When I go pet sitting (mostly cats and rabbits), you'll see me carrying around a black bag that looks rather heavy! It's not just a matter of taking keys, and I'm off. It seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, so sat down with it just now to see what's in there.......
A bag of bin liners
I get through loads!! I've got bin liners of every size, from very small ones, to great big heavy duty black ones. I don't like to leave rubbish behind, it's not nice for someone to come home from their holiday to find it all - and after a few days it can smell. So, if I've had to throw away food left over from the day before, dispose of food containers, or have cleaned out the litter tray, it all goes into a plastic bag of some description, and then gets thrown away in the outside bin - every day.
Antiseptic wipes
Happily these aren't needed for every visit, but dealing with messes are more common than you'd think. Whether cats have missed the litter tray, or been sick, it all has to be cleaned up. And I always like to leave a spotless sink area, so will wipe down every day.
Kitchen roll
Sometimes people leave these out, but I can't rely on that so always bring a roll along with me. I never know when they'll come in handy.
Loo roll!!
On a busy day I'm going from house to house, and at some point I'll need to use the bathroom - I really can't just pop home! It's amazing how many times there's no loo paper on the roll when people leave to go on their hols, so I make sure I bring my own!
Tea towels
To my mind it's essential that cat bowls are properly washed every day - even if they just eat dry food. And of course they need drying, and I don't want to be using too much kitchen roll, as it's a waste of paper. Sometimes there are tea towels in the kitchen, but I don't like to use these - I prefer to use the ones I've specifically brought for drying cat (and rabbit) bowls.
Sporks
I don't use the forks in cutlery drawer as many people don't like to use the same implements for their pets - so I bring my own! I have lots of coloured plastic spork (cross between a spoon and a fork) that I take from house to house with me, ensuring they're always cleaned properly between visits.
Sanitiser gel
Sometimes cats pick up bugs and viruses, and I think it's important that I don't pass these around as I go from house to house. So I ensure that I always wash my hands then use sanitiser gel to kill of any remaining nasties at the end of each visit, before I go to the next one. I learnt about the necessity of being scrupulous with germs from my visits at Animals in Distress, and I think it's been a great lesson.
Hand cream
I'm always washing my hands so my hands can get very dry. The hand cream is in the bag, but to tell the truth, it doesn't often come out! Don't really get the time!
Mobile phone
Obviously an essential item these days, but even more so for me, so that I can send texts to all the animals' families while I'm out taking care of their little treasures.
Keys
I've usually got a large bunch of keys with me, all labelled up securely so that I can tell (and no-one else can) which houses they belong to. So they don't go astray in the bottom of my bag, I keep them all in a pencil case.
Emergency Food
Wouldn't it be lovely if all the cats I visited dutifully ate all the food that was left for them? Sometimes though, this doesn't happen, and I don't like to think of them going for days without eating. There can be many reasons for this but it's possibly because they're on their own all day and night, apart from my visits, getting bored. If they're used to eating the same food all the time, chances are they'll also be bored with that too. You know how it feels - if what you have to eat doesn't appetise you, you can lose your appetite. Plenty people tell me that if the cat is really hungry, he'll eat. Well, a lot of the time I find that's just not true - or at least they'll leave it far too many days to eat, and then I'd worry. So, when I'm visiting I like to be certain the cats are eating, and if that means I've got to tempt their taste buds with something different, then that's what I'll do!! Oh, and treats. Very useful for distracting cats who'd otherwise try to squeeze out the front door with me when I go!
Well, that'll be why it's so heavy then.......
A bag of bin liners
I get through loads!! I've got bin liners of every size, from very small ones, to great big heavy duty black ones. I don't like to leave rubbish behind, it's not nice for someone to come home from their holiday to find it all - and after a few days it can smell. So, if I've had to throw away food left over from the day before, dispose of food containers, or have cleaned out the litter tray, it all goes into a plastic bag of some description, and then gets thrown away in the outside bin - every day.
Antiseptic wipes
Happily these aren't needed for every visit, but dealing with messes are more common than you'd think. Whether cats have missed the litter tray, or been sick, it all has to be cleaned up. And I always like to leave a spotless sink area, so will wipe down every day.
Kitchen roll
Sometimes people leave these out, but I can't rely on that so always bring a roll along with me. I never know when they'll come in handy.
Loo roll!!
On a busy day I'm going from house to house, and at some point I'll need to use the bathroom - I really can't just pop home! It's amazing how many times there's no loo paper on the roll when people leave to go on their hols, so I make sure I bring my own!
Tea towels
To my mind it's essential that cat bowls are properly washed every day - even if they just eat dry food. And of course they need drying, and I don't want to be using too much kitchen roll, as it's a waste of paper. Sometimes there are tea towels in the kitchen, but I don't like to use these - I prefer to use the ones I've specifically brought for drying cat (and rabbit) bowls.
Sporks
I don't use the forks in cutlery drawer as many people don't like to use the same implements for their pets - so I bring my own! I have lots of coloured plastic spork (cross between a spoon and a fork) that I take from house to house with me, ensuring they're always cleaned properly between visits.
Sanitiser gel
Sometimes cats pick up bugs and viruses, and I think it's important that I don't pass these around as I go from house to house. So I ensure that I always wash my hands then use sanitiser gel to kill of any remaining nasties at the end of each visit, before I go to the next one. I learnt about the necessity of being scrupulous with germs from my visits at Animals in Distress, and I think it's been a great lesson.
Hand cream
I'm always washing my hands so my hands can get very dry. The hand cream is in the bag, but to tell the truth, it doesn't often come out! Don't really get the time!
Mobile phone
Obviously an essential item these days, but even more so for me, so that I can send texts to all the animals' families while I'm out taking care of their little treasures.
Keys
I've usually got a large bunch of keys with me, all labelled up securely so that I can tell (and no-one else can) which houses they belong to. So they don't go astray in the bottom of my bag, I keep them all in a pencil case.
Emergency Food
Wouldn't it be lovely if all the cats I visited dutifully ate all the food that was left for them? Sometimes though, this doesn't happen, and I don't like to think of them going for days without eating. There can be many reasons for this but it's possibly because they're on their own all day and night, apart from my visits, getting bored. If they're used to eating the same food all the time, chances are they'll also be bored with that too. You know how it feels - if what you have to eat doesn't appetise you, you can lose your appetite. Plenty people tell me that if the cat is really hungry, he'll eat. Well, a lot of the time I find that's just not true - or at least they'll leave it far too many days to eat, and then I'd worry. So, when I'm visiting I like to be certain the cats are eating, and if that means I've got to tempt their taste buds with something different, then that's what I'll do!! Oh, and treats. Very useful for distracting cats who'd otherwise try to squeeze out the front door with me when I go!
Well, that'll be why it's so heavy then.......
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