Mochi to the Sitter

We would be away for 2 weeks to Japan (yes!) at the end of December and needed to look for a sitter/ boarding home for Mochi. 

The original intention was one of the cat hotels, then the possibility of a staycation at Auntie M's (aggro skating friend) house opened up. She has a cat too and we were about to make arrangement to see if Mochi would make friend (or foe) with her Coco. She and her family would also be away and the plan was for the helper to take care of the 2 cats. 

Then, she came back to say that her helper isn't keen to help. T.T We started looking for cat hotels, to realise that many of them are fully booked for end December. 

Interestingly, there are a couple of websites in Singapore to connect pet sitters and owners. I put up a request on PetBacker to either have a sitter come to our place 2x a day or to board Mochi for 2 weeks. The cost of a sitter is much expensive, taking into consideration 2x a day traveling time. While Mochi would be in a familiar environment, the idea of a stranger entering our home while we are not in Singapore isn't the most comfortable. Plus the sitter would visit only 2x a day, what if something happens to Mochi in between? 

We eventually decide on a boarding home for Mochi and made arrangement to visit 2 homes who responded to my request. 

Mochi isn't very happy to be in the carrier, maybe bcos each time he goes to the carrier, he found himself at the vet. Lol. 

The 1st home (in Yishun) said that she would at most board 4 to 5 cats at one time. What she didn't tell us is that she owns and fosters many other cats. I think there were at least 20 cats in her place. She has a simple computer table in the living room and a big bed in her bedroom and then most of the cats roam freely. A few of the cats were in cages, depending on the cat/ owner's preference, while the rest roam freely. The cats were literally everywhere but it doesn't smell.

Other than the times that Mochi was in SPCA,  he has never come into contact with other cats. We were not sure how he would react. We let him out of his carrier and he was obviously very cautious. He didn't quite like interacting with other cats but was happy to sit in one corner and observe. While Mochi had the chance to figure out what was happening to his life, we got the chance to interact with the other cats. We were like in a cat cafe, just without the drinks. Lol. Zaky ended up with stuffy nose when we left the home. 

We had to load a reluctant Mochi into the carrier. I don't think is was bcos he wanted to stay in the house; he simply hated the carrier. 

The 2nd home was in Woodlands. The sitter warned us not to be alarmed as she was boarding several dogs but to head directly to the "cat boarding room". This 2nd home now felt like a dog cafe. Lol. There were at least 10 dogs. It was not only noisy but a little stinky, like how most dog cafes are. 

The cat's room was quiet and smells clean. In fact, it looked like the boarder's kids' room. There is a double bunk bed, wardrobe and shelving. There were 2 other cats. While the sitter must obviously an animal lover (to tolerate all these animals), it does feel like this is more of a job for her that genuinely loving the pets. She said that she would be even busier next month. 

We visited 2 homes at each extreme spectrum. What an experience. We eventually decided on the cat cafe bcos we didn't want to traumatise Mochi anymore for more home visits. Let's hope all good and finger crossed!

Mummy Lim