Squirrels and hedgehogs

I live in a house less than a mile from Manchester City Centre, and although I have a garden it's rather small, so you might be forgiven for thinking that I see little wildlife. Well, you'd be wrong!!
For the last 3 years or so I've had a regular squirrel visitor. My sister thought he was just one of loads, but then she lives in a big garden with lots of trees, so probably has loads herself. No, I knew it was just the one. The first time I saw him he had pulled down the bag of nuts I'd left out for the birds, and was busy running around the garden burying them. I'm sure he thought they'd be there for whenever he needed them, but the birds were watching.......

Over the years he's come back again and again, although never buried nuts again. Still took the bag of nuts intended for the birds, but he hid them somewhere else. Bella became fascinated by the squirrel, and they became friends of sorts. When they first met, Bella would sit at the foot of the fence cackling like she does with the birds, and the squirrel would screech back. Mostly she'd just sit and watch, sometimes talking to him, but if he got a bit brave and came out into the middle of the lawn, now and again she couldn't help her cat instincts. Although she can climb, he was smaller, quicker and can climb trees better, so happily she didn't get him.

Sadly he wasn't quick enough to escape a car one day while crossing the road. I'd never have known, except for bumping into the estate caretaker who told me he'd just cleared up the remains of a squirrel who'd just been run over. I knew it was our squirrel, and I knew it would be a long time before we'd see another. That was about 3 weeks ago now, and sure enough, no more squirrels. RIP squirrel, we loved having you around.

Anyway, lunchtime yesterday I was sitting in the lounge, and Bella was outside, with the back door open. I heard her shout - she normally does this as she's running in with something important to tell me - but she didn't come in. A couple of minutes later I thought I'd go into the garden, and immediately saw the cutest little hedgehog right in the middle of the lawn, searching out grubs and insects in the grass roots.

I thought Bella would love to see this, she'd never met one before (as far as I knew). Then I noticed Bella sitting on the side of the garden just a few feet away. She looked odd, staring into space somewhere and seemed to be panting a little. I couldn't understand why she wasn't staring fascinatedly at the hedgehog. I picked her up and she was all floppy. She didn't make a sound (she always says something when I pick her up), and seemed to be somewhere else entirely. I brought her into the kitchen and put her down, but she went outside again. She still didn't look right though......

By the then hedgehog had moved towards the shrubs, and Bella followed - at a safe distance. I was sure that the shout I'd heard was when she'd gone for the hedgehog, and probably found a very unexpected spike. I tempted her in with the promise of Brush, so that I could see how she was. No apparent damage to her mouth or paws, and by then she was pretty much back to her old self. I guessed she'd just had a nasty shock!

Well, hedgehog came back again this morning, and found a couple of Bella's treats that she'd had on the patio and went a bit soggy in the dampness - loved them! Tried a couple of chunks of Felix in Jelly and chomped away very noisily. Hedgehog was really very happy with us - no apparent fear and seemed quite relaxed. Bella was fascinated to watch, but every time he got close to her (and they really do move quite quickly!), she'd run away. Now and again a paw would go up to swipe him if he got too near, but she never quite made contact - I'm sure her encounter yesterday was still very fresh in her mind.

Last I saw he was squeezing through the gaps in the back gate to go into the front garden - and Bella followed a few seconds later. I'm hoping he'll stay safe from cars, although hedgehogs don't have a good track record! I'd like to think they can develop a good friendship.......

Keep your cat happy while you're away

If you have pets, whenever you go away, even if it's just for a weekend, you have to decide how to take care of them. Dogs tend to go either to kennels or to boarding with a professional dog boarder, or perhaps to friends.

If it's a cat you have, you can choose to book him into a cattery, but more and more these days people say their cats are far happier if they can remain at home - in their own comfortable and familiar environment, with all the smells and sounds they're used to. They're very territorial animals and many don't take kindly to being uprooted and put in a small cage or run for the whole week, or perhaps longer. There's no doubt that there are some excellent catteries that care extremely well for their residents, but for many it's just not home.

So, you've decided to leave your cat at home - who's going to come and feed him? Some people have some great neighbours, or perhaps friends or family they can rely on. But often there's no-one nearby, or you just feel it's an imposition, especially when it comes to dealing with the litter.

That's where a professional and caring cat sitter can be invaluable. But there are a few important things to consider if you want your cat to be as happy as you are while you're away.

Firstly, take care to find the right cat sitter for you and your cat.

• Perhaps get a couple to come and visit to see who you and your cat feel happier with. Don't just go for the cheapest - after all, when you decided to have a cat you knew there would be costs involved in providing the right food, good vet care, and of course while you're away. Ask questions, find out why they became a pet sitter, what training do they have, are they fully insured and CRB checked? If your cat needs to take medication, are they experienced in doing this? Above all, trust your intuition.

Where possible, given your cat the run of the house.

• Or at least, as much as possible. I've looked after cats who have been confined to just one room while their human carers were away, and they were so miserable. If you're concerned about the furniture, what can you do to protect it?

Cat proof your house.

• Before you go, just have a look around to be sure there's nothing lying around that your cat could knock down, break, or even be injured by. Don't get too carried away, but it makes sense to take a few precautions.

Ensure your cat is calm, relaxed and happy.

• Our cats are used to human company, and can come to depend on it - I find it's a fallacy that most cats are aloof and not bothered about us. A cat sitter will provide some company, but it won't be you, and they won't be there for as long. Despite the fact that the cat will be happier in his own environment, will look forward to the cat sitter's visits, and will possibly sleep for a lot of the time, there's no doubt that they can fret and become anxious during a prolonged period of your absence. There are a few simple ways that this can be alleviated.
• Firstly, ask your vet for a Feliway diffuser (works like a plug in air freshener), and use this while you're away. They normally last for about 4 weeks of constant use. This mimics certain cat pheromones, which helps to reduce anxiety.
• The next thing you could do is provide your cat sitter with a bottle of Bach Flower Walnut Remedy, and ask them add this to your cat's water each day. This helps with the emotions connected with loss and change, and I've had some great success where I use it. For more information - on use and dosing: http://www.bachremedies.co.uk/. (Good for people too!).
• Don't change your sheets, or instead put a used sheet (or perhaps a worn item of clothing) on or close to where your cats sleeps or spends time during the day. This will carry your scent, which will be very reassuring.
• Finally, you could book an animal Reiki practitioner to come and provide treatments once or twice during your absence. Put them in touch with your cat sitter and they can arrange it between them. Even better, book a cat sitter who's also an animal Reiki practitioner (like me!!), and they'll get a dose of calming Reiki every visit. Have a look at my website to learn more about how Reiki can help animals: http://www.whiskerspetcare.co.uk/ (also good for people!).

Silence is Golden?

• Normally the house is full of all sorts of noises, and this is very reassuring for a cat. It's amazing what they can sleep through!! When there's no-one in for days on end, the house feels very empty. If it's possible, consider leaving a radio on, on low volume, on either a classical music or talk station. Cats respond well to music, and the sound of people talking. Another way to ensure that your cat is calm and relaxed. Also much more pleasant for the cat sitter!

How many visits and how long for?

• I find that people typically just book one half hour visit a day, sometimes without really thinking through what's best for the cat. If you feel your cat would benefit from a longer visit, or more frequent visits, then discuss this with your cat sitter. Perhaps a longer visit every few days would be a good idea. However, please don't think your cat will be fine with a visit any less frequently than daily. They really do need human company more frequently than that, and you should also consider what would happen if your cat became poorly or injured himself.

Tell your cat what's happening.

• Have you noticed that when you talk to your cat, he really seems to understand what you say? Although cats don't actually understand the language, they do seem to get used to familiar words. Animals communicate far more with feelings than we do (it's pretty much a lost art for people as we've come to depend upon verbal communication so much) and are great at receiving the sense behind the words.
• So, why not sit down with your cat and let him know what's happening? Tell him that you'll be away and explain that humans have a need to get away from their home territory from time to time. Reassure that you'll be back again in a few days (although time doesn't mean much to animals, they'll get the sense of this). Explain that while you're away, someone will be coming in every day to feed him, and most importantly, give him lots of TLC.