travel Archives

Meeting cats on vacation is a good omen

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Katwerx

Whenever we travel, we hope to meet a cat or two. It just makes us feel like our trip has been blessed. Sometimes we pack a ziploc bag of kibble … just in case!

Earlier this year, the Katwerx team (Deb and Casey) went on a short retreat to the southwest for a little hiking, sandboarding and glamping. While staying at Navajo hogan in Monument Valley, Arizona, our host family’s cats, dogs, chickens and horses were our friendly companions in one of the most perfectly peaceful places imaginable.

And then we hit an animal motherlode.

As Casey’s tell it:
On the outskirts of Kanab, Utah, on 6000 acres, rests the dream vacation or tourist stop for any animal lover. Best Friends Sanctuary is home to up to 1600 residents including dogs, cats, bunnies, horses, pigs and wildlife. Since 1984 they’ve been on a mission to make the entire nation’s shelters no-kill by 2025. To accomplish this they have satellite and mobile teams across the U.S. helping other shelters transport and find homes for thousands of animals. On top of all that they also have small and large clinics on site plus a wildlife rehabilitation operation.

No, we don’t work there and were not paid for this advertisement, we just happened to stumble across it on our travels through the south west this past spring. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip!

The staff that greeted us were incredibly hospitable, they toured us immediately to Cat World to snuggle adoptable kittens (!!!), they had guinea pigs in the lobby, a vegan cafe, scenic patio and guided tours, which we unfortunately did not have time for.

We discovered they are primarily funded by donors but they also have cabins and camping spots on the vast property that no doubt help in supporting the facilities. We also spent a few dollars in their gift shop, hopefully paying for a few meals 🙂

If this were a Google Review, 10/10 ‘would visit again’. The official Katwerx review: absolutely puuurrrfect!

Katwerx celebrates Professional Pet Sitters Week, March 4-10.

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Katwerx

The team at Katwerx is excited about the 24th annual observance which highlights industry success and encourages local pet owners to learn more about the advantages of using a professional pet-sitting company. Professional Pet Sitters Week (PPSW) was introduced by Pet Sitters International (PSI) in 1995. Katwerx has been a member of PSI since 2015.

“We’re completely committed to providing exceptional service to our cat-owning clients and excited to celebrate this week that recognizes professional pet-sitting businesses like mine, as well as the pet-sitting industry on a global scale,” said Deb Exel, owner of Katwerx In-home Cat Sitting.

“It’s also an opportunity to remind cat owners that they do not have to rely on untrained or unwilling friends, family members or neighbors when travel or long work hours keep them from their cherished kitty. Professional, bonded and insured pet sitters like our team are available,” added Deb.

This year, PSI member business Katwerx is commemorating Professional Pet Sitters Week by donating a portion of all cat sitting fees during the month of March to Feline Fix Barrie, a local organization that cares for feral cat colonies and uses the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method to safely reduce the free-roaming/feral and homeless cat population.

Katwerx invites anyone interested in learning more about the advantages of hiring a professional pet sitter to contact us – we’d love to chat! To learn more about PPSW or the pet-sitting industry, visit the PSI website, www.petsit.com.

Feeding the Homeless and Smiling Cats.

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Katwerx

Recently I was in Portland for the World Domination Summit (yes it IS as cool as it sounds). During a break, I grabbed a bite from one of Portland’s famous food trucks and headed to a tiny urban park nearby to enjoy my lunch.

There seemed to be a gathering going on, with lots of people, tables and food from a truck labelled ‘Potluck in the Park’ with a picture of a smiling cat on it. I was impressed that not only were street people being fed, but at one table, volunteers had a huge drum of kibble and were filling large zip lock bags with food for homeless pets as well. That this deep human kindness extended to the four legged community as well was a wonderful thing to see.

But what was truly interesting when I looked into this organization, was their logo – the smiling cat. It was adopted from the hobo symbol or language that arose during the depression and scratched into fence posts or written on pavement or walls to warn others of what was ahead. A symbol of a smiling cat means ‘kind lady’ and Potluck in the Park has used it to characterize what they stand for which is a safe haven and a warm meal to those who need it.

So very cool that the image of a cat has long been associated with friendliness, food and shelter.

You too can support the ‘smiling cat’ movement as well by adopting a cat or donating to your local rescue or street cat charities. And you can do like we do and pack a big bag of cat chow in your suitcase for the stray cats you’ll meet the next time your travel!

Cayman Community Cats

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Katwerx

We love to travel. An omen that it is a good trip, is when we meet local cats.

When we were staying in Cayman, we were delighted to meet several cats when we were leaving a restaurant one night. We were told that many of the restaurants take turns feeding these stray cats and that the cats instinctively know what night to show up at each restaurant!

We were so impressed with how the Cayman Islands are supporting their community cats! Learn more about the ‘cat cafes’ and other programs at Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts.