Cat sitting

This morning I headed on over to the next town to receive instructions for my job next week....cat sitting. A friend of mine is leaving for vacation next week and called a number of different cat sitters in the area to take care of her cats. They were all booked solid and no one had room to fit her into their schedule. Then she thought...well, Kate has a cat, maybe she’d watch my kitties for me.

Indeed, I’m happy to do it. So, I went over to meet her cats this morning and learn their feeding habits and where the food is stored and where the kitty litter is stored and who uses which cat box, etc. Nothing too taxing.

One of her cats is super friendly. His name is Starbuck. He’s an orange cat with a rather ample girth. The other cat is a petite lady who is terrified of strangers. I caught a glimpse of her while I was there and the terror in her eyes was kind of like a dagger in my heart. I have a feeling that she’s not going to have a happy week with me popping in and out. Maybe we can sort of reach a truce before the end of the week, but I’m not counting on it.

On my way out the door, my friend pressed a check into my hand. She said she was going to pay a cat sitter so why shouldn’t she give it to me instead? To her it’s worth the peace of mind knowing her cats will be well cared for while she’s away. And then she said, “I’ve been telling other people about you. My sister may contact you if you wouldn’t mind. There are a couple of other people interested, too. Have you ever thought of doing cat sitting on the side? There aren’t enough people around here who do it. I was getting frantic before I thought of you.”

Well, no, I hadn’t thought about it. But maybe I will.

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This morning when I left my house, it was rather chilly outside. About 54°. I wore a turtle neck with my lightweight vest over it. When I reached my friend’s house, the temperature was a good twelve degrees warmer. Her windows were all open. She looked at me and asked, “Aren’t you a little warm?” Oh yeah, just a little. By the time I left her house, I was wilted. When I arrived back home, the chill in the air went right through me. Darned sea breeze. Going just a couple of miles inland makes a huge difference. I am so envious, it’s not even funny.