Month: July 2022

Story: The Top Cat, For Sure

It happens all the time, I often think back to the cats I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years throughout my life.  It’s always completely random.  I’ll be working on a project, doing chores, grocery shopping or whatever.  Then all of a sudden I’ll have a memory of a certain cat and I will recall the moments our paths crossed.  Sometimes the memory will be from a brief encounter, other times from our lives being intertwined in some way over time.  Sometimes it will be a memory from a few years or decades past or even from my childhood.  In this case, my memory was from a decade past.   “TC”, was definitely the Top Cat.  He knew it and he made sure everyone else knew it.  He came to us as a boarding guest and the most dramatic one, at that.  It’s extremely rare for a cat to carry on with an academy award winning performance in the manner that “TC” did.  In fact, “TC” was the only cat who ever acted this way in our care.  Everything was overdramatized.    Getting out of his carrier was a big deal.  Cleaning his litter box was a big deal.  Even giving him treats was a big deal that ended up with him hissing, growling and lunging towards us as if he wanted to rip our eyes out.
I first met “TC” and his human companion, Linda, around the same time as I earned my master cat groomer certification.  “TC” was dirty, greasy and slightly matted.  Linda dropped him off one day for boarding and jokingly asked if I would give him a bath to help solve the dilemma of his grooming needs.  I laughed.  She laughed.  Then we both looked at “TC”, still in his carrier.  He’s the only one who didn’t think it was funny.
“TC” was only with us for a few days on that visit.  I would walk by him constantly, telling him that I was going to give him a bath.  He wasn’t amused.  I was hesitant and even forewarned Linda that he would probably look the same when she returned.  While I had a wealth of experience handling aggressive cats during years of cat rescue work, this was different.  I was newly certified as a Feline Master Groomer, after all, and “TC” was the type of cat that made even the best cat handling veterinarians cringe when he arrived for checkups.  
I tested the water.  Warmed up to just the right temperature that cats like during baths.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to trim his nails right away but that it would be okay.  Moving quickly before he even knew it, “TC” was on my hip with one hand on his neck and the other hand under his body with my fingers around his arm, his neck too thick for any sort of scruffing.  This is my usual stance for carrying any cat in the safest manner possible.   I walked with purpose to the grooming room.  Visions of shredded limbs going through my head.  Through his head, too, I’m sure.  Straight in the tub he went.  Water bubbling off his back and down his sides, he sat there.  We looked into each others eyes and at that moment, we each learned something that day.  One lather of degreaser and rinse, then over again.  A lather of hypo shampoo, then rinse again.  You never would have imagined he was the same cat from moments ago.  Out of the tub and onto a towel he went.  Wrapped up and patted down, then wrapped in another dry towel. The whole time never breaking contact from my hands on his body.  While I remained cautious, never once did I feel he wanted to bite me. After the blow dry, then for the nail trim.  Deshed treatment and comb out, who ever would have thought.  Looking back, one of my favorite moments with “TC” was after the groom, when I would clean his cheeks and whiskers with a cotton ball as a reward for his good behavior.  He loved those moments, too.  
The dreaded walk back to “TC’s” sleeping quarters was likened to being a pirate walking the plank with a musket ball tied to my foot.  Like the pirate, we both knew the outcome but doing so was a must.  No sooner than “TC’s” paws landed in his cabin, he would flip around and lunge towards me, with only the door between us now to keep my skin from being shredded.  Now and then someone will ask me where I got trained to groom cats.  The truth is, it was “TC” who really trained me, and all of the other aggressive cats who came after him.  It was “TC” who taught me to go out on a limb, so to speak.  To take risks and to try something even if you think you might fail.  
Many groomings with “TC” would follow and a few years flew by.  Each grooming was just like Ground Hog’s Day, just a replay of the first time he was ever groomed.  The last time I saw “TC”, there was something different about him.  I just couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was just a feeling that something was off.  When Linda returned to pick him up, I told her that something was different and since he was due for a vet check, it might be worth looking in to.  A few weeks later Linda called to tell me “TC” had crossed The Rainbow Bridge.  I was heartbroken, as I loved the special bond I had with “TC”, even if it was just for a short time while I was grooming him.  Not long after “TC’s” passing, Linda adopted another cat, “TC2” was her name.  Wouldn’t you know it, she was just like “TC” before her.  A feisty little pistol that I grew to love.  A couple of years ago I had another moment of thinking about “TC” and wondered how Linda was doing.  She was battling cancer and I knew that chemo treatments were difficult for her.  I looked her up and found her obituary, she died just a few weeks prior.  I’m sure “TC” was there to greet her at The Rainbow Bridge.  “TC’s” memory will always be with me and I often wonder what became of “TC2”.  Hopefully she’s living with a relative or someone who loves her. 
Thanks, “TC”, for teaching me a valuable lesson……a life without risk is a life without reward.

PHOTO: “TC” enjoying the day on his patio at home.

Post Travel Tips For Your Cat

Whether you travel frequently or just now and then, we all spend a lot of time preparing for our trips.  Most people with cats often have a checklist to prepare their cat for their trip to our boarding resort, but did you know that post travel plans are important as well?  With a little planning, your cat will easily transition from home to boarding and then back home again!
At our feline exclusive resort, we have a process to help your cat settle in quickly and the same is needed after your trip.  When you arrive home, place the carrier on the floor and open the door.  Allow your cat to have a few minutes to take in the surroundings from inside the carrier.  Go about your routine and let your cat come out of the carrier at their own pace.  Be sure to keep the environment calm and quiet for a few hours, as your cat will be used to the relaxing sounds and calm environment of The Cat Chalet.  Your cat may hide after leaving the carrier and that is very normal for a day or two as they adjust to being home again.  Once your cat becomes accustomed to their travels to The Cat Chalet, they will transition back home right away and oftentimes they will need no time at all to go back to their home routine.  
Additionally, it’s important to clean your cat’s bowls before their first meal home.  Throw out any stale food remaining in food bowls and put them in the dishwasher or wash with dish soap and water.  It is best to use glass or stainless steel for food and water bowls.  Plastic bowls, or other porous materials, can easily harbor bacteria. 

KITTY DAY CARE – Is it a thing?

If you have dogs, you most certainly have had the need to send them to doggie day care at one time or another, dropping them off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon.  Many dogs love this regular field trip to interact with other dogs and let’s face it, most dogs love going places.  Cats and dogs are as different as night and day, and a day care environment for just a few hours is definitely where their needs couldn’t be more contrary.  
Visit any walking trail and you are sure to see dogs greet each other, generally with friendly encounters.  Cats….um, not so much.  I would never recommend introducing your cat to a cat from another household for a casual encounter such as a day care environment.  In fact, we have a strict policy at my feline exclusive boarding resort that protects your cat from any physical contact with any cats not living in their own household.  Of course, your cat will see other cats and even if they can’t see them, they’ll instinctually know there are other cats around.  
While dogs tend to settle in to new spaces fairly quickly, cats often need several hours, or even over night, to settle in to a new environment.  For boarding guests who come to us for the first time, our process is to give them time to settle in over night before we let them explore outside of their Chalet.  Return guests, however, settle in rather quickly and are ready to enjoy socializing with staff immediately and want to leave their Chalet to walk around their Village.  
Getting to know as many cats as I have over the years, professionally as well as personally, I do not recommend cats be put in a day care type environment where you leave them for only a few hours.  Although over the course of the years, we have welcomed many cats to join us for the day when there is some unusual activity going on at home, such as carpets being cleaned, home repairs, the moving process, etc.  Your cat will certainly much rather be in our calm resort environment for the day instead of dealing with unusual activity that will disrupt their relaxation.  During times such as this, it is also extremely risky that your cat might escape through a door left open by a repair or moving person.  So, we welcome your feline family members to visit us at The Cat Chalet for a day visit when the need arises.  If you live outside of the Reno/Sparks area, search for a feline exclusive resort close to you.

(PHOTO: JuJu recently joined us for the day while some home repairs were completed)