tabs

Dear Tabby is written by Tabs the Cat, commonly regarded as “the world’s first plus-size kitty supermodel.” Founded in mid 2012, it has quickly become the most widely syndicated cat advice column on earth — known for its fresh, feline perspective on lifestyle, fashion and style issues affecting cats and humans.

Tips for tipping?

DEAR TABBY: I’ll be staying at a cat hotel for the first time next weekend when my assistants go on vacation, and I’m very excited about it!

I insisted on five-star accommodations, and my humans did not let me down.

They reserved me a personal kitty condo at an exclusive resort with a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean and arranged for all of my meals to be prepared by an award-winning, Michelin star chef.

They even booked daily play sessions through the cat concierge and scheduled me for daily spa treatments.

My question is this: what’s an appropriate tip for a spa technician? Is it the same general rule of 15 percent, and should I leave cash (I don’t usually carry a wallet), or can I have the staff charge my assistants’ credit card? I don’t want to offend anyone.

— Kit-Kat from Kailua

DEAR KIT-KAT: Congratulations on finding such wonderful assistants! It sounds like you’re in for a fun weekend of pampering and purring.

Regarding your question, it’s completely up to you. If you’d prefer to leave the tip on your assistants’ credit card, you may do so. It’s perfectly acceptable. Very few kitties actually carry cash these days, even with all of the wonderful cat bags at our disposal.

Just be sure to review your bill, because sometimes the gratuity has already been included.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! I hope this is the first of many such getaways.

Work woes

DEAR TABBY: I’ve been assisting for a demanding persian cat named Peaches for almost 10 years.

Most of the time, Peaches is nice, and when she is, I love my job and the work environment.

But I recently had a really bad week. Everything went wrong, and no matter how hard I tried, I felt like I couldn’t get anything right.

It all came to a head last Friday when I received a furrious text from Peaches.

She was right. I was definitely in the wrong. I screwed up, and I apologized.

But then Peaches sent me a second angry text, and it ruined my entire weekend.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that text and how angry Peaches sounded. I dreaded returning to work on the following Monday knowing that I’d be in the doghouse.

Tabby, I took full responsibility for my mistake, but I also feel like it was inappropriate for Peaches to text me about it over the weekend. I don’t get a lot of time off, and I need some kind of work boundaries.

Should I let it go or bring it up to Peaches?

— Frustrated in Ferndale

DEAR FRUSTRATED: I’m definitely guilty of being a demanding diva with my assistant from time to time, but I do think it would have been more appropriate for your employer to address the situation with you face to face, in person, during regular business hours.

Hopefully by now, Peaches has calmed down. If you still feel strongly about it, wait for a good time when you’re both in a pleasant mood, and ask her how she feels about your performance. Tell her that you are always open to face-to-face discussions, and that you believe they are more productive than texts.

I can’t speak for Peaches, but I know that as a kitty employer, I always want to encourage my assistant to be the best she can be. Hopefully the both of you can find some common ground. Good luck.

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