Lora Lee The week after Easter, I came down with “the sickness”. For over 2 years, I had eluded it, but it finally found me. And it took me out for a few days. My first thought was, “I am sick. Who’s going to care for my cats?” Taking care of 19 cats and 2 foster kittens is a tough job when I am feeling 100%, let alone when I am dealing with flu-like symptoms. How was I going to handle the daily cat care tasks, as well as taking care of myself?
Routine is the key to daily cat care
Luckily for me, my sickness was not too long, and my symptoms were not bad. The worst of it was the fatigue. However, that was a big issue when it comes to caring for my clowder of cats. What saved me was the fact that I am a creature of routine. I have a very strict routine when it comes to caring for my cats. You can read about my daily cat routine here.
This routine saved me. I knew exactly what needed to be done and when. It was a lifesaver the first few days. I am not saying that it was easy, because it was not. Not at all. But it helped to know that I needed to be up and feed at certain times. Some days, I would skip certain tasks, or I wouldn’t spend as much time in an area of cats. But every cat had food, water, and clean litter boxes on schedule.
Get help if needed.
I was also very fortunate that my husband did not get sick and was able to help with the daily cat care. He does not know my exact routine, but he was ready to help with anything that I needed. He went with me to care for the Cat House cats and some nights he closed them up for the night. He would give the Kracken Kitties their nighttime meal. It was an amazing help to just have him there with me.
If you don’t have a significant other to help you out, you could ask a friend or family member. If you don’t, then you could look online at sites like Rover for a pet sitter who would be able to come and help. Even though I truly believe that having to get up throughout the day to care for my babies helped me get over my sickness quicker and not have really bad symptoms, sometimes we do need help.
My furry nurses
Did my cats know that I was sick? Yes, I believe they did. Cats are smarter than most people think. They are amazing at picking up on energy. And when you are sick, your energy is different. Your cats will pick up on this change in energy. If you have a temperature, your cats will notice the change in your body. Here is a really good article about Can Cats Tell When You’re Sick?
My cats definitely knew that I was sick. They stayed with me the entire time, taking shifts laying on or against me. They healed me with their purrs. Comforted me with headbutts. And made sure that I ate by making biscuits. My furbabies were excellent furry nurses. In honesty, I think they were very happy with the amount of time we spent in bed the first couple of days.
Back to the normal cat care schedule
I am finally back to normal. My energy level has been increasing each day. And with it, my cat care routine is back to normal. My cats probably have mixed emotions about the lack of snuggles in bed now, but I know they are happy that I am feeling better. Our babies do not like when we are feeling sick. Just like us for them, they want us happy and healthy.
“I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love.” – James Herriot
