Gato Perdido

Few things upset me more about travel than ha\ving to arrange for care of my cat Bunter. I've got enough of a network of friends and a couple of for pay cat sitters that I've always been able to let him stay at home and maintain his assumed role as king of the castle.

Being the end of July and the peak of vacation time, that didn't work out this time. So I had to resort to a cat "hotel", going with the one most highly recommended by friends and several online resources. I won't go so far as to libel them by naming it, but I came away with a very uneasy feeling. The super cute but mindless teenage boy at the desk that took 20 minutes trying to find Bunter was not the most confidence inspiring reunion with my pet.

Though he seemed physically fine and not really stressed, he has been extremely vocal the past 24 hours since we have been reunited, basically calling out to me anytime we're not in the same room and insisting on uninterrupted physical contact. When I see the various lost cat posters in my neighborhood, I don't regret making him an exclusively indoor cat. But now I feel fairly certain I'll never do the cat hotel option again unless I can find a better location.

Anyone wanting a free place to stay in San Francisco and wonderful feline companion is encouraged to call me up the next time I'm heading out of town.