Am I a bad mother?
I have booked Maggie into the cattery for next week while we are on holiday. The kindly cattery man, whilst organising her stay, made me feel an absolute monster!
Cattery man: So, what does she like to eat best?
Me: We just give her dried food. Iams mostly, but whatever.
Cattery man: No meaty cat food?
Me: No.
Man: And when you give her a treat, what do you give her?
Me: erm, I don’t give her food treats.
Man: Right. Now, we have our own freshly laundered sheepskin beds here, is it ok that you don’t bring her normal bed?
Me: (starting to feel embarrassed) she doesn’t actually have her own bed. She always sleeps on the landing floor.
Man: Will you be wanting to bring any toys?
Me: She doesn't have any. She just likes to play with aluminium foil balls.
Man: oh. Ok then. Now. Does she have any foibles?
Me: Not really.
Man: Is she likely to get upset.?
Me: Well she always seems to forget all about being in the cattery after being home for 5 minutes.
Man: (sounding suspicious) hmm, well, you’d be surprised.
Actually I think he will be surprised. In my opinion (which may be biased) Maggie is the perfect cat.
(caveat: she does scratch the carpet sometimes, and likes to drink out the toilet, oh, and always meows a lot when you are parking the car – but her cuteness makes up for it)
Cattery man: So, what does she like to eat best?
Me: We just give her dried food. Iams mostly, but whatever.
Cattery man: No meaty cat food?
Me: No.
Man: And when you give her a treat, what do you give her?
Me: erm, I don’t give her food treats.
Man: Right. Now, we have our own freshly laundered sheepskin beds here, is it ok that you don’t bring her normal bed?
Me: (starting to feel embarrassed) she doesn’t actually have her own bed. She always sleeps on the landing floor.
Man: Will you be wanting to bring any toys?
Me: She doesn't have any. She just likes to play with aluminium foil balls.
Man: oh. Ok then. Now. Does she have any foibles?
Me: Not really.
Man: Is she likely to get upset.?
Me: Well she always seems to forget all about being in the cattery after being home for 5 minutes.
Man: (sounding suspicious) hmm, well, you’d be surprised.
Actually I think he will be surprised. In my opinion (which may be biased) Maggie is the perfect cat.
(caveat: she does scratch the carpet sometimes, and likes to drink out the toilet, oh, and always meows a lot when you are parking the car – but her cuteness makes up for it)
posted by Rach at 14:21
12 Comments:
Not wishing to make you feel more like a monster, but I would just like to make you aware of this.
I feed the Jimster Hill's which I have just found out is on the bad list too. Dammit, I thought it was only Iams that was evil, now I feel like a monster too! It's a shame, because he really likes Hill's dried food, it's the only dried food he'll touch in fact. I will have to try some of those recommended "non evil" foods.
Jimmy doesn't have any toys and never gets any food treats, mostly because he doesn't like toys or food treats. They confuse him.
He does have an "activity centre" with a bed at the top though. And his own drinking water fountain which I highly recommend.
oh noooooooooooooo
I feel worse now.
Chris, does jimmy actually drink out of that contraption? Do you leave it running all the time? Doesn't seem very environmentally friendly.
Oh Rach, please don't feel bad!!! Our cat Fifi sleeps in the garden - on the damp ground - she has a bed but doesn't use it. We give her Iams which she mainly ignores as she prefers live animals which she catches every day. (don't know abou animal testing - our house is a regular 'killing field' akin to 'Nam) She has toys that she won't play with...you do your best for your cats, and this is how they repay you!!!! Remember a cat is a miniature tiger...they will do/eat/play with/kill whatever they please!!!
In an attempt to make you feel better I can report that Marmite (still unclaimed by whoever dumped her in the garden and therefore likely to be stopping here if we can get her and the dogs to get along) is far happier playing with an empty shoe box and a piece of string than with the toys that the vets have let us borrow! She's far more confident and playful than she was on Saturday - quite a character!
Hi Rach - I have been so preoccupied with trying to run a business and three children that I didn't notice your kind, kind message or your link to Twice - so a very belated THANK YOU! And, on the subject of cats - don't feel at all bad - Minty (rescue tortoiseshell) doesn't get fed at all (well, maybe once or twice a week) because somehow she manages to get food from somewhere secret and despite being on a permanent diet (as far as I'm concerned) manages to get fatter, and fatter ... and fatter! I'll post a photo one day and you'll see what I mean!
Caroline x
If you consider that 700 years ago a cat was a wild animal & perfectly capable of looking after itself.... then, no, you are not a bad mother. In fact, you are nurturing independance and a can-do attitude which is surely better than pandering to their every need. (But you could take up knitting and leave the ball of wool around to play with now and again)
Where did you book the cat into the Ritz !!!!!!!
Rach - this sounds a bit like people quizzing me about my actual children (different food naturally).
Cats and children are happiest with minimum fuss I find - our cats eat whatever is around (kids too), play with whatever they can catch and sleep on whatever clean washing is available (eldest daughter too - sadly!)
J
x
Hello - no need to feel bad about your mothering skills! Our cats are just the same - my children (human one that is) spend a fortune on toys for the cats who in return just stare at them blankly and walk off tails in the air. Their favourite game at the moment is just staring manically in the mirror at us!
Kim x
Sounds like Maggie is off to a very posh cattery, do you think she'll want to come home ;o)!
Hope you have a fab holiday.
I've tagged you for a thinking blogger award.
L x
No you're not a bad mother, just sensible. I have four cats who I think love me - at least they show every sign of it and a cattery that cares for them well and appreciates my being sensible - and they never see me as the person who took them there in the first place, only the person who rescues them and brings them home afterwards. Hope you had a good holiday! BTW thanks for your comments on my blog - much appreciated!
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