My husband and I had planned and booked a 2 week bucket list trip to Peru and were set to leave in 7 weeks. We had arranged our normal pet sitter that we've used for years to come and take care of our (almost) 15 year old cat, Mr. Christmas. It was around that time that Mr. Christmas stopped eating. Mr. Christmas had no real health conditions, no meds...and he was declining fast. After extensive testing, imaging, and seeing a specialist, he was diagnosed with either IBD or cancer and was going to need a lot of follow up. He was on multiple oral medications and he still wasn't eating great. I couldn't leave him in the house with someone who can only come see him once a day. He needed more support and our normal pet sitter couldn't provide that for him.
I was fully prepared to cancel the trip, but thought I'd search online to see if anyone could match what we were looking for and if anyone would be willing to do what we were asking. We needed three, hour-long visits daily, forcing food at him, weighing him, and administering multiple daily medications. I found Melanie and messaged her explaining what I was looking for, and I was really impressed that she was up early at 4:30am to message me right back. She is incredibly responsive. I want to also mention that I messaged around 8 other people, and none were willing to do what we were asking and many didn't respond to me for several days.
Melanie communicated with me each week leading up to our trip. We initially didn't have a diagnosis and I needed vet clearance to leave him. Melanie asked many questions, and when we finally were told that he was stable enough to leave, she came over to our house with a list of questions to go over with us. He's got a bit...a lot...of an attitude. She made sure that she didn't approach him and waited for him to come to her. She was so thoughtful about every detail of their interaction in front of us. My husband and I both felt that even though she is a stranger to us, there was something calming about her and she was very professional. We knew Mr. Christmas would be okay, but I wasn't expecting him to thrive the way that he did.
Melanie never missed a visit (44 total!). She never asked for anything from me. She communicated with me daily throughout the two weeks. When we were backpacking and didn't have any cell service, she communicated with my parents and best friend so that everyone knew he was doing well. She braved picking him up to put him on the scale multiple times. Mr. Christmas gained weight with Melanie. He wasn't gaining weight with me at home, but she is just that good. Pictures of Mr. Christmas started with him sleeping alone, and then he got closer and closer to her on the couch. He even started inviting her to watch him in the litter box (I'm mortified), but he only does this with "his people". Our dog came to visit at home a few days to see Mr. Christmas (they are besties), and Melanie had no problem cuddling our dog while visiting Mr. Christmas. To describe Melanie in a couple of words, I would say she is easygoing and pays great attention to detail. She makes everything seem carefree, and my anxiety really appreciated that on this trip.
I got home from 15 days away from him, and he is this thick ball of fluffy happiness. He was WELL taken care of. We could have never gone on this trip without Melanie. She is a true gem and I will be referring anyone and everyone I know to her.
Love,
Ben, Jen, Mr. Christmas, and "his dog" Ruby. read more