As a professional pet sitter one of the tasks we perform at each visit is to make sure we locate all of the animals in our care to ensure they are safe and sound.

For dogs, this is pretty easy…there aren’t too many places they can hide, and if they do try to hide, it is relatively easy to find them.

Cats on the other hand can be a bit more difficult to find. We know the usual hiding places such as under the bed, behind the couch or in closets.

Very early in my pet sitting career I was meeting with a client. The client proceeded to tell me I would never find one of the cats, Simba. At each visit her other two cats would rush up to greet me. True to my client’s prediction, I never did see Simba. But pet sitter par excellence that I was, I was bound and determined I was going to find Simba and make sure he was OK!

I checked in the usual suspect spots and checked again. The client lived in a two bedroom apartment; how many places are there for a cat to hide? No Simba. After two visits of no Simba sightings, I called my client to tell her I could not find Simba. She assured me I should not worry and I should not waste my time looking for him as she knew Simba was hiding somewhere.

The saying “flatter than a pancake” has new meaning for me. At the next visit, I happened to move one of the pillows on the bed – a pillow I had moved on more than one occasion, mind you. What? Did I detect movement? I look again to find Simba under the pillow; somehow he had managed to – you guessed it – make himself flatter than a pancake! Simba was not amused I had found him, however I had a new respect for the way he outsmarted me!

Hopalong was another challenge. My client also told me I would never see Hopalong. After my experience with Simba, I started to believe clients a little more when told I would never find kitty. I would arrive each day to take Cleo, their dog, for a walk. Although I never saw Hopalong, it was obvious Hopalong was around – at each visit his food had been eaten and he was using the litter box.

One day I caught a glimpse of a grey blur out of the corner of my eye. Was it my imagination, I wondered? I walked over to where I thought I had seen the blur, and peered up the dark chimney. Nothing. Adjacent to the fireplace was also a built in storage area for firewood. I just happened to peek inside the storage area.  And what do I find…a little ledge that was hidden from view. On the ledge was Hopalong, hiding from the world!

Mind you I still exercise due diligence when doing a cat count. But, I do listen a little more now when clients tell me “you’ll never find the cat”!