Cat Sitter Diaries – Anne C

The wonderful Anne, started cat sitting when she retired. Here’s what she has to say about ‘the best job in the world!’

Hi, I’m Anne and I’m one of Cat in a Flat’s cat-sitters.

I became a cat-sitter because, after taking early retirement from teaching, I had some time on my hands – and, of course, because I love cats! My husband and I used to have two gorgeous cats – a ginger and white Tom, called Dingo, and Chutney, a dark torty – but after more than 20 happy years they sadly passed away.

We did consider getting another cat but now that I’m retired I have the freedom to travel more frequently than I could when tied to a full-time job, so we felt that it wouldn’t be fair on any new pets we might have. Cat-sitting gives me the opportunity to spend time with a whole range of beautiful cats without having the responsibility of making arrangements for them when I go on holiday.

A dog-owner as a child, I ‘discovered’ cats later in life when, in my early 30s. I met and dated a man who had two adorable kittens. It was love at first sight, and the man was quite nice too, so I married him and became ‘mum’ to the cats. It was quite a steep learning-curve! They ran up the curtains and shoved my make-up off the bathroom shelf and down the toilet – but you couldn’t be angry with them. I soon learned how to ‘cat-proof’ my home – which doors to keep closed and what objects to keep out of paws’ reach.

I offer a drop-in service through Cat in a Flat, visiting cats in their own homes once or twice a day. Some sitters provide a ‘live-in’ option, and that’s something I’ve done abroad, though not in the UK. A few years ago I had the pleasure of looking after the delightful Mitzi in Stockholm while her family were on holiday – a fabulous experience as I got to stay in an exciting city and spend time with a lovely cat.

When my own cats were elderly I used a cat-sitting service because I didn’t want to upset them by placing them in a cattery (or stress myself out by chasing them round the house before bundling them into their carry-baskets!)

I’m sure we all have funny stories about our cats’ antics, but they can be difficult to share because you really have to be there and see it happening! My boy, Dingo, was always getting into scrapes. One evening he disappeared inside the house and we couldn’t find him anywhere. Eventually we heard a quiet plaintive crying from inside the kitchen cupboards and realised he was stuck down the side of the dishwasher. We had to dismantle the kitchen units to set him free – we still have no idea how he got in there.

Thankfully, none of the cats I’ve looked after have given me any cause for alarm by hiding or getting stuck – just hours of snuggles and head-butts! It really is the best job in the world!

You can find Anne’s lovely profile here:  https://uk.catinaflat.com/pet_sitter/3898

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