Compared to our previous assignments, this one is quite easy. Our only task is to take care of Bonita the Calico cat, who seems to be very comfortable with us and is, as all cats are, very independent.

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The house is large, with every modern convenience that you could ever want, and a beautiful fully equipped kitchen to keep Marcel busy trying out new recipes, and my belly contentedly full! There is an AirBnB attached and there will be guests during our stay, but a local neighbor is a co-host and will be taking care of the cleaning and anything to do with the apartment. However, we will of course assist if needed.

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The garden is on a steep incline both front and back and has fully laden lemon and orange trees which will be unloaded by us for cooking and eating while we are here. The landscape is typical Californian with many cacti and succulents, and we will of course tend to the houseplants, pots and planters on the patio, and weed if we feel the urge! Oh, and there are worms to feed! The owner makes her own compost so all our peelings and food waste (not much!) will go to the wriggly beasts for them to create nutrient rich soil for the garden. That’s a first for me!

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The neighborhood is set on rolling steep hills and our daily walks will definitely test our fitness levels. We huffed and puffed on our walk this morning but hopefully will be less and less as the days go by, and along with our planned hikes around the area, we hope we can counter the calories supplied by Marcel’s gourmet meals!

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Bonita

 

The only pet we have to care for on this assignment is Bonita, the Calico cat. A beautiful long white coat, with patches of ginger-caramel and inky black spots hides her quite rotund physique, which is to be expected considering how much she eats. Her hungry meows are loud and frequent, sometimes pre-dawn, with an accompanying thump of her paws on the bedroom door!

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Other than that, she’s no trouble at all, and spends a short time outside every day, and sits on the second floor balcony, sunning herself until she decides it’s time to come in. She stays inside at night, away from the prowling coyotes on their nocturnal outing to hunt for food, and she looks at us in surprise when we are off out again, on another day trek or grocery run. She definitely likes company and invariably jumps onto Marcel’s lap whenever he begins to read, or onto his keyboard when he’s working on the computer. She definitely prefers him; not quite sure what I’ve done to be snubbed to harshly…

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Her small bed is a round furry basket where she spends a lot of time, until she feels like a race around the living room, or a good scratch on her scratchpad. She has a small dish on the counter where she eats, getting up there via the step stool strategically placed, solely for her convenience. A water fountain in the shape of flower ensures she has fresh running water on tap at all times – purrfect!

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