Houston Pet Sitting - Just Cats Pet Sitting

In the past few weeks, friends have asked why I've gotten serious about our business at Just Cats Pet Sitting. There are actually two things that come to mind. One of the first reasons I got serious about this Houston pet sitting business is the need for a cat-friendly sitter. I have not gone on a serious vacation for the past couple of years because I couldn't trust someone else taking care of my cat Ginger. I've had friends in the past do it (in which I felt guilty in asking each time) and others had offered too, but I wanted someone who was cat-focused like I was. Someone who knows and loves cats as much as I do.

When I did a search on Google for "Houston pet sitting", I found pet sitters who were mainly focused on dogs. Granted, they had a picture or two of a cat, but where were the cat pet sitters? I typed in "Cat pet sitters Houston" and was reverted back to the same dog-focused pet sitters. This is where I found a need for a cat-only pet sitter. If no one else in the city of Houston could do it, I could. This was the start of Just Cats Pet Sitting - Houston's Premier Cat Sitting Business.

Oh! I forgot to mention the other reason why I got serious about Just Cats Pet Sitting. Pablo, the co-owner told me he loves to clean the litters and feed our three girls. Who loves that!? So, I figured, why not get paid for something we love to do. Meow.

Caring For a Cat with IBD - Part 1

$700, a large wound, and no explanation, I left the vet's office in 2008 with no clear answer. My newly adopted cat Ginger had unexplained medical issues that even a cat veterinarian couldn't figure out. I came home at the end of the week from a business trip when I noticed a large wound on the left-side of Ginger's neck. It had looked as if a dog had grabbed hold of her and took a chunk out of her small neck. I cleaned the wound and brought her into the vet the next day. The vet ran a blood test, took a urine and fecal sample and didn't know why she ended up with a wound on her neck. They had asked numerous questions, which were unrelated to her issue. They even considered her wound to be result of a "fly bot" larvae nestled in her skin which caused her to itch away at her neck. They proposed to cut a small incision into her neck to check. I frighteningly agreed, not knowing that the vet really had no idea what she was dealing with. Ginger was placed under anesthesia and a small cut was made. Ginger went home that day with a band-aid neck cast and no larvae to be claimed for.

Fast forward 4 years later, same story unfolded. Ginger would continue to have periodic wounds and scabs on her neck that I would clean and take care of for her whenever she would have a flare. She had a hot pink band-aid with purple hearts that I would place with gauze whenever she would itch herself raw. I kept her nails short so that she wouldn't create such a large gash as she did the first time. It became normal for us. Itchy skin, small wounds, no one knew why. She also became a dainty eater. She weighed 8 pounds and was a small cat, considering she's part Maine Coon. Ginger would eat a few bites of wet and dry food. At that time, I had done some research between the 4 years and had taken her to a new vet. The vet proposed that it could be food allergies and to do a test trial of hypoallergenic foods. We tried different brands, prescription and non-prescription foods and it seemed that she itched less with a certain brand. Her lips were also noticeably puffy when we did the food trials - that was a good indication to us that she was allergic to certain foods. The recommendation from the vet got me one step closer to what she had been secretly dealing with all of her life....food allergies. This was just the beginning of her struggle with feline inflammatory bowel disease aka IBD.