This has turned out to be way different than what I ask for my cats ---- you can't leave him without a bathroom for more than about 8 hours but I should only come over twice a day, and he won't use the back yard for me, only on his walks. So the time I need to come over before he explodes changes around every day. You have to walk him but not when it hits 100 but you do have to let him pee so stick around for the actual walk once it cools off. Then I have to stay here most of the evening and keep him company ---- and I don't like grading here and can't get the Dish to work and this all really impacts my own stuff and cat care. Frankly, cats are much easier --- mine are terrified of people so they don't want the company anyway, and all you have to do is leave food and water and scoop the litter box a bit.
Also, when my cats puke up a hairball, it is way less disgusting and they don't do it while I am trying to cross the street with traffic.
All of this might mean that a dog is not for me. But if I could somehow bring him into my house without him trying to eat the cats (a major adventure on our daily walks) and without the cats being terrified of him, I think this would be much simpler. Although the whole reason she is not boarding him is that he is less stressed at his own place. By the way, he's still stressed. He is letting me know through the runnyness of his poop, which I have to pick up. And he may or may not have pooped a big mess on the local middle school track. I can neither confirm or deny that, officer.
Speaking of which, I have a conference to go to and I also want to go on various little trips this summer, which means that I too must go through the same thing. And I am trying to have this tomato plant I experimented with actually ripen tomatoes, which probably means I need someone to water it very day. Sigh. Catsitting seems to run about 25 a day here which really adds up at a week here and a week there. I am not sure, after this, about asking anyone in my department --- and this person I am sitting for plans to come back, move everything into storage, and go spend the summer where she is from in LA. Meh. She did give me 75 dollars at least. I would have preferred reciprocity more.
3 comments:
A mellow dog is a joy, but a neurotic one less so. As for cat sitters, do any of your colleagues live in your neighborhood and have kids in their early teens? They can be good. I did cat sitting in addition to babysitting in my teens.... Down here, my expensive cat sitter costs $15 a day, but that's for one visit. She'll water plants, too, brush the cats and play with them, etc.
I had no idea how much I hated dogs until I got cats. I love the independence of my cats. The neediness of my dog is absolutely insufferable. I know that sounds awful, but I just can't stand it. Cats rule.
Oh, this just made me laugh. This is the pet dilemma: needy/affectionate? Or independent/mostly diffident?
Actually, I've never had to face the problem because I can't even keep houseplants alive, so sentient beings are out of the question.
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