Author name: micathotel

If you’re leaving town for Thanksgiving, check your cat’s boarding plans while you’re sorting out your own travel. The dates, veterinary records and food instructions are easier to handle now than on the morning you leave.

Check the dates and records first

Start with availability at The Feline Hotel, then agree on drop-off and pickup times. Include the time you need to get home from the airport or your drive, rather than using your flight’s arrival time as your pickup time.

Check your cat’s veterinary records against our current boarding requirements. Staff approval is needed before boarding. If something is missing, you’ll have time to contact your vet and send the records over. The requirements page explains the accepted vaccination histories and test options.

Write down the routine you usually do without thinking

How much food goes in the bowl? Which food does each cat get? Does one eat wet food in the morning and dry food later? Write out the amounts and timing, especially if you’re bringing more than one cat.

If your cat needs medication or other special care, contact us before the stay to confirm the arrangements and supplies. Tell us about changes since the last visit, too. Instructions from a previous stay may no longer describe what your cat needs.

Our boarding checklist covers what to pack. Bring enough permitted food for the stay, your cat’s carrier, agreed care supplies and a washable comfort item. Put belongings in a reusable bag labeled with your cat’s first and last name. We don’t accept raw food, including dehydrated raw food, and food containing wheat gluten isn’t permitted in the group area.

Get the carrier out before departure day

Leave the carrier open in a room your cat uses, with familiar soft bedding inside. That gives your cat time to investigate it before the trip. Cat Friendly Homes recommends making the carrier part of your cat’s everyday surroundings, rather than bringing it out only when it’s time to go somewhere.

Before you pack the car, check your agreed arrival time and read our carrier and transport tips. When you arrive at The Feline Hotel, ring the bell; the front door has a magnetic lock.

Questions about food, records or care arrangements? Contact us before your visit so we can work through the details with you.

It’s been an interesting past month or so. Earlier this year, I had realized that the software vendor I previously used to manage client database info, check-ins, checkouts, etc. was taking part of every credit card charge, basically skimming off the top.

They claimed that they had notified me of this with a posting on their website, and then they sent me a link to a helpdesk website that they use to manage their customer service. That wasn’t even their website. The link went to an online manual for the company they hired to handle customer service. It explained how to answer customers who asked about the fees.

And if you look at their website, they say no other fees besides the monthly fee of $145 Australian. Yes, that’s how much I was paying prior to basically doing it myself, which I never really imagined would be possible. I always thought I’d have to hire somebody or a team of somebodies to do something like this.

It’s not that I haven’t actually thought of something like that, because I’ve been using software as a service to manage my pet care companies since probably 2005, and I don’t think there’s a single one that I was really happy with. They were all acceptable for the time being.

Now, though, with AI, of course, I’ve been able to design my own software that is exactly how I want it, without any extra bloat …or dog stuff.

And honestly, that wasn’t the first choice. A couple months ago, when I started looking, I did spend quite a bit of time checking out different software vendors, signing up for their services, comparing their credit card processing systems and what fees would be involved. And then I just decided to make the attempt using ChatGPT’s Astra model, and I have to say it’s pretty amazing.

I’ve been able to streamline many of my day-to-day tasks while increasing oversight. The time saved has allowed me to focus on the cats more and be more present with them. Staff can easily see info about the cats here, like with tags for medications right on the picture of the cats now. We can make updates as needed too. So if you have a feature request, let us know at micathotel@gmail.com.

My human receptionist quit, so I trained an AI receptionist to answer common questions from the toll-free number. When requested or needed, it can transfer the call directly to me. It transcribes every call so I can review what was said, allowing me to know to call clients back if the AI receptionist wasn’t able to help.

I’ve made my own websites for over 20 years and spent countless hours…so many hours on website work… I’ve even been paid to make websites for others, though now having an almost perfect website is super easy.

So I just wanted to post this to help explain how things work behind the scenes and again encourage you to submit new feature requests to micathotel@gmail.com, and to encourage you to make a website of your dreams. Having a website with features you would normally only imagine as “That would be cool if I could…” is now easily possible… I’m currently working on catio designer software for MichiganCatioBuilders.com.

Bringing home a kitten? Start with the supplies and everyday routines below. When you are ready to introduce new experiences, explore our gentle kitten handling guide, carrier and transport tips, and cat and kitten socialization visits in Rochester Hills.

1. Make sure you have all the necessary supplies before bringing your kitten home. This includes a litter box, litter, a scratching post, a cat tree, a bed or crate, food and water dishes, and food.
2. Kittens need to eat frequently, so make sure to have a consistent feeding schedule. It’s recommended to feed them high-quality kitten food, either wet or dry, and make sure they have a calm area away from the litter box to eat at.
3. Kittens should have access to clean water at all times. Keep at least two water dishes available at all times. Check and refill the water dishes daily.
4. Litter training should begin as soon as your kitten comes home. Place the litter box in a quiet, easily accessible location and encourage your kitten to use it by placing them in the box after meals and play sessions.
5. Kittens have a lot of energy and will need plenty of playtime. Provide toys for them to play with, such as balls, string toys, laser pointers, cat trees, and scratching posts. This will help them burn off energy and prevent them from getting into mischief.
6. Kittens are very curious and will want to explore their surroundings, so it’s important to kitten-proof your home. This means securing any potential dangers, such as toxic household plants, cords, and small objects that could be ingested.
7. Kittens need to be groomed regularly to keep their coat healthy and free of tangles. Brush your kitten’s coat at least once a week and trim their nails as needed. Do this more often when they are under 3 months to “socialize” them to being brushed.
8. Kittens should be seen by a veterinarian regularly to ensure they are healthy and up to date on vaccinations. It’s important to follow a vaccination schedule recommended by your vet and helps to socialize them to future vet visits.
9. Cats are prone to developing dental problems later in life, so it’s important to brush their teeth regularly as a kitten to keep their teeth and gums healthy and get them used to the process. This should be done at least once a week using a toothbrush and toothpaste specifically formulated for cats. *Do this more often when they are under 3 months to “socialize” them to also being brushed.
10. Kittens can be trained. Think about clicker training your cat. You can even teach your cat to talk with special buttons they can learn to press.
11. Most importantly, give your kitten lots of love and attention! Socialization with a variety of situations and interaction with their owners is very important.

Do you want to keep your cat at a healthy weight? In light of National Pet Obesity Day on Oct 12th I wanted to let you in on a secret to get your cat to slim down without doing anything special. Yes, you can get your cat to slim down safely without doing anything special or even extra. You don’t have to change your routine or even your cats routine. You don’t have to buy any special brand of food. You just have to change one thing. It has to do with water, but not the water they drink.

Do you realize that the majority of pets are too big? Cats are one of the easiest to help though. All you need to do is feed them wet food. Canned cat food. The reason behind this trick is two fold: A:) Cats simply eat less calories on wet food. You feel fuller if you have water with your food. Almost every diet today will tell you to drink a glass of water before a meal. B:) Cats are historically desert animals (think Egypt), so to cats water isn’t found in most places naturally, so cats brains think they get most water from fresh kills aka food and have a lower drive to drink from open water sources, so water content is a even more important factor to consider in cat food. To a cat brain, food already has water in it.

Also helps with bladder and kidney issues

Canned food is more beneficial than dry food for several reasons. As fresh-kill hunters, cats in the wild consume most of their water along with fresh prey and do not have a strong drive to drink independently of eating. I believe most dry food cats under consume water resulting in stress on their kidneys and overly concentrated urine. Canned food mimics the water content of their prey in the wild. This encourages more dilute urine that is less likely to lead to bladder and kidney issues overtime.

Canned food also tends to be lower in carbohydrates compared to dry food and thereby higher in protein. But remember, you can’t make dry food without flour, and flour is carbs. High protein, low carb diets are touted by some to be less likely to cause obesity in cats, but this has been disproven in feeding studies; total calories consumed is most important.

How do I know if my cat is too big?

How do you know if your pet is getting too big? Simply feel the ribs. If you can’t feel each individual rib as well defined, it indicates a layer of fat on the ribs and that you should reduce caloric intake.

I hope this helps you and your cats to live happy and healthy lives.

Cats can learn through positive reinforcement. Clicker training uses a consistent sound to mark the behavior you want to reward.

Can you train a cat?

Well can you train a cat? Yes. Of course you can train a cat. In fact a cat can easily be trained with clicker training just like a dog …or whale ….or lion or tiger ….and bears oh my…….So what am I saying? If you want to train your cat… or your dog or any animal…yes it works on people….learn the basics of clicker training. What is clicker training? It is simply teaching your pet when you like something and helping them learn to associate a word with a desired action. Putting it into practice …takes well…practice… but learning clicker training either with a experienced clicker trainer or with a training guide, system, or steps that shape the behaviors, can allow you to teach a animal to do tricks like you see at zoos, aquariums or on TV….And yes pee and poop on command. All without shock collars or pain. Just takes science.

Clicker training myths:

My pet will always need food to be good….100% FALSE. The food is just a reinforcement and is phased out and you won’t always need the clicker either. That being said it is still good to give your pet food as a treat once in a while when they do something you asked them to do (even if you don’t clicker train, if you ask your pet to do something reward them once in a while).

I should click at my pet A LOT if they are bad.…100% false, too often I see people with a clicker and they use it to “annoy” the pet when they do something the owner doesn’t like. This is just not the way clicker training works. EVERY time you click, your pet receives at least 1 small, or even tiny, food treat.

Keep sessions short and reward voluntary participation. For help with fear, aggression or other behavior concerns, speak with your veterinarian or a qualified feline behavior professional. Learn about our cat and kitten socialization visits.