Milford,Staffs. January - 2016

One Week Cat Sit, 3 Cats

We spent the first day settling in, unpacking our suitcases and a couple of shopping bags, it did not take long for Theo to find a new place to play, I heard a rustling noise !!! and upon investigation there he was sat in a ‘bag for life’ that we’d left in the lounge, he stayed there for quite some time, until he fell asleep in it .. we felt this was a good start to our sit!

The cats seemed a little timid, or maybe aloof!, which of course is the right of all cats, however a day into the sit, Theo and Phoenix, the 2 Norwegian Forest cats had a mad 20 minutes, which released the tension, for big cats they can’t half tank around ...  Lol.

I first met Kitton on a pre sit visit, we had to go and search for her though as she tends to stay out of the way and seems to be happy in her own company. For the first few days I went to find her, she spent alot of time in the ‘cat room’ so I'd stay there and gave her a fuss, and on the few occasions she could not be seen, I would find her under her ‘Mum & Dads’ bed.

However as time has gone on Kitton has started coming downstairs for a fuss a few times each day, which I'm really pleased about, she has also taken to coming and sitting at the bathroom door whilst I'm in there, she is actually very good company.

Out of all 3 cats Phoenix has been spending the most time with us, as soon as we sit down, he comes and joins us & lets me comb him until i find a lug, then he tries to eat the cat comb! We are adaptable, and have found that using two combs one to actually comb him and the other as a decoy for him to bite!! works really well.

Theo pretends to be a bit of a brute, but is really a big softy. He tends to sit back and watch, then all of a sudden will join in playing with the toys, and have a mad charge around, pouncing on toys and the other cats!

Though the Norwegian's were two very big boys, they were also really loving, beautiful pussy cats. And Kitton, I think we won her over in the end :) 

We managed to make the most of the beautiful surroundings here and have taken a walk most days on Cannock Chase or through the grounds of Shrugborough Hall. The Chase covers an area of about 28 square miles, and is classed as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, we saw buzzards along with many other birds and wildlife, we were also blessed to have seen 2 large herds of wild dear :) approx' 30 in each heard !!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time Cat Sitting on the edge of Cannock Chase and would be happy to return in the future.

Rugeley, Staffs - July 2015.

Two Week Sit - 3 Dogs, 2 Cats.

We became great friends with the Dogs straight away, I have two doggies at my feet as I type, and Pepper the youngest is close by.

The 2 cats are a bit more elusive, Seth an elegant siamese has been coming into the bedroom to sleep with us, so we get to have a chat and he purrs back at us each morning, however when we go downstairs … he stays upstairs out of the way on the bed. We see Crystal the other cat each morning and at night, she comes in for food and a fuss, then the rest of her days appear to be spent under the Willow tree or down in the reeds by the canal, not a bad life!

As we are not far from our own home (and with the owners approval) we've had a couple of visitors, our daughters and their kids. Kyla said she loved Seth the most, coz he is not as noisey as the dogs ….. the dogs were so excited to have visitors Tysor and Jess did a super wiggle dance, but Pepper was not so sure, her tail was wagging but she was a bit grumbly growly …. I think she was wondering "what are these two 'little things' doing in my house?", but it was soon forgotten once we were all down by the canal and she happily played fetch for about 45 mins …. !!

We had a picnic and the kids built a little den under the willow tree. All dogs and cats were fussed a plenty, also the swans arrived with 6 cygnets so after a mad dash upstairs for bread …… they were encouraged to stay, so that was nice. A fab' family picture of each of the dogs and both cats, was drawn in a joint effort ... 

We are probably going into the garden about 4 or 5 times a day, and having a good few walks along the canal, the dogs just love it (so do I), I’ve been taking the brush out with me, Jess and Tysor que up for a pamper, but Pepper won’t stay still for a moment!!

The 'odd job fairy' aka Strike, has been and fixed a couple of things around the house that were on the owners list of things to get round to, they didn't ask, but it was easy for us to do. We've ventured into the shed and got the mower out, also we've attacked some of the brambles and discovered another hose pipe, which has made it easier to water the fruit trees.

We have a few days left, but i can already sense that leaving is going to be hard, I hadn't though about that when I first decided to be a Pet Sitter, I've already had a few tears, Im really going to miss these little babes.

Wetley Moor, Staffs, UK. 2015 

1 week sit - 4 dogs, 5 chickens.

As we approached the cottage gate we were greeted by 4 noisy noses vying for space to get a look through at the newcomers. Once inside, there was much sniffing, fussing, a bit of grumbling, basically we were given a good old checking out.

We spent an hour with ‘Mum’, learning everyones routines, who sleeps where and in what order food is given out, going through the house to familiarise ourselves with the usual appliances as well as any quirks, such as keys that need a little tweek in the lock to make them work, and also importantly how to lift the lid on the hot tub!

1st big walk took us up onto the moor, all the boys were really good, happy with the wind blowing in their ears, and funny sniffing out scents, once one spotted something they all stuck their noses in the same spot :)

The 5 lovely lady hens, have been quite chatty each morning and are good at taking themselves off to bed of an evening. Poached eggs on toast for breakfast every day …. yum

The putting on of walking boots must be imprinted in all dogs, its the code that says yep’ we are getting ready to go for a walk. However, trying to actually put my boots on in a small kitchen with four dogs all limbering up has been hilarious, they all start stretching, yawning, groaning, and at the same time trying to give me a sneeky quick kiss whilst my head is down tying up laces. They really are a lovely bunch of dogs, always excited to be going out, but always walked calmly & well together.

My friend and her Granddaughter came to visit for a day, it was a great adventure for Kaci. She helped me feed the chickens and collected 3 eggs, she filled up the bird feeders, she walked the dogs through the fairy tunnel, up a big hill and back down again, then the rain caught us out in the middle of the moor, on the way back she jumped & splashed in the biggest puddles so much so that her welly boots had water in them up to her ankles, she had a picnic in the garden, and a 20 minute dip in the hot tub, all the dogs enjoyed her company, she was one tired but happy 4 year old by the end of the day.

The weather kept us indoors quite a bit more than I would have liked, however we still went out for walks, so not only was the getting ready to go out fun, but coming back in, doing the rub down with a couple of towels and 4 dogs was quite a performance, again though all the boys loved the extra attention!!

Im always amazed at their characters, at how you get to see and feel their differences in just a week. Archie the Dog-Father, he was so cool, laid back, but quietly, most definitely the top dog. Then Diesel, manic outside, just wanted to play non stop, but in the house quiet as a mouse!, then the two rescue dogs, Snoopy, a bit of a cheeky chappie, with big brown eyes that floored you!, he never missed any food being prepared in the kitchen, we really had to keep an eye on him, thought we had him sussed until he happily ate a cheese and ham sandwich in the small space of time that I turned my back to make a cup of tea … lol. Lastly there was Tisor, I know you shouldn't have favourites, but!, he was very quiet, a bit timid, sat back and watched the others, didn't seem to know what play time was about, but within a couple of days, he was like my little shadow, and with a bit of encouragement he started to play with a couple of the toys and even chased the ball, he didn't bring it back but hey ho ….

Lucy should be really proud of her animals, they were an absolute pleasure to look after, I already miss them all. xxx

Marley & Friends, Brittany 2015

5 week sit, 3 Dogs, 3 Cats, 2 Donkeys, Fish.

Driving through constant rain as we traveled into Brittany, it felt like we were still in the UK, however the plus side was hardly any traffic! and that was on the dual carriageways, when we got closer to our destination we knew we would be happy here, deep in the quiet countryside of central Brittany.

Our companions here are a pair of Jack Russell’s, 2 old sisters Poppy & Daisy, a Great Dane type cross called Marley, 2 cats, 1 kitten, 2 donkeys and a pond full of fish.

We had a relaxed evening with Annie the owner and Mum to said tribe followed by a day of learning the ropes. It was really useful to have this time getting to know Annie, before she left for her holiday. Getting to know all the animals the house and land was made easier by looking back on our notes, by about day 3 we had got the hang of who eats what, when & where!!

The two cats Mimi a beautiful looking, very chilled out, slightly boss’ eyed, siamese and Petal a feral cat who visited a couple of times a day, sitting patiently on the kitchen windowsill to be fed, were very, very easy to look after.

The kitten, named Rosie-lea was a little ball of fun who kept us on our toes, being fed 4 times a day, spending part of the day in a large pen so she could get used to the other pets in the house and then spending the evenings with us in the lounge room (no dogs allowed!) This changed after a couple of weeks as she grew in strength and confidence, we introduced her to Poppy, Daisy and Mimi who all put up with her kitten antics, chasing their tails and using them as pouncing practice targets etc.

Marley would have loved to play with the kitten, however the sight of an enormous, long legged, big headed dog frightened the life out of her, she scarpered, doing a super sliding scurry come scamper across the floor every time he came into the same room … Hopefully they will make friends as time goes on.

So who knew Donkeys were so funny!!? Coco & Channel live in the paddock at the back of the cottage, boy could they eat! hay, grass and their favourite, apples which were brought round regularly by a number of friendly neighbours, they also liked carrots along with the tops of the veg’ plus other veggie leftovers from the kitchen. The result of much in-take is of course much out-take!! So one of the daily jobs was, barrowing' Donkey doo!!

The easiest of all jobs was feeding the fish, made even easier on a sunny afternoon with a glass of wine in hand.

Our favourite part of the day though, was taking the dogs for walks over the fields or along the lanes. They would get so excited as all dogs do, Poppy and Daisy seemed to morph from old ladies into young pups!, they were great ratters, many a time all you could see were their tails in the air, and when they surfaced their white faces were turned mud brown, happy doggies.

What can I tell you about Marley?, maybe I shouldn't say it, as I love all the pets we sit for, but I really did ‘fall in love’ with this gentle giant, though he was only young and could be quite boisterous, he sometimes had a wise look about him, he had a knowing, an understanding, and such a loving nature. He was as tall as me when he put his paws on my shoulders, which he did often, generally for a love and to say good-morning. Being fit and very strong with excess energy we took him out for walks with the girls and then again later on, on his own, oh my what a pace he could build up …. there was much calling him back and forth between the two of us ….. lol, he enjoyed it and got double the exercise. Obviously he got nick-named ‘Bob’ for short.

All in all we had a fab time in Brittany, visiting a few places like the thousands of standing stones at Carnac, the ornate chateau at Josselin, watching kite surfers along the coast of Quiberon and listening to live music at the free festival in Mohaun.

Lastly what made our stay so special were Annie’s friends and neighbours whom we got to know quite well over the 5 weeks. Mark and Sandra aka M&S were our local source of fresh veg’ and eggs, the best M&S I’ve ever been to!! you could not leave without being given a glass of cider. We picked their brains to find out how they had set up their small holding, the ups, the downs, the legals, the nuances of the area, etc.

And our neighbours across the road Tony and Jill, were great sources of all sorts of knowledge, cat, dog and donkey … esk! along with having many interesting and alternative views on world events, we were not lost for conversation. The world was put to rights over a few games of snooker .. and much laughter at bad play, bad etiquette and a little bit of cheating!!! is one game of snooker meant to take all night!!?