susan

As I sit here on Thanksgiving Eve, on the floor with my laptop and a resort full of beautiful cats surrounding me, I can’t help but reflect on the amazing things that have happened so far this year and all that I’m thankful for.  In February of this year, I closed escrow on the purchase of this building that is now home to The Cat Chalet.  Buying this large commercial property as a solo project was no small feat for me.  I have spent the last 27 years as an unmarried woman so molding my financial freedom has been the result of decisions of my own making.  Many, many years of hard work as a single mother, saving money and creating avenues of various income streams has put me here today.  

I’m thankful to be an American and it’s not lost on me that all that I have today is entirely due to my mom’s ability to come to America.  My mom immigrated to America as a young mother in her early 30’s, unable to speak more than a few words of English but ready to work hard for a new life.  It is my mom’s strong German work ethic and her ability to adapt to any given situation that has made me the woman I am today.  Unlike all the kids we went to school with, my siblings and I grew up with a long household chore list as well as projects that would allow us to generate income to pay for groceries and whatever else needed to be paid for.  While growing up there were many times I hated it, but now, as an adult, I realize that it was those moments throughout all those years that gave me the ability to thrive during all of my life’s challenges.

As I reflect on those days, my favorite memories are of spending countless evenings making the most beautiful Christmas ornaments out of satin balls and sequins.  My mom, my siblings and I would sit at the kitchen table, each with our own assigned tasks and little work stations, and we would craft away into the evening with the aroma of a pot of beans in the kitchen and the record player spinning to the tune of Engelbert Humperdinck in the background (every German woman’s dream!).  I was six years old then, but I remember the details of our little assembly line and how my siblings and I would walk through the neighborhoods, knocking on doors and proudly displaying our tray of ornaments as we peddled our wares from house to house.  Still to this day, I unpack these treasured and now vintage ornaments each year when I decorate my home for Christmas.  When I have guests in my home during the holidays and I share my ornament story, many are in awe that small children could create something so unique and timeless.  But that was our life back then and all of that brings me to this moment now.  

When escrow closed, the real work was about to unfold.  For four months, a small handful of my family members worked day in and day out, to transform an ugly office building into the resort we have today.  Everyone was sworn to secrecy, as we didn’t want the word to get out until we were ready.  Believe me when I say that a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into creating this resort (as well as a lot of F-bombs, ha!).  When we were ready to make the announcement, we had no idea what to expect.  Stefanie, Gary and I had spent many hours planning the build-out aspect but we didn’t have a clue how long it would take to get the word out or how long it would take to fill the resort.  As it turned out, it only took two months to have our first fully booked weekend.  

So, as I’m about to leave for the evening and return early in the morning for a busy Thanksgiving day with our feline guests, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you, our former clients and new clients, alike.  I’ll happily spend Thanksgiving day in pajamas with a ready made vegan Thanksgiving dinner (thanks, Whole Foods!) and all of your special kitties all day long (yes, we really do go to work in pajamas on Thanksgiving and Christmas day!).  When Stefanie comes in, we’ll be decorating the resort for Christmas so if your cat is spending the holiday with us, you’ll return to see our resort beautifully decorated with a very unusual Christmas tree and our beautiful cat themed decor!  Thank you for joining The Cat Chalet culture, we are grateful you are here.  Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re reading this, more than likely you’re a cat lover and quite possibly searching for a place to leave your cat while you travel.  As cat lovers, we certainly understand the desire to want to visit with any cat that crosses your path.  We are quite guilty of this ourselves when we visit shelter settings or visit friends who are owned by cats!  

As we go about our lives, it’s very easy to think about our own needs when interacting with any animal we see, especially if it’s an unexpected encounter.  After all, animals can’t talk so often in our own happiness of being around animals, we forget that they have needs as well.  Those needs may very well be the opposite of what we are feeling at any given moment.  Because it’s so natural for humans to want to love animals, most of the time we don’t even realize we are doing it.  

While acceptable in a variety of other settings, at The Cat Chalet we have a very strict policy that prohibits anyone other than staff from interacting with our boarding guests.  Every day is different at The Cat Chalet, just as every cat is different.  On any given day at our resort, we will have many first time guests as well as many cats who have stayed with us a number of times.  Each cat in our care is in a different stage of socializing with staff.  While many first timers will settle in right away, there are some who need more time and when that happens, we use our years of feline expertise to help them transition from any insecurities to feeling safe and comfortable in our care.  We have many ways of doing this, but one of the ways is to create a routine and eliminate any unnecessary noise or activity that could hinder our cats from moving on to the next step of socialization.  Any person who comes to our resort is a stranger to every cat here.  Imagine how confusing it would be to a cat to have multiple people coming up to them each day wanting attention.  This type of activity is very disruptive to a cat who may have just arrived or who is learning a new routine with us and wants to feel safe.

When loading up multiple grocery carts with cat litter, not a shopping trip goes by that a stranger in line will want to know how many cats we have.  We love the look on their faces when we respond “It depends on the day”.   We really do consider all the cats entrusted to our care to be “ours” even though it’s only temporary. As a family owned business, even our youngest family members have learned the different stages of transition for each cat and we proceed only when cats show signs of being ready to move to the next step.
So, whether you are visiting us for a tour or checking your cat in/out, we encourage you to speak softly and not approach any cat at our resort. We thank you for understanding and respecting the privacy needs of our feline guests.  Just remember, they are on vacation, too!

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.

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.