Cats as attraction

@adrienne12 @Joan On the subject of hunting and gifts,
one of my favourite memories involves my lovely Norwegian.
It was a hot summer Sunday afternoon, everybody in the neighbourhood had their windows wide open and you could hear people chatting and clearing up after their lunch etc. Kasha (the cat) suddenly appears with half a roast chicken, still warm…!! She must have gone through somebody’s window and just taken it off the table :open_mouth: :flushed:
We tried to persuade her to go back and get some roast potatoes and gravy but she just gave us a regal stare and refused.

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I would welcome staying at a “house o-critters” (except snakes). Talk about guests not noticing INTENDED pics of cats, I had the opposite. My condo HOA forbids renters to have pets on premises. I happily took pics of my condo & posted them on Airbnb & the rule “NO PETS” in the description & house rules.

Guests kept asking about bringing dogs. I was terribly irritated, what part of NO PETS could be misunderstood.

Then I noticed…in several of the pics was my beloved schnauzer (RIP) in the lower corner with the look of “what cha doin’”. A few featured a yorkie butt as he scooted out of the room (he doesn’t like photo flash).

I’m so accustomed to them being everywhere I go, I never noticed them in the pics. Cropping was required.

I would definitely prefer to stay somewhere with pets, dogs or cats!! I specifically chose a place in Costa Rica that was owned by a woman that did dog rescue down there and I loved hanging out with the dogs. We’ve stayed at several places in various locales where there have been cats and people telling us to just put them outside if they tried to come in or apologizing for them. I always told them they’re welcome with us! Several years ago we were visiting my husband’s relatives in Sweden and a friend of my husband’s allowed us to stay in their apartment. The only catch was his friend and his wife were actually going to be out of town and they asked if we would mind taking care of their cats. I was so excited!! We were on a bit of an extended trip and I was missing my own pets so much. I’ve never enjoyed scooping a litter box more! Our Airbnb is in the building next door to where we live, but we used the yard for our own dog to sniff around (not for pottying, she had a different space for that). She just passed away in January at 18, but I can’t tell you how many guests have rushed down to the yard when they saw us out there so they could meet her over the past couple of summers we’ve been hosting.

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So sorry to read this. My condololences.

I would love to do travel dog sitting. It’s a thing already, I just can’t make enough to be away from here very much. But someday I hope the twain shall meet.

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Thank you so much. It’s been really rough, as you probably know. She was my “heart” dog as they say (not the dog in my profile photo, he passed in 2016 of lymphoma), and I miss her every day. It was remarkable she lived to 18 though as she was a medium sized (45 lbs.) dog. My cat’s the only one left now, and he’s 19 and has squamous cell carcinoma. :frowning: That’s the hardest thing about pets, they just don’t live long enough.

What a great idea! I hope you get to do it at some point. Dogs are a little more work though so your ability to get out and enjoy the place you’re visiting might be impacted, but it would still be fun.

Adding my condolences @Arlene_Larsson. It’s hard for non-pet-owners to fully understand how heartbreaking it is to lose a much loved animal friend. When you’ve been together for so long it is a real wrench. Even when they’re young, it really hurts. I lost two young cats to traffic and I was devastated, felt like it was partly my fault for not protecting them enough. Plus I had a distraught sobbing 7 year old boy who couldn’t bear to sit on the sofa any more because his furry wee friend wasn’t there to cuddle. Damn, that was a really bad mother’s day :cry:

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Thanks and I’m sorry for your loss too. There’s always something it seems that instills guilt along with the sorrow because we played (or believed we did) some hand in their passing, whether actively or passively. I really appreciate your condolences.

I am also so sorry to hear of your loss. !8 years is such a good innings for a dog, and she will have shared so much of your personal history in that time. I’ve always felt that it is easier to mourn a pet, even perhaps more acceptable, than a person. Perhaps that’s because we have more complicated relationships with people and the questions we never asked surface when they die.

Your loss is still very raw, so I hope you have some loving support from someone who understands. When our cats died last October, I found the next 2-3 months excrutiatingly painful but could share it with Mr Joan. The worst was the cat flap blowing in the many storms over winter here.

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Love it! Sounds like you have found a niche, why not make the most of it! How about creating a video to include on your listing? You could film your furry friends climbing and hiding in your rental - and maybe include a bit showing your cat being fussed or played with (just to show cat loving guests they will get plenty of “cat-interaction!”)

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@Arlene_Larsson Im so sorry. Pets are members of our families and we love them dearly. Sometimes we love our pets more than certain people. Of course it hurts like crazy when they die. I am so sorry for your loss. If it’s any consolation he was loved and had a good life and will live in your heart forever.

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@iGMS I didnt know we could put videos in our listings. I guess one learns something new everyday. I’ll look into it. Thanks.

I didn’t either. We can on our profile I think (like that’s going to happen :slight_smile: ) but not listings. Excellent.

My neighbor has 4 pugs. The racket was unbearable. It’s a semi detached house. You can hear the daughter telling them to shut up! So we go through a 2 week period where we hear nothing and start to get concerned. And then worried. What could have happened? Poor little fuzzy wuzzy AHA! Back at it again! Venus and Mars are alright… .

They can be a very vocal breed. Especially when the delivery trucks pull in. I try very hard to be a good neighbor and keep them inside most of the time. And my guests really love them. Funny little creatures for sure.

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Hey Jacquo trying to reach moderators directly can you send me a message! Thanks!

What ! Not Head MOUSE Keeper?

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Definitely worth a look! Doesn’t hurt to show off what you’ve got!!

Or cateraction? :grinning::grinning::grinning::grinning::grinning::tiger::lion::paw_prints::turkey::cat:

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Little dogs = barking

I have a squirt bottle. When I can tell one of my two puppers is going to bark I shake it. My older boy sulks and quietens.

Sometimes My younger dog pushes and barks, gets squirted and Commanded “no bark”. The younger dog has figured out how far the bottle sprays, stands just far enough to be out of reach and barks as he wishes until I get close, then stops. He’s a stubborn little s@&$t

Love your idea! I, too, make sure to book somewhere with pets so I don’t get lonely.
As for your catifying, Jackson Galaxy (the cat whisperer from Animal Planet) has a book out called “Catification” with lots of ideas for building/adding features for cats. It includes some amazing stuff that I won’t ever be able to afford.
The photos aren’t at my AirBnb but at my own home… but they might give you some ideas. The bedroom upstairs has a large opening to the living area below which has a cathedral ceiling. This little “trail” allows the cats to go up and into the bedroom – they can also exit via the standard stairs… this is supposed to give them a “revolving door” effect which prevents fussing and hissing.
Judy

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