Search Results for: blog diary of a cat care b ampb the biggest cat ever

Is My Pet Overweight?

I’m not a vet, and I don’t play one on TV. But I do work with cats, live with dogs and cats, and read and write a lot about animals. One question that comes up over and over is this: “Is my pet overweight?” I get asked that at least once a week at the cats-only boarding facility. And I worry about it for my own pets, too! My dog Lally regulates her eating well — she only eats when she’s hungry. If I left food out all the time, she probably wouldn’t gain a pound. My dog Moose, on … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: the Worst Part of the Job

It feels like this year has been a rough one for some of our favorite clients at the cats-only boarding facility. Some of our long-time visitors succumbed to chronic health issues or old age. It feels like we’ve been sending a lot of condolence cards. I don’t like it. Not one bit. We said goodbye to another dear friend this week — you may remember him as the biggest cat I’d ever seen. When he first came in to board for a weekend, he tipped the scale at almost thirty-four pounds. On his latest visit, he was down to almost … Continue reading →

Prince Chunk and Other Plus-Sized Pets

I have extra-large pets on my mind, since we had a return visit from the biggest cat I ever saw at the cats-only boarding facility. Mr. Big-But-Lovable tipped the scale at a mind-boggling thirty-three pounds the first time we met in late spring. This time around, he’s down to twenty-nine pounds… and I can already see a difference. Mr. Big used to be very rigid through his torso, and nearly unable to flex at the waist. Now, with just four pounds gone, he’s already able to bend more. It’s really encouraging to see such improvement with such a small change! … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Family Dynamics

Many of our guests at the cats-only boarding facility are “only children” — they are they only pet in the house. Or at least the only cat. But we do have some families that come to stay. Some are actually related by blood; others are family in name and dynamic only. Recently, we had a pair of male cats at the boarding facility. We didn’t have a crowded house, and were able to put the boys in an isolation room together. (When things are crowded, we often have to use the isolation rooms for overflow from the main boarding room.) … Continue reading →

You Know You Work With Animals If…

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With apologies to that Jeff Foxworthy guy, I saw a list of “how you know you’re a vet tech” today. Some of the things made me giggle; others made me go “huh?” But then, I’m not a vet tech. But I was inspired to start my own list: you know you work with animals if… You pluck shed tufts or pick eye goobers off other people’s pets. I’m guilty of this one all the time. I can’t resist picking those eye goobers! You measure your own pets’ food very carefully. Since I started at the cats-only boarding facility, I’ve gotten … Continue reading →

Cats Who Won’t Groom

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We’ve had guests at the cats-only boarding facility who can’t or won’t groom themselves. I started to wonder why. Looks like there are a lot of different reasons why a cat might not groom him or herself. Here are a few: Illness. A cat that doesn’t feel well might stop grooming. Many times, this is the first warning sign an owner will notice when their pet is sick. Maybe you’ll see mats, or just notice that your cat isn’t as clean as usual. It’s not a bad idea to talk to your veterinarian if your cat has stopped grooming. Hormonal … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Smelly Cat

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If you were a fan of Friends, you may remember Phoebe’s song called “Smelly Cat”. The lyrics went something like this: Smelly cat, smelly cat… what are they feeding you? Smelly cat, smelly ca-at, it’s not your fault! And hoo boy, did we have some smelly cats at the cats-only boarding facility over the Memorial Day weekend! But just like there are lots of different personalities in our guests, there are lots of different smells. Some cats have food that smells awful. We have one guest (who I adore) who eats the grossest-looking and smelling food. I swear, it looks … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: the Biggest Cat Ever

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We have a very unusual guest at the cats-only boarding facility right now — the biggest cat I have ever seen. We’ve had some large guests before — I can think of at least one who weighed more than twenty pounds and a few who came very close to the twenty pound mark. But this cat tops them all. He tipped the scale at a whopping thirty-three pounds when he arrived. Everyone who comes in can’t help but notice the big guy in the isolation room. This poor cat was too big for our regular condos — he couldn’t even … Continue reading →