I thought you should know a little about me since you are thinking of entrusting your home and precious feline family member(s) to my care!
I first learned that professional pet sitting existed in 1987 when my husband and I were living in Phoenix, AZ and needed someone to care for our three cats when we came back to New York for Christmas. I thought that would be a great thing for me to do when we got back to New York to live. Well, one thing after another happened that delayed those plans, but I finally started Safe and Sound Cat Sitting in April of 1998. Since I have two school age children who I need to be available for, the flexibility of caring for only cats and other small indoor pets is 'purrfect' for me. Currently we share our home with seven who were adopted from various places. I've always had cats in my life, and although I love all animals, I'm truly a 'cat person'.
Introducing, in order of their appearance into our lives......
Dexxie- a stray who showed up on our deck (hence her name) several winters ago eating stale bread I put out for the birds. She's gray long-furred and about ten years old. Although she looks real tough, she's really a sweetie. Not into cuddling, but says she loves us in other ways like with her great purr and expressive eyes. Took her awhile to adjust to all the youngsters invading her territory, but she has, and they're all happy. Phew! :-) Dexxie died of thyroid and heart disease in July of 2005. We miss her.
Ellie- from Pet Outreach, a black shorthair with a patch of white on her chest and belly. She is the shyest of the group. Our oldest son and she have bonded. Ellie was rescued from a feral situation when she was a kitten and still thinks she's not going to get enough to eat. So, she's a little plump at the moment.
Lucy- from the ASPCA, is a tuxedo who was left on someone's porch when she was a kitten so they brought her to the shelter. Can you imagine abandoning such a sweet thing? She reached her long legs with the polydactyl toes on the end out of the cage to me and the rest is history. She is the clown of the bunch and our resident escape artist. Always looking to get into mischief and usually succeeding!
Clawdia- aptly named due to the sharpness of the needles she has growing out of her feet! She's rather moody but has her cuddly moments. She has the smoothest coat and really great tufts on her ears! Boogie is Clawdia's brother. He's the sweetest kitty in the world! He's mostly orange with a little white and longhaired with some Bengal markings. He'll jump from the floor into my arms and loves to ride around on my shoulders. I'm convinced he's the reincarnate of my Cotton who I lost to heart disease three days after Christmas in 1991 at the age of sixteen. He was also the only long furred orange and white one in the litter. Coincidence? Perhaps.... They were rescued from the State Fair grounds in April 2000 by a volunteer of Feral Cat Friends along with the rest of their litter. She bottle fed all five and found homes for them. Her name is Judith, and she's truly an angel.
These are our two newest additions; Rudy & Jasper.I went with a friend to Kitty Corner, a cat rescue organization, to see what it was like and couldn't get that black, long-haired tuxedo guy out of my mind. Well, we couldn't leave his brother behind. So, he came home with us, too! They are the sweetest little monkeys!! Rudy is full of mischief just like I knew he would be(must be something about tuxedos), and Jasper is an angel cat, but can also be quite the bully to the others. He has a heart murmur, and we're going to make sure he gets the best care and all the love possible. They both like to give love bites which sometimes don't feel so loving! Boogie enjoys having two brothers after being the only boy in the cat family, and the three aren't usually far from my side. Turns out Jasper is my feline shadow. :-)
I am also a field rep for a great holistic pet food\product company called, Healthy Pet Net. Their food, Life's Abundance was formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks, a highly respected and nationally recognized holistic veterinarian. There are no by-products, chemical preservatives, artificial colors or cheap grain fillers in Life's Abundance. My seven cats have been enjoying it for over two years and love it! If you would like a free sample of the dog and/or cat food or information about becoming a rep, just let me know.
I'm also pretty handy with a camera.
Please check out my photography website.
Purrs & Headbutts,
Janet
