As a member you will receive exclusive offers, updates on Dyson’s latest Animal technology, hear from pet experts, and qualify for Dyson’s friends & family rate on all Dyson Animal machines — up to 45% off the suggested retail price.

Sign up through Sunday, November 22, to get a unique member code you can enter at the Dyson.com check-out page to get your special rate. Members will have through December 31st to redeem their coupon codes.

And do visit the Dyson Catster Group to meow back and let us know what’s on your mind.

Cat Lady Artist Susan Faye has an August giveaway I know you’ll love: she’s giving away one of your choice of three cat lady totes (two are shown here.)

This giveaway has a fun twist: you have to submit a kitty haiku. Should be fun!

To enter, go to Susan’s blog, 365 Cat Ladies, and leave your haiku in the comments field of the contest post. The winner will be chosen at the end of the month. You can enter through August 31st.

To find out more about Cat Lady Artist Susan Faye, check out her interview in The Cat’s Meow.

Good Luck!

Click here to see these amazing special needs pets and their amazing, loving owners.

This is Part 3 of a series on Fluffy’s Staycation: What to do with cats who stay behind while you travel. In conjunction with this series, PetSmart is sponsoring a giveaway in which the lucky winner will win an overnight stay and TLC at a PetSmart PetsHotel. To enter, just leave a comment on this post, and on every post in this series. Each comment serves as your entry in the giveway; no more than one entry per post per household, please. Details here.

We used to live in a great house in a resort town and anybody we knew would practically pay us to cat sit for us because it was a perfect weekend getaway spot.

I usually relied upon my aunt and uncle for cat sitting duties. They were the best cat sitters EVER. They were both animal lovers, and did a great job, leaving a detailed “report card” behind to describe how the cats behaved over the weekend. Once, my aunt relayed the story of how our cat Rocky climbed into bed with them and fell asleep on top of my Uncle Clyde. My aunt said that it was the first time in 42 years of marriage that she’d seen my uncle sleeping with a cat. And it was the first time Rocky had slept in the people bed when people were in it.

NOT EVERY FRIEND/FAMILY MEMBER IS GOOD CAT SITTER MATERIAL

But not every friend or family member has what it takes to be a great cat sitter. Two members of my husband’s family delivered up my worst cat sitting experience. Everyone we knew was out of town on the weekend we wanted to get away. We debated hiring a pro when my husband suggested that we invite two of his relatives (let’s call them John and Mary) to do the honors.

I wasn’t convinced that they were a good choice. They don’t have cats, and Mary is a space case who seems to live part of her life in an alternate universe. But hubby talked me into it. After all, how hard is it to put down kibble, Fancy Feast and water over a 36 hour period? (We didn’t even ask them to clean the litter boxes — we had several self-cleaning boxes, and had put out an extra one that would provide sufficient capacity until we returned.)

Upon our return, we saw that John and Mary did take the time to write a note thanking us for the generous gift certificate we left them for our favorite local restaurant, and they even noted how friendly “Roger” was (they never could get Rocky’s name right). They added that they hadn’t seen Mao and thought he might have snuck outside.

It was apparent that they had failed to grasp the concept of cat sitting. The food dishes were completely empty (which was very unusual, because our cats refuse to eat the kibble “crumbs” at the bottom of the dish unless they’re famished) and not a single can of cat food had been opened. The water dishes were bone dry. Evidently, on Mary’s home planet the cats don’t need food or water for sustenance. I said a lot of words from the Bad Word List.

Since we were only gone for a day and a half, no harm was done. Mao showed up within minutes of our return. But it illustrates that often, licensed and bonded cat sitters are a better choice than friends or family members.

DOES UNCLE ROY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

If you’re thinking of asking friends or family to cat sit for you, first evaluate whether they’re a good choice for the job:

1. Are they “cat people”? If you have to think about it, even for a moment, a professional sitter is probably a better choice.
2. When they’re in your home, do they pet your cats at an arm’s distance and discourage them from jumping up on them because of the cat hair or allergies? If so, they’re not cat people. Go with a pro.
3. When you explain your cats’ unique preferences (”break up the wet food so it isn’t just a big glob straight from the can and garnish with 4 Temptations”) do they listen intently, or do they interrupt and say “yeah, yeah, I know how to feed cats,” or “you’re kidding, right?” If they’re not listening intently and taking copious notes, go with a pro.

If you’ve eliminated everyone you know from contention, hire a pro.

Here’s a cautionary tale from Catster Aldo in Baltimore:

“I say, always go with a pro! Mommy had an elderly neighbor feed us for a week while Mom was out of town. She agreed to it because his wife said that it would “give him a sense of purpose,” even though she had a terrible feeling about it. No offense intended to elderly folks, but he could barely see.

“Well, Mom was gone two days when a friend called and said “I saw Squeaky outside your house! At least I think it was Squeaky. Sure looked like her to me.” Mom had to cut her vacation short and drive 500 miles in a panic, and yes, poor Squeaks was outdoors and terrified.”

Several pet sitting organizations have member directories:

• Petsitters.org
• Petsit.com
• Pet Sitter Portal
• Petsitters.biz

And depending on where you live, Yelp and Catster Local can help you find sitters in your area.

Once you have a list of potential sitters, review their websites to determine what services they offer and to learn more about the pet sitter before you contact her. If you only have cats, search for one that is cat-oriented.

INTERVIEWING THE CAT SITTER
Schedule an initial meeting with the cat sitter in your home prior to engaging her services. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule an interview. You should aim to have your cat sitter interviewed and selected several weeks before your travel date.
Pet Sitters International provides an interview checklist here.

Here’s what to look for in a cat sitter interview:

• How does she interact with your cat?
• How does your cat interact with her?
• What’s your initial gut reaction to this person? (Trust your instincts!)
• Is it someone with whom you would entrust with the keys to your home?
• If your cat requires medication, watch the potential cat sitter administer it.
• Does this person engage with your cat as a cat lover would?
• Does she handle the cat knowledgeably and confidently, as a vet or vet tech would?

Additionally:

• Ask for references.
• Request proof of bonding and liability insurance coverage.
• The cat sitter should have a contract that you can review beforehand which spells out the terms and conditions of the engagement.
• You may be asked to sign a contract at the initial meeting, but don’t feel pressured to do so if you want to think it over or are considering other candidates.

Make sure that the person you are interviewing will be the person coming to your home. It’s not uncommon, especially around peak vacation and holiday periods, for some pet sitters to send substitutes to care for the clients’ pets. If that’s the case with your sitter, you should insist on meeting the substitute. If that’s not possible, select another sitter. If you engage the services of a pet sitting service (vs. an individual pet sitter), you also need to ensure that the person you meet and interview will be the person sitting your cat.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal cat sitter is someone who has training in pet first aid, care, and handling, is a rabid cat lover, and is trustworthy and responsible. Often, you can find sitters who are former vet techs–good if you have cats with special needs. Certification or accreditation indicates that an individual has met certain objective criteria through a course of study and testing.

A certificate can demonstrate a certain level of professionalism, and prove that they’ve mastered important care and handling skills, but it doesn’t vouch for an individual being trustworthy and responsible, or even a cat lover.

Most courses for accreditation or certification are conducted by correspondence or online. The two biggest groups in the U.S. providing this are:

• National Association of Professional Petsitters (NAPPS – not to be confused with the National Assoc. of Professional Process Servers) Phone: 800-296-PETS
• Pet Sitters International Phone: 336-983-9222

Keep in mind that an individual can be a member of these organizations without being accredited or certified by them.

And, whether she’s accredited or not, your sitter should be bonded and carry liability insurance.

Whether to choose a cat sitter who is certified vs. one who’s not is like deciding between hiring someone who is a college graduate, or one who’s not but has equivalent work experience. A college degree does not necessarily prove that the grad will be better at the job than the non-graduate. You have to look at the whole package. Same with sitters.

REFERENCES
Honestly, I don’t know how valid this is unless you know the references personally. The sitter is unlikely provide as a reference a client who sued him for killing her cat. And who’s to say that the references you’re given aren’t just friends and family of the sitter?

Certainly, call the references, but don’t stop there. Yelp and Catster Local can help. You can read reviews from both delighted and disgruntled clients.

If your cat has special needs–for example, if she’s diabetic–ask specifically for references from clients with the same needs, in this example, diabetic cats. Ask the reference when he used the cat sitter’s services, and how often he uses the sitter. If he doesn’t use that sitter every time he travels, find out why.

THE CONTRACT

The contract should cover the following:

Live-in vs. Commuting: Will the sitter stay in your house 24/7? If not, how many visits per day are required? If she’s staying 24/7 and you’ll be away on a long trip, how much time can she spend away from the house to tend to personal errands?

Duties: Will the sitter also be required to bring in the mail, water plants, adjust lights? Never assume they will unless spelled out in the contract.

Payment: Discuss payment methods and agree to terms. Be sure to settle on the per-day or per-visit fee, amount to be paid in advance (if any), terms for final payment, etc.

House Rules: Whether or not your sitter will be living at your home while you are away, let him or her know what your expectations are regarding use of your home and your appliances, food, and so on. Also set terms for visitation by the sitter’s friends.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE..

• Provide contact information for you and for your vet. I also include the contact info for an emergency vet.
• Provide your sitter with the names and phone numbers of at least one local contact who can help in an emergency.
• Leave detailed instructions for the pet sitter regarding feeding habits, medications, etc. I keep a binder with a page for each cat. It has their photo and name, dietary preferences, medications, medical history and preferred playtime activities.Petsitters.biz recommends that you cover the following in your instructions:
  • Feeding: Provide feeding instructions for each pet, including who, when, where, what, and how; for example: What are your preferred feeding times? Where should the food be placed? What food should be given to each pet? What should the sitter do if multiple pets compete for food? Should the sitter wait around until the food is gone and then clean up the dishes immediately, or should the food be left out unattended for the evening or overnight?
  • Medication: If a pet is on medication, leave complete instructions for administering the medication; for example: Where is the medication stored? At what time(s) each day is the medication given? What is the dosage? How is the medication administered?
  • Exercise: Provide detailed instructions for exercising your cats. Should your cats have interactive playtime each day?
  • Household Tasks: Provide detailed instructions for routine household maintenance tasks. How often should the litter box be cleaned, and how? Where should the daily mail be placed? Will you want your sitter to take out the garbage? If the phone rings, should the sitter answer it? Also, if your home has a burglar alarm system, ensure that your sitter is properly trained in how to operate it and what to do in the case of a false alarm.
• Plug in a Feliway Diffuser to calm your cats in your absence.
• Secure your cat doors.
• Contact your vet and leave a letter on file authorizing treatment and providing payment information so your cat can receive care if necessary while you’re gone. This might include a cap on the dollar amount of services you’re willing to pay for.
• Depending on how well you know your neighbors, let them know you’ll be gone and that a pet sitter will be visiting your house while you’re away.
• Purchase extra food and other supplies, in case your trip is longer than you anticipated.

MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF

These products can help:

The Cat Sitter’s Handbook – Personalized Guide is designed to offer owners peace of mind by informing the cat sitter about the peculiarities of a cat and her daily requirements. The easy-to-use handbook format allows owners to fill in appropriate information about their cats’ food, outside schedule, toys, rules, favorite chair, medication, etc.

Music Cats Love: While You Are Gone
A CD/MP3 of Calming music and soothing stories for your cat. It features over one hour of relaxing music mixed with soft nature sounds and short stories, creating a peaceful environment for cats who are left alone.

If you have a good cat sitter story–whether it’s a cautionary tale or a funny anecdote, tell me about it. If published in The Cat’s Meow, you’ll get five additional entries in the PetSmart giveaway.

A Niagra city clerk was able to snap a photo of the elusive cat.

COPS NOTEBOOK: Police nab feline … finally

There are many words you can use to describe the new Niagara Falls municipal complex.

One of them would be FORTRESS.

The new home of Cataract City cops and the City Courts is nothing if not impregnable. Between closed circuit surveillance cameras, multiple security doors and a squad of newly minted court security officers, the building appears impenetrable.

Unless, apparently, you’re a wily feral cat.

After taking over control of the complex from the contractors, police and court officials discovered that a cat had taken up residence in the facility and seemed to like it there. How exactly it got in and how it was getting food and water were mysteries.

One thing was certain though, the cat would not be caught easily.

It appeared to prowl in the offices of the City Court Clerk. One of the clerks was even able to snap a picture of the somewhat demonic looking (OK, maybe you can blame that on the lighting in the room) feline but not catch it.

The day before the new building went into service, a team of trained police officers “swept” the facility in search of the little critter but came up empty. However, as the officers prepared to leave, after resecuring the building, one of them happened to glance at a window in the office of Chief City Court Clerk Martha Farbo-Lincoln.

“The cat was sitting there in the window, just looking at us like we were fools,” the officer said.

Police were prepared to bring in K-9 Pharaoh to find the furry little intruder, when court personnel were finally able to corner it the court clerk’s mailroom earlier this week. Finally trapped, the cat did not go quietly or easily.

“He was just wild,” Farbo-Lincoln said. “You couldn’t touch him or have someone take him home.”

So, court personnel simply chased the cat out of the building but not before he sprayed the mailroom.

“Yeah,” Farbo-Lincoln laughed. “It’s pretty bad in there. We’re going to have to get that cleaned up.”

I guess they haven’t heard of TNR yet in Niagra.

[PHOTO: Niagra Gazette]

Hey evrybuddy, Skeezix heer. Today thare are 2 vary speshul berthdays being sellubrated on Catster. The ferst, as yoo mite alreddy have gessed, is Toulouse’s berthday. He is 14 yeers old today. PHEW!!! That’s OLD!

Toulouse is one of the ferst frends I made on Catster, and I consider myself vary lucky to be counted among his 1000+ frends. Toulouse is always thare to help anycat in need, and he’s at praktikly evry pawty thare is on Catster! It’s cats like Toulouse hoo help make Catster the most magical spot on the innernets.

Reesintly, when a groop of Tennessee cats needed to be rehomed, Toulouse helped form a groop to get the cats adopted out and organize an auction to raze munneys for expenses. Toulouse does stuff like that all the time. Yoo can count on him no matter what.

Win peeple ask me whut I do on Catster, it’s an easy qweschun to anser: I make lifelong frends like my buddy Toulouse. Happy Berthday, Toulouse!

And check back a little later today for an in-depth interview with a Catster Fashionista hoo is sellubrating his 20th berthday today!

In a Reader? Click Here.

You can follow Pebbles on Twitter. Speaking of Twitter, you can find out what goes on behind the scenes at The Cat’s Meow by following Skeezix on Twitter and Facebook.

On Tuesday night, a cat sprinted across Wrigley Field during the 4th inning. Against the backdrop of the iconic ivy-covered walls, the calico deftly eluded capture while several employees tried to corral her. (Cubby Cat got her licks in — those employees were treated for nips and scratches.)

A security guard finally caught the cat but suffered the wrath of the fans after he grabbed Cubby Cat by the TAIL and lifted her over the wall and into the stands.

Cubs spokesman Peter Chase defended the security guard who picked up Cubby Cat by the tail, and said he felt the employees did well under the circumstances. “We all think the young man who picked up the cat did the best he could in a very unique situation,” Chase said. “The cat had already bitten several of our employees, including the young man who was doing his best to corral the cat on the field.”

A Wrigley groundskeeper said she should be named “Ozzie,” after White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who claims to have seen giant rats at Wrigley Field.

A kind veterinarian at the game took charge of the cat and pronounced her no worse the wear for her adventure. She’ll be held until it is verified that she does not have rabies (several Cubs employees were bitten), and it is hoped that someone will claim her or offer to adopt her.

The Cubs are no strangers to baseball cats. In fact, many Cubbies fans believe the team is the victim of the curse of the black cat. In a 1969 game at Shea Stadium, a black cat walked past third baseman Ron Santo during a Cubs-Mets game and “cast a haunting glare at [Santo], then headed for the Cubs dugout, where it stared down the Chicago players as it skulked back and forth,” according to Suite101. The cat was blamed by many Cubs fans when the Mets won the World Series that year.

No one will be casting any blame in Cubby Cat’s direction, though: the Cubs won Tuesday’s game 7-2.

[PHOTO CREDIT: The Chicago Tribune]

Cats are not particularly environmentally friendly pets, but there are things you can do to live green (or at least, a little greener) with your cat. It’s not necessarily easy, and I can’t guarantee that Fluffy will cooperate. But if you can even make just a couple of the following changes in your feline’s lifestyle, you can make a pawsitive impact on the environment over the life of your cat.

And if you keep the three R’s in mind–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle–you’re likely to find additional ways to live greener with your cat.

1. Forego Fish
Generally speaking, fish is not healthy for your cat. Mercury levels can prove deadly, and fish is the source of many urinary tract and thyroid problems.

But feeding Fluffy fish is bad for the marine environment as well. The pet food industry uses 10% of the supply of wild forage fish in the world. Wild forage fish are at the base of the marine food chain, providing sustenance to everything above it. Wiping out populations of wild forage fish eliminates the food supply–either directly or indirectly–of just about everything in the ocean.

2. Make Homemade Cat Food from local organic ingredients
Okay, I can hear your chortles of, “yeah, right,” from here. But you can make it in weekly or twice-weekly batches and it won’t take any more time than a trip to the pet food store. What does this have to do with the environment?

• Commercial cat food packaging clutters landfill.
• Significant amounts of fossil fuel are expended in shipping the ingredients around the globe to commercial cat food processing plants.
• Fossil fuel is expended in shipping the final product to your pet food store.

An added bonus, you’ll be able to relax the next time a pet food recall is issued.

Keep in mind, it’s not as simple as boiling some chicken. Do some research before you start to ensure that your cat is getting all of the nutrients necessary for optimal health, and keep in mind that ingredients that are tasty to humans (onions, garlic, raisins) can prove lethal to Fluffy.

Now when all that homemade food makes its way through to the other end of your cat, you have to consider the impact the cat’s waste has on the environment…

3. Switch from Clay-based Cat Litter to a Plant-Based Alternative
Clumping clay-based cat litters are produced through strip mining, not an enviro-friendly process.

They contain bentonite which, when ingested can wreak havoc with your cat’s respiratory and intestinal systems. Clay-based litters produce a lot of dust, which contains silicon particles that have been established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known human carcinogen, A recent study found that clay-based litter silica dust in cats’ lungs, and that cats with respiratory disease had up to six times the amount of silica in their lungs as healthy cats.  

Try plant-based alternatives (wheat, pine, corn, paper, etc), or a flushing cat litter box which uses permanent crystals that are washed clean while the waste is flushed with water (but read #4 first).

4. Don’t Flush That Poo! … Wait a Minute, Maybe Not!
This issue is complicated and controversial. So I’ll present the facts and leave you to make your own decision.

The main issue with flushing poo is that sea otters and cat feces are a lethal mix. Scientists and researchers have recently discovered a correlation between Toxoplasma gondii (a parasite only found in cat feces) and the decrease in the sea otter population off the California Coast. T. gondii is not eradicated during the waste treatment process, and can eventually be ingested by sea otters with lethal consequences. In other words, flush cat poo, kill a sea otter.

But one can argue that waste that ends up in landfill is as bad for the environment as waste that ends up in our waterways. Clay-based litter does not break down in landfill, and some have claimed that the volume of cat litter in landfills is greater than that of diaper waste. Toxoplasma gondii in landfills can leach into the water supply. Seagulls frequent landfills and can transport Toxoplasma gondii to the ocean.

Does your head hurt, yet? What’s an environmentally-conscious cat owner to do?

Keep the following in mind:

• If your cat is a strictly indoor cat, it is unlikely that she has Toxoplasma gondii, and her poo is safe to flush.
• If you live more than 1000 miles from the sea, your flushed cat poo is unlikely to kill sea otters.
• If you use a flushing litter box that uses permanent crystals instead of clay-based litter, your solution is probably “greener” in the long run than depositing waste in landfill.

If you live in the western U.S. and your cats are not strictly indoor cats, click here for more info, then decide for yourself.

5. Use biodegradable disposal bags and litter box liners.
This is an easy switch. Biodegradable litter box liners are on the market and readily available online if you can’t find them at your local pet supply store. When you dispose of the waste, reuse paper grocery bags or use biodegradable waste bags. If your grocery store already uses cornstarch-based biodegradable bags it won’t cost you a penny.

6. Don’t Buy Cat Litter That’s Packaged in Non-Recyclable Plastic
Hard to believe, but some name-brand litters are packaged in non-recyclable plastic tubs. If you’re set on buying plastic-packaged litter, look for the recycle icon before you head for the checkout counter. We make a habit of buying cardboard-boxed litter because I think it degrades more easily in landfill.

6. Spay/Neuter Your Pets
Because it’s the right thing to do.

7. Keep Your Cats Indoors.
Cats kill songbirds, and keeping them indoors keeps them away from birds. It will also keep your cat from ingesting vermin that have been poisoned by neighbors, eating snail bait, chugging antifreeze, and other outdoor hazards. If your cats absolutely have to go outdoors: 1) Keep them inside during the morning, the time when birds are most actively foraging for food and vulnerable to attack, and 2) Put lots of bells on their collars.

8. Embrace Sustainable Cat Furniture

• Buy furniture made of sustainable woods like bamboo or recycled cardboard materials.
• Don’t toss out ratty furniture; refurbish it. For example, revamp your old cat scratching post with new sisal (a really easy project).
• Buy local. Products that are locally grown and manufactured use far less fossil fuel than those transported from, say, China.

9. Create Back to Basics Cat Toys
Fancy battery-powered plastic cat toys are often no more appealing to your cat than a toilet paper roll and a length of clothesline or a rumpled ball of recycled foil. Grow your own catnip and stuff it into a hand-stitched fabric remnant. Build your cat a playhouse from old packing boxes. You’ll save money as well as the environment, and your cat will be none the wiser.

10. Adopt Rather Than Buy from a Breeder
If you have a particular breed in mind, you can adopt a cat from a breed rescue organization (like Siamese Rescue) rather than buying from a breeder. You’ll save a cat’s life, and you’ll decrease the demand for breeder-raised cats, thereby decreasing cat populations, which in turn diminishes cats’ impact on the environment.

Do you have any green-living tips to share? Leave them in the comments and we’ll publish the best this week.