Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 245

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.

Wild teenage tortie

DEAR TABBY: My roommate, a young and somewhat wild teenage tortie named Tigger, unfriended me on Facebook last week, and a mutual feline friend told me that she was unfriended, too.

She said that Tigger doesn’t want the adult cats in her life to know what she’s been up to.

How would you handle this?

— Hurt Old Timer in Tallahassee

DEAR OLD TIMER: Perhaps you should gently remind Tigger that things on the Internet stay on the Internet forever. Unfriending you on Facebook isn’t going to change that.

Treat petiquette

DEAR TABBY: I’m hoping you can help settle a long-term disagreement among my friends and family.

When someone receives a cat toy or bag of treats as a gift, are they expected to share the toy or treats with the gift giver?

Love your column, by the way. I read it every morning with my breakfast gravy.

— Patches in Portland

DEAR PATCHES: First of all, you’re so sweet! I’m honored to be a part of your morning gravy routine.

As for your question, it’s a good one. I’ve often wondered this myself. One of my neighbors, a Russian Blue, recently gave me a bag of Feline Greenies (my favorite!) and then stared hungrily at the pouch as I handed it to my assistant.

The way I see it, a gift is a gift. The recipient shouldn’t feel obligated to share.

Having said that…I still usually end up sharing. I figure, might as well spread the love, you know? The universe will respond in kind someday. At least that’s the way I look at it.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About five years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addicts,

Tabs and Karen

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s installment of Sundays With Tabs. To see what else acclaimed kitty supermodel Tabs the Cat has been up to over the years, check out Sundays With Tabs, the Archives: From Anastasia to Zoya.