar...

Even with a houseful of much-loved kitties, I am sure Felix is missed. I was fortunate to have the privilege of painting Felix’s portrait a few years ago. I still think it is one of the best I’ve ever done. Maybe it is because I knew my subject so well.

Pet sitting the goldfish

Fish tanks 

You think it’d be easy; just feed the fish, right? Generally, yes it is that simple. But pet sitting follows Murphy’s Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Here’s some fish tank care tips for pet sitters.

First off, if the water level goes down, in many geographical areas you can’t just pour in some tap water and be done with it. There is enough chlorine in tap water to kill fish, so your client may leave you some chlorine neutralizer (Ask about it during your consultation). Add the neutralizer every time you add water.

Leaking tank:

I walked in the client’s bedroom and saw the water level was down to half in the five gallon tank. Wow, that evaporated quickly, I thought. But it had been really hot, so I just refilled it. On my next visit, the next day, the tank was half full again. It dawned on me the tank was leaking, but I felt no wetness on the table or on the edges. The carpet, however, was soaked. I finally decided that the pressure of the water broke a seal on the tank, and it would drain only so far and then when the pressure was relieved, it stopped leaking. So at least it wouldn’t go completely dry and kill the fish.

But, the pump wasn’t getting any water, and it could burn up and start a fire. I unplugged the pump and light and moved the tank into the bathtub, where it could leak to its heart’s content. Beach towels from the cupboard soaked up water from the carpet, and a fan helped it dry. I envisioned a moldy musty smell when the owners returned. I called them, and they didn’t want me to leave a window open, so the fan was the best solution.

The fish were fine in half a tank for a few days, and more important, the house was safe from further damage.

Trust me, these things only happen when your clients leave home.

Overfeeding:

More is not necessarily better. The number one cause of death in pet fish is overfeeding (so the fish vet tells me). So be stingy with the food. One client actually had a constipated beta (Siamese Fighting Fish). I am not making this up! He had been over fed, and several days of fasting resulted in a complete recovery. Who knew… 

The painting with this article is mine, entitled "Koi." It was done in watercolor and colored pencil. Limited edition prints are available for sale. Contact me. Visit my web site to view more of my art.

Polly the Pet Sitter

Since I am a writer, I was struck by inspiration today. A good friend sent me a book, Mrs. Twitter the Animal Sitter. Well, it is a cute story, but the author clearly doesn't know a thing about pet sitting! But that is part of its charm. My friend's kids loved this story growing up, which got me to thinking. I can do better than that ( I think). So here it is. Note it is copyrighted, so please don't reproduce without my permission.

Polly the Pet Sitter

by Terry Albert

Polly the pet sitter from Poway

Takes care of two dogs, a cat and a horse.

When she goes out walking

People start talking,

Because the critters go with her of course!

 

The dogs are in front

The horse in the rear,

The cat in her arms ‘cause he must.

Miss Polly, by golly

Gets dragged down the gully

As the dogs chase a bunny and fuss.

 

They start out again,

This small group of friends,

The cat is now riding the horse.

The horse sees a snake,

And everyone shakes.

They call out the whole police force!

 

The cops come right over,

And say “Hello, Rover,”

And each of the dogs wags his tail.

“Where’s this big snake?

Or was this a mistake?”

As they listen to Polly’s sad tale.

 

The cat is so brave,

It’s his turn to save

Miss Polly who feeds him so well.

“The snake’s right here,

Up the tree in the air,

I found him with my sense of smell!”

 

These pets are so smart,

The cops all go home

The snake in a bag in a cart.

Polly says “Golly,

I’ll take you all with me,

Whenever I go for a walk."

 

So the dogs are in front,

And the horse in the rear,

The cat on his back

Trying to steer.

 

Polly walks them all home

Never more will they roam

They’re happy they’re back

Safe and sound.

 

A pet sitter’s job

Is fun all around

But sometimes it’s not what you think.

 

A simple walk ‘round the corner

And on down the street,

Brings surprises before you can blink!

© 2008 Not to be reproduced without author's permission