How We Became House & Pet Sitters
See that sweetie to the left? He came into our lives as a straggly, hungry, love-starved and abandoned cat and he's the reason we became house and pet sitters.
In 2012, we had just bicycled thousands of kilometers from our home of Vermont, USA, to Jalisco, Mexico. While taking a break from our travels along the shores of Lake Chapala, we decided to rent a dwelling. Each evening 'Orange Kitty', as we took to calling him, would pass by the screen door of our rental apartment, loudly yowling as he made his regular rounds. He sounded forlorn and hungry and our hearts broke every time we heard him. |
After observing Orange Kitty for a couple of nights we decided to try to get close enough to assess what kind of shape he was in. While skittish, he eventually allowed us to approach. After giving him a good scratch-love session and a little food, it was clear he was in no hurry to be anywhere else. The next morning we found him huddled in a ball on the patio, meowing demurely, obviously waiting until we caved and took him in.
He had us at the first "meow". Just the week before, Sheila had lamented how she missed our cat who had passed away just before we headed out on our bicycle tour, announcing that she needed some 'kitty-time'. Also, it wouldn't be the first time we had taken in a lost or abandoned cat - the cats we'd previously owned had been rescued from the streets or an abusive situation.
He had us at the first "meow". Just the week before, Sheila had lamented how she missed our cat who had passed away just before we headed out on our bicycle tour, announcing that she needed some 'kitty-time'. Also, it wouldn't be the first time we had taken in a lost or abandoned cat - the cats we'd previously owned had been rescued from the streets or an abusive situation.
It became obvious over the next few days that Orange Kitty had previously been a house cat - potty trained, affectionate, and claiming laps and the end of the bed as his rightful thrones. After unsuccessfully trying to find his previous owner we began looking for a forever home. We posted photos of him on local, online discussion boards, hoping someone would adopt him. In the meantime, we took him in, gave him a bath, got him checked by a vet, administered flea & worm medications and tried to get him back to a healthy weight.
Eventually, a neighbor (and now a friend of ours) saw Orange Kitty's photo on the forum and knew they were meant to be together. He and his wife contacted us to come visit and within the week we were delivering Orange Kitty to his new home. The couple's home and large yard was a paradise for a cat. Orange Kitty, who went on to be named Karli, quickly integrated into the family. Having rapidly befriended the couple's other kitty and soon accepting the love and attention given to him by his wonderful new owners, we were very happy for Karli but having fallen in love with him ourselves, it was difficult to let him go. Fortunately, our new friends were kind enough to invite us over for the occasional visit. And when they needed to go out of town a few weeks later, they asked us if we would be willing to pet sit while they were away. We accepted immediately. During our stay with Karli we decided, on a whim, to post our story on the local online forums and to offer our free sitting services to others in the area. 'Why not?', we thought. We're perfect for the job and we love animals and have plenty of experience that qualifies us for house and pet sitting. We felt it would be a win-win to be able to provide homeowners peace of mind and a full time presence in their home in exchange for accommodation and a place to write and work. The next morning we checked the forum and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves swimming in requests from homeowners eager for our services. We've been house and pet sitting ever since and loving every single minute of it, all thanks to Karli! |
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