I have one client who is a complete nutjob. I don't regularly take care of her cats (thank god) but when I do have to take care of them, I end up rolling my eyes a lot.

The instructions for Saturday's visit included this specific bit of direction: Write this down......Py likes to have ice cubes put in his water. Please make sure you put ice cubes in his water or he will be VERY unhappy with you. Also, take Py out in the backyard for 10 minutes. He may not want to come back in because he LOVES to go outside, but he will be VERY unhappy of he doesn't get to go outside. He will be dying to go out. But, don't leave him out for longer than 10 minutes. Oh and the key is on the tree by the driveway. It is painted black so it cannot be seen. Make sure you identify the key first before reaching for it because it will be hard to find if it drops in the pine needles.

But more importantly, what will Py think of you if you drop it in the pine needles?

Py is also the ONLY cat I take care of that hates me. He hisses every time I visit. I already know what he thinks of me.

He's a Maine Coon, which are usually friendly beasts. I think he's been ruined by the nutjob.

why is it I picture said nutjob as somewhere between 70 and a hundred years old?

She's not. She's probably about 50.

oh...how sad

I used to have to give my brother's cats the filtered water from the fridge door, rather than tap water, because they didn't like tap water.

I make my cat sitters call me. :( I'm psycho, but Boris is on so many meds now that I get really concerned about him. They just use my house phone to call my cell and leave a message to let me know that he's still eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing, and such.

Py is the product of his owner - the ten minute of outdoor time is merely a moment of organized torture as he is first released and then chased around the yard only to be confined to the house and force to lick ice cubes for refreshment.

It's hardly a wonder that Py bit me.

Ooooo! Fresh carrots from my garden and the most fragrant sweet peas I think I've ever grown. I'm in heaven.

I tend to go with this thinking as well. I don't believe that them saying that dies means that that person will die, even though they claim to have hacked the publishers mail servers (and found lots of copies on everyone's computers there - so they say)