I had to go out of town last week to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of a good friend. My friend’s death was sad and sudden. There wasn’t much time to do more than throw some clothes in a bag and buy an airline ticket online before I had to fly out early one morning.
Luckily, scrambling for last-minute pet care was not an issue. I have a built in pet-sitter in my neighbor, Cindy. She knows my pets’ daily habits, what they eat and how to check for signs of illness or distress. In short, she’s extremely pet savvy and beloved by my critters. And me.
In fact, when told her about Squiggy’s hairball issue, she brought over some of her cats’ hairball meds and gave some to her Royal Gurfness. Happily, I returned to a (so far) non-gakking kitty. Phew!
But my sudden emergency flight got me thinking. What I would have done if Cindy hadn’t been available? I could have asked another neighbor, or a nearby family member. But that would put a lot of stress on people who don’t need it. Especially when it comes to parrot care.
Most folks can put down some cat food and change a litter box. But not everyone knows how to care for parrots. What they can eat. What might be deadly.
I suppose I could have boarded my parrots at my vet’s office. But that creates potential exposure to disease. And it would have stressed Goose and Gaia out to be taken from their home and placed in a loud and strange environment.
Studies show that it is less stressful for pets if they can remain at home, assuming they aren’t traveling with you. And assuming that can safely be done. So it looks like I’m back to the finding a back-up sitter. Oh Sis…… Yoohoo!
