Nineteen year old Daffodil amongst the Broad Beans.
When I last spoke to Susan in 2018, she was a new resident of Trimley St. Martin and employed full-time in Felixstowe Library. When we met again this month, I found that time and Susan have moved on to something new and exciting. Susan is now working half-time and consequently has enthusiastically taken on the life of the semi-retired with verve and zest. Time has suddenly expanded and after some thought, Susan has launched herself into a new venture completely different to Library life, which may come as a plus to the Cat owners of Trimley. Following the death of her small cat Daffodil from extreme old age at the end of 2018, there has been a lack of feline presence in her life. And Susan is a cat lover par excellence who provided kind and conscientious care not only to Daffodil but also to the four cats who came before her. Her cat owning life began at the age of nine, with a Scottish cat called Whisky and for the following fifty years five cats have lived lives of comfort, care and sound nutrition.
The departure of Daffodil, combined with semi-retirement, led Susan to create a new service for Cat owners giving her the opportunity to engage in the lives her favourite company, cats. The Cat’s Companion – Susan – is now up and running. This was something she had wanted to do for a long time and at one point she toyed with the option of opening a Cattery but the requisite and complex legislation led to dismiss this idea. Instead the idea of becoming a mobile Cat Sitter sprang to mind and so the new enterprise emerged.
Her service offers day visits to feed and care for cats including dispensing any necessary medication. This care can be extended to overnight stays if necessary and Susan is happy to tailor the cat and owner’s needs to suit them both. Discretion is a principle feature because Susan will not be advertising her presence in people’s houses. Her car will not carry any visible advertising to ensure this does not alert any potential house breakers to the absence of the owners. Because the Cat’s Companion will be accessing people’s houses, it has been necessary for her to be D.B.S.[i] checked. Full insurance for personal liability has been acquired. Any future client will see this on the contracts they will sign before the service starts.
Susan is not confining herself to just Trimley St. Martin; her availability has a radius of about twenty miles encompassing Felixstowe, Kirton, Bucklesham, Nacton, Newbourne and Wickham Market, for example. If you are looking for someone to care for your cat and like the idea of a personalised service, you can either phone or email Susan and arrange a visit to discuss requirements and terms. Record cards of individual cats will be kept and include vet and medication details. Owners can expect daily updates if they would like to be kept in visual and written contact. If required part of the package may include small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and guinea pigs but doesn’t include dogs or exotic pets.
If you are interested in using this personal service, tailored to your requirements, you can see the details below.
[i] Disclosure and Barring Service. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service/about
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