Not home alone

On a recent flight back to New Mexico from Ohio, I sat next to a young man named Shawn who was headed to California for the Rose Bowl. It didn’t take long chatting to discover we both had cats we’d had to leave in the care of pet-sitters while we were away.

We commiserated about the challenges of finding just the right people to take care of our furry loved ones, and shared disbelief at how some people don’t take that seriously.

“You can’t just leave extra food and water out and think they’re going to be OK. It’s more than that,” he said. “Think how you would feel if the person you were closest to and depended on the most was suddenly gone!”

I couldn’t have agreed more. Mom always said to make sure I told my pets whenever I was going away, and assure them I’d be back soon. I always followed that advice — except once. That morning I needed to get up at 5:30, but somehow I’d set my alarm to ring at 5:30 p.m.! Freudian slip maybe. I’m not a morning person.

I got ready in a flash and shouted, “Bye guys; I love you!” as I flew out the door. Four days later, I returned to find the cats not as exuberant as usual, but mostly happy to see me — except for Trinket. Trinket’s my little love child. She wakes me up in the morning with snuggles, and is frequently found standing on her back legs at my feet, her front legs reaching up like a toddler wanting to be picked up and hugged.

When she didn’t show up, I went looking for her and found her hiding under the bed. When she finally came out, she totally ignored me, and when I tried to pick her up, she stiffened her little body and turned her face away.

I was devastated but I knew exactly what I’d done to cause this. It took Trinket nearly 16 hours to forgive me, and I’ve never left her (or any of them) like that since.

I used to do a lot of pet-sitting when I lived in Columbus, mostly for clients of the veterinary clinic where I worked whose critters included everything from a 100 pound sheepdog to two tiny sugar gliders and everything in between. I loved pet sitting.

There’s something very satisfying about showing up to home where the human family is away, and filling that void for the furry family members left behind — like the sugar gliders who shared their room with a chinchilla, a guinea pig and occasionally the three cats and two dogs who also liked to hang out in there.

At the pre-visit, I learned how and when to feed the sugar gliders, and how to provide the dust bath for the chinchilla. That job was really fun.

Pre-visits are a vitally important part of any pet-sitting gig. That’s where you meet all the critters (no matter where they are in the house), get the keys and/or door codes, find out what to do if you accidentally trip an alarm, learn where the food, treats and medications are and how to administer them, where the cleaning supplies, litter and paper towels live, and where the cat likes to hide when she’s stressed.

You make sure you have all the important phone numbers, including their vet’s number, and (this is highly recommended) a copy of a letter giving the clinic permission to treat in an emergency. Then the fun starts!

After I’d been pet-sitting for some time, I became aware of something very interesting: about two or three days before the family was due home, the animals’ behaviors would change. They’d be less interested in food, less playful, more aloof. It never seemed to matter whether the family had been away for a week or two weeks or even longer. Somehow they just knew.

There are theories about how pets know when it’s time for us to come home from work, but how do they know when the vacation is over? I chalked it up to some psychic or spiritual connection we can’t even comprehend, and it never ceased to amaze me.

If you’re a pet-sitter or are shopping for one, the Humane Society of the United States has a really good on-line article called “How to Choose a Pet Sitter.” Check it out!

I’d like to thank Shawn from Columbus for inspiring this month’s column and, of course, my amazing and wonderful pet-sitter, Diane. You are a blessing!

(Colleen Dougherty is a writer, educator, artist and behavioral health therapist. Her 20-plus years in animal welfare include jobs and volunteer work in veterinary clinics, animal shelters and TNR organizations. She has been a speaker at the New Mexico State Humane Conference and the National LINK Conference in Albuquerque, holds degrees in art and counseling therapy, and graduate certificates in eco psychology and humane education. Her passion is building joyful and respectful relationships between animals, humans, and the Earth. She began writing Paw it Forward in March 2016.)