Genjicat Care

Thank you again for taking care of Genjicat while I'm gone! I've written down some instructions for his care here. I wrote... a lot. I guess I just focused on what I thought was important to know about him and what kind of guide I would want to exist for me when I petsit.

Everything here is just a rough guideline. I won't be mad if you don't follow it exactly. I won't know, and Genji won't tell. Just make sure he gets fed and has fresh water, and everything else we can fix or ignore.

Food and Water

Genji gets fed twice a day. Please feed him once before you leave for work and once again somewhere between 6 and 8 PM. Despite what he may tell you, he will not die if you don't feed him at 6 PM on the dot! You can feed him whenever is convenient for you, providing he gets fed in the morning and at night.

In the morning, Genji usually wakes up around 5:30-6:00 looking for something to eat. Give him about a half cup (no need to measure; feel it in your heart) of dry kibble from the bag in my room. It can go in the dirty bowl from the night before; if there's still food in it, you may want to scrape that into the trashbag.

In the evening, please give Genji one (1) can of food from the pantry downstairs topped with about 1/4 cup of his rawnibs (again, no need to measure! I usually just do a small handful, whatever looks right.) I usually mix up/mash the wet food with a fork abit so that it isn't a yucky brick and then sprinkle the raw nibs on top. Mixing them in is not necessary-- they'll just get soggy.

Once a day, please check that his water bowl has water in it. Genji likes to put toys in it sometimes and I'm sure I don't have to tell you that toys don't go in the water bowl.

Once every other day, please clean his water bowl. Water bowls are a hotbed for germs and I like my Genjicat healthy, so I take the bowl downstairs and scrub it with the sponge, with soap and hot water. If you could do it once a day, that would be even better, but this is definitely one of those "if you think about it/feel like it" things, not a strict rule in the same way that, you know, feeding him is.

Every other day, please swap out his dirty food bowl for a clean one. If it looks gross, toss it in the dishwasher and use the other one. Or handwash it. But it's easier to put it in the dishwasher for sure. I usually wipe out the crumbs with a paper towel and soak it in the sink for a bit before tossing it in the dishwasher, but you can do whatever.

Sometimes Genji drags his water bowl around and makes a mess. I have no clue why he does this-- simple zest for life, maybe. If you notice he's done it, just toss a towel from the upstairs closet in the mess and walk away. He's weird.

If there's a little dry food left in his bowl when you go to give him dinner, you can toss it. If there's a significant amount of dry food in the bowl when you go to give him dinner, put it back in the bag.

The Cat Litter

I really don't expect you to do the cat litter while I'm gone, but if you do, here's what you need to know: the litterbox is under the desk, and the scoop is in the weird contraption to the right. There's cat litter there, too, if you need to add more. There should be about 2-3 inches of cat litter in the pan, if not more.

Sometimes, Genji kicks the cat litter out of the box and all over the floor. I've thought about it a lot and I think he just does it because he's an asshole. No need to sweep it up; I'll do it when I get back.

If you do do the cat litter, again, no need to sweep or mop; I'll do it when I get back.

Other note: Sometimes Genji pees on his foot. I have no clue what the hell this is about. I think it happens when the litter level is too low. If he pees on his foot-- you'll know if he does, because it'll look like he peed on his foot, because he's a white cat-- you can just leave it. Or stick his foot in the sink. He'll fight you, but it's kind of funny to see him getting pissed off because you're forcibly cleaning the foot he peed on. Just tell me if he does so I can do something about my sheets.

Around Town

Due to the mouse traps being down, Genji should not be allowed out of my room. He is absolutely liable to get himself caught in a mouse trap trying to eat cheese (or whatever they put in the mouse traps as bait.) To avoid this problem, simply do not let him out. If he does escape, just call the dogs, and he'll run back inside the room.

If you're so inclined, you can take Genji into your room and let him explore. But I would bring his cardboard scratcher, because otherwise he will sharpen his claws on your furniture. If you notice him thinking about scratching anywhere, redirect him to the scratcher (picking him up and setting him on it usually works.)

Supervised time outside of the room is probably OK, but you literally have to stare at him. I would just prefer that you didn't. But again, I won't know, and Genji won't tell, so unless he gets hurt...

Treats and Tricks

My room is covered in cat toys. It's not a mess. it's a very carefully constructed Genjicat amusement park! If you want to play with him, try tossing his toys around and seeing if he'll chase them. He doesn't play fetch, but I'm trying to teach him. He has a bright blue feather stick toy that he likes to jump for that I will leave on my desk. His favorite throw toys are his mouseys (the grey ones with the knotted tails, not the fuzzy ones.) You can throw them or wiggle them in his face.

There are numerous kinds of treats in the pantry, including the softbites fish treats and the hard cheese treats. Genji isn't a big fan of fish, but he will eat the treats if you give them to him. If he doesn't eat them, you can just leave them; he'll eat them eventually.

Genji's favorite treats are the Squeeze-Ups. They're basically cat gogurts. Genji loves them so much and recognizes them as "squeezy treats." You can ask him, "do you want a squeezy treat?" and he will get excited. Squeezy treats are his favorite, and you can even get him to do tricks: while he's in front of you, show him the squeezy treat, and then lift it away from him. He should stand up and reach for it.

If you are playing with Genji and he attacks your hand, take your hand away and firmly tell him "no!" and stop playing for a little bit. It's OK if he stands around with his tail flicking-- he needs to know it's wrong and hands are not toys. If he won't let go of your hand, put your other hand over his face; this is usually enough to get your other hand free. You can always leave if he's not behaving.

Genji is a "kicker" cat and will grab things with his front paws and bite them while kicking the living shit out of them with his back paws. It's soooo cute to watch! It hurts a lot when it's your hand he's kicking.

If you're petting him and he rolls on his back, it's an actual invitation to rub his belly! Just don't do so too aggressively. You have to stroke it very gently to avoid overstimulating him. If his tail is flicking, it's too much, and he'll attack soon; otherwise, keep petting.

While he isn't a big cuddler, Genji does like to hang out, and would probably enjoy sitting nearby while you do something else. He likes to listen to people talk, so he would be great to enjoy a podcast with. If you let him watch Twitch streams, don't put on Overwatch; when he hears his name a bunch but nobody is talking to him, he gets confused. I recommend Apex Legends or Valorant. No Fortnite because then he gets ideas about parkour. He also likes rakugo if you can find it.

If you let him listen to music, he likes bossa nova. He doesn't like classical or anything with too many string instruments. I think they stress him out.

The Vet

The number of the emergency vet Genji has gone to before is posted on my door, as well as my phone number and my parents' phone numbers (they live nearby and can help if you have to take him to the vet.) I'd prefer you take him to whatever emergency vet is closest and open if it's a true emergency, because he doesn't have a regular vet in this state yet. If you need it, his vet medical history stuff is on my desk in the paw print bag.

If, for some unthinkable reason, you do have to hospitalize him, Genji has no advance directive and should not be given CPR if his heart stops beating.

Genji, I believe, has a sensitive stomach. He cannot have eggs. You may have read that cats can have cooked eggs without salt or anything-- Genji cannot. He gets sick. Please don't feed him any people food, even if it's almost certainly totally safe.

Other

You can always throw Genji if he's misbehaving. He's a young cat and can handle being pushed off the bed, dropped off the counter, or tossed underhand a short distance. Be reasonable, but I have no problem with you taking care of him if he's being a bit of a dick or going somewhere he shouldn't.

When I need the floor to be clean, I usually toss all of his toys into the cat bed on my bed. He doesn't sleep in the sushi bed, unfortunately.

Genji is named after Genji from Overwatch, but also because he kind of looks like GenjiCat of GenjiCat Comics fame. Genji (the cat) enjoys being called "Genjicat."

I try to tell Genji I love him at least once a day. If you could keep that up while I'm gone, I'd appreciate it.

Anything else, just text me! Please. I'll have reception and should be able to reply ASAP.