Beautiful Moments as a Cat Sitter: Puss In Sink

You’ve heard of Puss in Boots? Well, how about Puss in Sink?

The thing about living life from one pet to the other is the absolute joy (and laughter) it brings. And it keeps resurfacing in time.

The last time I saw Moo-Moo, pretty much, she was nestling in for the night, in this bathroom sink! If only she’d told me she needed a bed for the night! I would have shared mine with her happily. I’m used to that after 30-plus years of pet sitting around the globe!

So much for brushing my teeth! Perhaps I can brush Moo-Moo’s instead. She looked pretty happy in her puss in sink comfort.

For me, cats are the funniest creatures. Dogs may be more faithful (and, at times, clingy) … but cats are totally weird and wonderful. And adorable and hilarious. Which is why Mark Twain had it right – in his many comments on cats, including the following:

Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.

Mark Twain

Puss in Sink: Or Washing Machine Infatuations

Moo-Moo loved the sink. Her sister loved watching the washing machine on the spin cycle. She would climb on top and gaze inside as though watching the planet twirl. Then her head would go round and round and round … incessantly. Let’s call these infatuations cat-fatuations, or catuations. Every cat has them.

In truth, most animals I’ve looked after crack me up in different ways. There are always memorable moments like this.

In my constant craving to have a cat again, I moo-moo up the memories.

Twain owned at least 19 cats in his lifetime. So, who looked after them on his travels? (It’s not something I can find the answer to on a quick research … to revisit.) Sometimes, he missed his cats so much that he rented out cats to keep him company when he was abroad. That, I can understand. And I found the perfect answer, decades ago, in pet sitting.

Here’s to remembering Moo-Moo. And all other priceless pets of my life. They are a universe in themselves.

Mark Twain pats a puss on a billiard table — Cat games: Cats apparently calmed Mark Twain. So dd playing billiards. So he combined the two whenever possible with his pet and voyager-rental cats!

To read more of my adventures as a global-roaming writer and pet sitter extraordinaire, join Tamara Thiessen Travels on Facebook and Instagram – and my @CrittaSitta persona on the latter, too.