(English will follow ) De plus, comme il s’agit maintenant d’un billet de blog au lieu d’un billet Instagram, j’ajouterai que je viens tout juste de me remettre d’avoir mangé du covid pour la Saint-Valentin, et que je suis encore un peu lent à répondre aux messages. Je m’excuse pour les inconvénients. Je reprends des forces et je me remets sur les rails. Pour les clients potentiels, le courriel (ou le formulaire de contact sur ce site web) reste le meilleur moyen de me contacter.   C’est la semaine annuelle des gardiens d’animaux à domicile professionnels PSI (Association internationale ..read more

Three years ago, after noting interest in organic produce from my clients, I subscribed to an organic veggie basket every two weeks for the summer/fall season at La Ferme Cooperative aux Champs qui Chantent . Registration for the 2024 season is currently open! I definitely recommend checking it out and reserving soon, as shares do sell out. When I board small pets like Guinea pigs and chinchillas, a twice daily fresh vegetable service is included in the boarding fees. I also provide fresh vegetables after a certain period to pets that visits in their own homes, like rabbits. I have been contin ..read more

I have been FASCINATED  by the current TikTok obsession with the Royal Carribean 9-month world cruise. And it also seems interesting that booking these all-inclusive type of trips months and years in advance might be an effective way at cruising through vacationing during times of inflation, since meals and most expenses are usually included in the package. It is also a great way of planning travel while coordinating pet care or plant watering coverage, because it’s easier to reserve services well in advance, rather than, say, the week before departure during periods of high demand. Yes ..read more

Pet Sitter Education Month Tips & Best Practices from Cornell Feline Health Center I saw this list from the Cornell Feline Health Center on my Facebook feed, and I DO ALL THESE THINGS!!!!! 1. New clients have a thorough registration meeting with me to go over all of their information. It generally lasts an hour. We go over the pet’s routine, where supplies and pet areas are, emergency contacts, and, if needed, the client demonstrates their preferred techniques for administering medication, food preparation, etc. 2. We go over the emergency medical plan, including veterinarian information ..read more

Recently, I was called in to do a last-minute pet visit for a regular client. I was happy to help – I had availability to accommodate them on my schedule and I had their keys on file.   What had happened was that the client was away that day and the cats had pulled the timed feeders out of the electrical outlets, so they had had no access to food. The client became aware of this because the feeders had wifi capability and could be controlled remotely, via an app. I stopped in to feed the cats, cuddle them, plug in the feeders, change the water, tidy the litter boxes and pet mess on the fl ..read more

These are NOT affiliate links. I tried that… and no one clicked on any of my links so they dropped my affiliate account. It’s ok. These are ideas only, of items I think my clients will find helpful, things I’d be happy to see in client homes. They might not work for everyone, they’re just ideas. https://linktr.ee/catsandhamsters This idea list covers all the species of pets I care for, in no particular order, which currently includes: Cats Hamsters Guinea pigs Rabbits Chinchillas Mice Hedgehogs Ferrets Some items may not be self-explanatory.  For example, 12″ wheels typically marketed f ..read more

As many of us have discovered, today was day of Cat World Domination. How might we peacefully co-exist with our cat overlords? Reward good behaviour. Positively reinforce desired behaviors with praise, treats, and cuddles. Build their trust. Play and enrichment. Tire them out with wand toys so they won’thave the energy to plot further takeovers. Do not use hands or fingers as toys. Deweaponize. Trim those claws every 2-3 weeks. Short nails are much less effective in human-cat battles than long, sharp claws. Pet your cat. Some cat overlords prefer only hands-off interactions with their people ..read more

Happy Cat Month For Happy Cat Month, here are some simple tips to keeping your cat happy, from your neighbourhood cat sitter. In no particular order: 1. Access to clean, fresh water at all times. Some cats like drinking directly out of the faucet, but they should still have another source of water in case the water stops. Likewise, if you use a pet water fountain that has zero access to water if the power goes out, then an additional bowl of water is needed. 2. Keep pet water fountains clean. If you have a water fountain, be prepared to completely disassemble it almost daily, including the m ..read more

Due to popular interest, Cats and Hamsters is now pleased to offer rabbit and Guinea pig pet sitting and boarding clients a new daily fresh produce option – Cats and Hamsters’s Special Selection! This new option will include a species-appropriate vegetable and fruit selection comprising a special selection of: organic produce produce grown by myself from seed in my community garden plot produce from the public markets I am excited to share that this summer I am trying a local organic farm share, La ferme coop Aux Champs qui Chantent, and will include produce from that share in the daily Spec ..read more

I saw this great TikTok about overgrown cat nails and what that means for the cat: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLokDqsM/?k=1 I have posted a number of Facebook Lives and YouTube videos about how to trim cat claws. Some cat owners think their indoor-only cat can maintain their claws solely via scratching posts, but I’ve repeatedly found this to be ineffective. Cats might be able to sharpen their claws on a scratching surface, but not all cats are able to do this, and the resulting claws end up needle-sharp! If a cat’s nails becomes overgrown, it will continue to grow into a circle until it embeds it ..read more