Online pet parents relate to anxious cat mom’s guide for anyone taking care of her furry friend

Being a pet parent isn’t too different from taking care of a human child and the comforting experience comes with its own set of challenges such as separation anxiety. This makes it hard for people to leave their furry companions in someone else’s care due to the possibility of the pet consuming harmful food or getting sick. One such anxious cat mom Alex, known through her handle @cskcals on X, came up with a hilarious yet brilliant cat care handbook to make sure the sitter could address specific needs of her pet. The manual went viral and other cat parents chimed in with more pointers based on their experiences.

Sharing a snapshot of her cat care handbook document, Alex wrote in the caption, “Drafting a cat care handbook since I’ll be gone for a whole month and leaving my precious cats with my family. Anything else I should add?” The cat care guide written in all caps was mostly about what to feed and not to feed her cats. Alex began her handbook with the line, “Do not give them human food.” Knowing her family members well, she assumed they would ignore this instruction anyway, so she delved into the specifics. Even if it were human food, she asked them to give the cats only cooked meat and certain fruits. 

She pointed out that grapes or raisins were off-limits and dairy too, as cats couldn’t digest it. “Do not give them chocolate at all. Seriously. Not even a little bit,” Alex emphasized. She also prohibited her family from giving the cats onions or garlic and candies were a strict no-no. “Cats cannot have Xylitol. It causes liver failure. Do not give them alcohol; it causes them brain damage. No raw meat,” the guide read. Finally, she ended it with a warning that was both serious and amusing. “Keep Grandma Noni away from my cats. She will feed them all types of crazy things and if she kills my cats, it’s blood for blood,” Alex wrote. 

Alex added in the thread that the completed handbook came up to 14 pages. “I added toxic flowers, a one-page summary of each of my cats’ likes and dislikes, dos and don’ts, feeding schedule, flea/bath procedure, emergency vet, regular vet and where I buy their food/litter. I think it’s great,” Alex mentioned. This viral handbook garnered over 4.6 million views in a month and people could relate to Alex’s concerns. 

“The last bit killed me. You’re so real for that,” said @sherlonigiri_. Alex then clarified why she wouldn’t trust her family with catsitting her “precious” felines. “Because this woman feeds my 15-year-old dog just about everything under the sun. I caught her trying to feed my dog raw chicken. She is not to be trusted,” she explained. “This is why the last time we went on vacation, all 4 cats came with us,” quipped @diquebagge. “Add the numbers of your vet and emergency vet hospitals nearby and the identifying information that your vet would be able to bill you with in case they hold off on pursuing medical issues for fear of bills,” pointed out @hardwoodtable. “Cats cannot be around certain flowers. Like lilies. When in doubt, Google. I would say,” chimed in @honeygrrl.