Author Archives Jackie

It’s May – Hooray!

May 23, 2019
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by Jackie
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in News
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I love May it’s my favourite month of the year as it heralds the arrival of Summer. The farm looks wonderful at the moment, all the trees have their new brightly coloured leaves and our hay fields are a delightful mixture of different varieties of grass. We cannot tell if our resident deer have had their baby yet as the grass is too long but we do see the adult deer most days.

Well, the Marathon is done – thank goodness! I definitely won’t do it again as it became to all consuming and the training took me away from the farm and Cat Hotel for too long. It was a bit of a drama as unbeknown to me my chip, which registers your time and lets people know where you are on the course, wasn’t working. My Mum, Brother, Tim, James, Lucy and the charity didn’t know where I was or even if I had started. Tim was panicking as I have a reputation for getting lost and getting on the wrong buses etc and thought all sorts! It was only down to a friend watching on iplayer for hours who suddenly saw me finish who saved the day. She immediately sent the photo around much to my family’s relief. It took me 5hrs and 38 mins. My hamstring injury started niggling at mile 12 and by mile 18 it was agony. I hobbled the last 8 miles and boy was I glad to finish. On a positive note I managed to raise over £2200 for the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, so I know that I have helped a few deserving cats to have a better life. This alone makes all the pain worthwhile.

The Cat Hotel is so busy at the moment. Most of our guests are regular and we adore them all. This morning I was watching a pair of young cats trying to entice the squirrel who was on their bird feeder which is right outside their window, to come in and play with them! I so love what I do and it makes my heart sing to know that my guests are happy and content. We had a lovely old boy come to stay on his first ever visit away from home in 15 years. Jack settled in so well right from the minute he arrived and was just the sweetest boy. Whilst I was making his food he would tap my hand with his paw to make sure I was hurrying! On a sad note we have heard that two of our lovely guests have gone over to Rainbow Bridge. Dylan only stayed with us once but stole our hearts completely. At twenty years old he was one of our oldest guests but was so fit and well for his age. I know he will be very sadly missed by all who knew him. Florence was a regular guest here since we opened and both she and her brother Ravello were always cats that we really looked forward to seeing. Sadly her Mum and Dad were given the awful news that she only had six weeks to live last Nov. She managed to defy that due to both her strong, stoic nature and the love from her family and passed away only a couple of weeks ago. Again she will be sadly missed but never forgotten.

The donkeys are all really well and still shedding their coats like crazy. I have entered Percy into a class at the New Forest Show in July, goodness knows what he will think, but I imagine he will love all the attention as he is such a show off! Tim and I were putting the cats to bed last night and were sat making a fuss of the cats whilst watching the donkeys sleeping in the barn, I don’t think anything can top that, it’s certainly better than tv!

Time I was back entertaining my lovely guests,

Jackie x

 

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March Madness at Hotel Cat

March 27, 2019
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by Jackie
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in News
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We have had another hectic month and loved every second of it. Our biggest bit of news is that we had our inspection from the local council. It has changed this year as Defra are now overseeing the licences so it is a lot more involved. They have implemented a star rating for all kennels, catteries and home boarders and we are very proud to announce that we are the ONLY 5 star rated cattery in the district. We are over the moon and can’t wait for our certificate to arrive.

This week has been full of cats on medication, it’s funny as some weeks it is full of a particular breed or colour and other weeks it’s a high medicine week. We have two guests on thyroid medicine twice daily, one cat with kidney failure who has medicine three times a day, one on atopica and another who is on a combination of herbal remedies to slow her chronic condition down. Added to that three lots of our guests are on feeds six times a day, it’s non -stop!

The donkeys are absolutely loving the warmer weather and are outside most of the day. They all had spring haircuts today and their feet were trimmed so they are all looking very smart. Percy is still loving his walks around the lanes, we are getting further each time and have met some lovely people on route who always want to give him a fuss.

My Marathon training has had a bit of a set back as I strained my hamstring. I  had to cut back on my mileage and have only just started to increase again. We did 16 last Sunday and are hoping for at least 20 this Sunday (Mothers Day!). I am under the strict instructions of a physio now who I see once a week, he is doing a great job of keeping me on my feet so fingers crossed I will get round in one piece.

Enjoy this wonderful weather,

Jackie xx

 

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February at Hotel Cat

February 28, 2019
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by Jackie
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in News
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What a fantastic end to the month, much overdue sunshine! It makes Spring feel like it has arrived and the farm is starting to wake up from it’s winter slumbers. We have been busy preparing for Spring and have been planting new beech hedging which the birds will love once it has established.

The Cat Hotel has had another busy month and the diary is full for a number of dates throughout the year already. We have had a few new faces stay recently and have the most unusually marked girl staying called Sunshine. She is ginger and white with large pure tabby sections and we have never seen another cat like her. It is a first stay for both her and her brother and they have settled straight away which is just so lovely. We said goodbye to Lucifer, Salem and Yogi yesterday which was very sad. They had been staying here since November and we adored them as they were all such characters, it’s always sad when favourites leave and is the only downside of the ‘job’.

The donkeys are loving the milder weather and are outside much more, running around and looking for mischief. I take Percy for walks around the lanes as he loves all the attention, last weekend he did a four mile walk which involved stopping at the shop to buy him an apple and he was full of himself all the way. When we meet a horse rider he gets so excited and wants to join them, but the horses are not impressed!!

My London Marathon training is going well, although my feet don’t think so! We are now up to 18 miles on our long runs. I cannot tell you how exhausting it is, but it will be worth it on the day and the fact that I am raising money for such a good cause makes it much easier. If anyone would like to sponsor me here is the page www.justgiving/jackieferrier

Wishing you all a wonderful month,

Jackie xx

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Happy New Year!

January 23, 2019
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by Jackie
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in News
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2019 is here and fortunately January seems to be going quite quickly instead of dragging it’s heels! It is a cold but clear day here and we are hoping that there will be no snow for us this year.

We had such an incredibly busy and fun year in 2018, although the building works in the house were very trying, thank goodness they are now finished, never again!

2019 Looks like it is going to be our busiest year yet. We have shown so many new people around the Hotel since the start of the month and everyone is booking dates and they are very enthusiastic which is lovely. Fortunately most of our regular favourites have already secured their places and the diary is full in quite a few places.

My big news this month is that I have chosen the charity which I am going to raise money for by running the London Marathon in April. The charity is the Celia Hammond Animal Trust. I researched a number of charities as I wanted the majority of the money raised to go directly towards the animals and fell for this charity straight away. Please have a look at their website as they are passionate animal lovers who work tirelessly to help and support in everyway they can. I have set up a Just Giving page which is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jackieferrier  if you have a minute have a read of my story and I will update the page regularly.

The donkeys are all really well and spend the majority of the time in their barn next to the Cat Hotel eating and sleeping! The cats are fascinated by the donkeys and spend hours on their outside cat trees watching them. They are very fat, woolly coated and extremely cuddly and are so lovely to be with, both donkeys and cats are such peaceful animals and the calm effect they give is wonderful, I really don’t know how people cope with working in cities!

We have had a busy January filled with lovely guests who are all warm and snug in their spacious bedrooms. It is always lovely and toasty in the Hotel as the heating is left on 24 hrs a day and it is the perfect place to escape with my book leaving Tim in the house to answer the phone.

My Marathon training is going well and so far to plan. I am actually enjoying the training far more than I thought I would. I have a great friend coaching me and we are increasing mileage weekly. This week we have a 14 mile run on Sunday, last weeks was 12 miles which we did in 1hr 55 minutes. For those who also run we averaged 9.38 pace which I am thrilled with. At the moment I am hoping to complete the Marathon in under 4hrs 30mins, but obviously this is dependant on how training goes and what the weather is like on the day.

Right, I have my book and I’m back up to my gorgeous guests,

Jackie xx

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Our television debut

July 3, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News
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Did many of you see us featured on the documentary 90 cats and counting? It was about various people who love cats, including a lady who has 90 of them. She takes in unwanted cats and rehomes them, such a lovely dedicated lady, she must work tirelessly. We were featured as they liked the story of how we built the cat hotel before we spent any money on the house. We moved into Downlands Farm in October 2013 and it needs so much doing to it that we didn’t really know where to start. We spent all of our savings on the Hotel Cat and are very proud of what we have achieved. It is a very tranquil hotel and you feel so calm as soon as you enter. The gardens leading to Hotel Cat were overgrown paddock land which we have transformed ourselves by hand, we still have lots that we want to do, but love how it is looking already. Our house will always be a work in progress, but we have at least had a few new windows put in last month – no more wearing a scarf on the sofa at night this winter!

We have been extremely fortunate with the amount of publicity we have had, Your Cat featured us in their magazine this month and it has really helped us become known quickly. We adore running Hotel Cat and love meeting people who are as passionate about their cats as we are. We now have a large number of regular visitors, some of whom were young kittens when we first met them and who are now approaching their first Birthdays. We love them all, regardless of breed, age or colour, each cat is so very unique and we are very privileged to be part of their world.

We had another visit to see Percy Pinkerton this week. He can come and live with us next month and we can’t wait. He has grown into a really bonny boy and is just so laid back about everything. We aim to train him as a therapy donkey so that we can take him to care homes and hopefully children’s hospitals. He has already gone to his first donkey show and also met 40 children at a pre-school visit. His new paddock is right next to the cat hotel so everyone who arrives will be able to meet him and have a cuddle. Our other four donkeys are looking really lovely, Holly and Charlie have their full summer coats and are gleaming in the sunshine, I wonder what they will make of their new playmate :-).

Tommy the stunning Silver Tabby, who loves watching his Feline Frolics DVD

Tommy the stunning Silver Tabby, who loves watching his Feline Frolics DVD

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Hotel Cat guests

June 22, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News
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We have had so many beautiful cats come and stay since we opened our Cat Hotel. One thing we have noticed is that most of our cats parents are booking their holidays well in advance and we are getting lots of repeat business which is lovely. The cats are continuing to settle really well in their new, but very exciting, surroundings and it is so lovely to be able to share their holiday with them. Most afternoons I sit with my book and always have someone on my lap purring contentedly. The mornings are normally play sessions, grooming and general room tidying. Early evenings are play sessions before tea and late evenings are when the real fun starts as they all want a good run around before bed. Dreamies cat treats are the bedtime snack of choice with the majority of guests, along with a kiss goodnight for all of them. We are absolutely loving all the different personalities and one little man who has just gone home, after being with us for the last 5 weeks, is Treacle. He was a wonderful gentleman, who adored a fuss and a gentle play each day and had a delicious diet of fresh cod or chicken for both breakfast and dinner each day, along with a slither of smoked salmon on the side, to disguise his daily pill. It’s so lovely to give all the cats such undivided love and attention as they certainly all deserve it.

We are getting very excited about Percy the miniature donkey coming to live with us in August. Our other donkeys are keeping the grass down in his little paddock and his new shelter is going up soon. We have two new cats in this weekend called Lily and Charlie. They live in central London and are transfixed by the chickens, ducks and donkeys outside their window, I thought Lily would explode with excitement when she saw them for the first time!

Our diary is filling up fast for the rest of this year and if you have any potential dates in mind please let us know as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Cat Hotel Guest

Percy taking advantage of his full size bed and duvet at our luxury Cat Hotel

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Summer is on it’s way

May 12, 2015
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by Jackie
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It is absolutely beautiful here on the farm now that summer is almost here. The birds are busy feeding their babies and there are young rabbits everywhere – the cats approve of the outside entertainment!
We have had another really busy month with a variety of cats coming to stay, we even had George, William and Kate here for three weeks. They were three very lucky cats who were rehomed from Battersea, they really have landed on their feet now and live like the royals themselves.
It is Champagne Charlie’s (our little white donkey) 8th birthday today. He had extra digestives for breakfast and has his favourite broccoli stems for an afternoon treat. He is a real sweetie and totally adored by everyone who meets him. We took on his expectant Mum, Holly in April 2006 and after a very long pregnancy Charlie eventually appeared on the 12th May 2007. I have to say that having a baby donkey is the cutest thing and we wouldn’t of missed it for the world. Holly and Charlie used to walk through our garden to get to their field from the stable and they would always stop for a sunbathe on route. Charlie was actually in quite a lot of the papers, both national and local at the time as a photographer took a beautiful photo of him kicking his legs up on a hill. We have kept all the cuttings and love looking back on our ‘famous’ boy.
We are busy landscaping the approach to Hotel Cat at the moment and it is looking very smart. We adore our lives living and ‘working’ with animals, they really do give you so much love and although we will never have wealth, we have a fantastic life.
I must go back and sit with my oldies now. I have Colin who was rehomed as a stray 15 years ago staying with us and Treacle who is at least 18. Both of their owners adore them and they now have wonderful homes. They are a delightful pair of gentlemen, and like me to just sit and talk to them, it’s never a problem 🙂

Donkey foal new born

A new born Charlie. The cutest baby donkey!

We are almost full for the summer, with just a few dates left. If you are thinking of leaving your cat in our hotel, the sooner we know the better as we have had to turn quite a few people down for certain dates lately.

Charlie two days old!

Charlie two days old!

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TV!

April 19, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News
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A few of our customers know that we have had the TV cameras filming lately. They finished filming today and the documentary goes out in approx. one months time. It’s called ‘For the love of cats’ and is all about the sacrifices that people have made in order for cats to have a better life. We are very excited and extremely nervous in equal measures! The cats chosen for the filming were the bold, attention seekers and they had a ball with the film crew. Sebastian the Silver Tabby is a total natural in front of the camera and was a total star. Pino the Maine Coon kitten was also thrilled to be chosen, along with Willow the one eyed Tiffany cat and Poppy the sweetest little ginger girl who came from a rehoming centre and has now landed on her feet with a family who adore her.

Percy Pinkerton’s paddock is finally being fenced tomorrow and a new shelter for the donkeys is being ordered. Holly, our first ever donkey, has been under the vet this month as she developed a condition called COPD. This is basically a lung infection and we think the most likely cause is her current barn as it is very old and dusty. Those who have been here know that we have an awful lot of work to do on the house, but this is now on hold until the donkeys have dust free accommodation. Everyone who loves their animals understands that they always come first.

We are filling up fast for the summer and September is almost fully booked. If you are thinking of planning a break and would like your cat to stay in Hotel Cat then please give us a call.

The TV crew at our luxury cat hotel

The TV crew at our luxury cat hotel

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Lovely Reviews

March 16, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News
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We have had such lovely reviews left for us since we opened. Some are left on Facebook, whilst others are sent to us by email. This one really made my day and sums up totally why we built Hotel Cat;

‘Hello Jackie
Just a quick note to say a hundred million thanks for looking after Poppy so brilliantly.
In the past when we have brought her home from a Cattery she has stuck to us like glue, always in the same room as us and craving fuss and knees and never having been groomed, despite promises to do so.
Yesterday when we got her home she was miss independent, she had a good look around and had brief knee visits and fuss and was in no way disturbed by her stay away from home. She is calm and happy.
We can tell that she has actually really enjoyed her stay with you and she sees it as a second home, with second ” mum and dad” to meet her needs.
She is very fluffy and thanks you for helping her to take care of the huge fur coat she wears.
Words cannot express our relief in finding you, we are so confident now to book trips away without them being overshadowed by the guilt of leaving Poppy somewhere as totally alien as a normal Cattery .
Our only real fear now is that by next year you will be so full that we won’t be able to secure a booking for Pops, we KNOW that will be the case and that you will be turning bookings away before you know it.
So we are going to plan our trips well in advance!!’

We love looking after all the cats who come to stay and having just the seven suites is perfect as it enables us to spend real quality time with them all. We are taking bookings daily and have a real variety booked to stay throughout the year. One breed I am really looking forward to meeting is our first family of Australian Mist cats – especially as one is a kitten!

Beautiful Poppy

Beautiful Poppy

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New Staff!

March 9, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News
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We have a new member of staff joining our family in August. He passed his interview with flying colours and his official post is Head of Entertainment – we believe he will do very well in this post. His name is Percy Pinkerton and we are very much looking forward to his arrival. I have attached a photo of his interview with Tim……..

Percy Pinkerton the miniature donkey foal

Percy Pinkerton the miniature donkey foal

We have had a very busy few weeks with lots of lovely cats coming to stay. We fall in love with all of them as they are all heart stealers, but Frog the Devon Rex had us wrapped firmly around her tiny paws! She was only 6 months old and it was her first visit to us. She had so much fun and kept us so entertained with her crazy antics. In true cat fashion her favourite toy was the wire from a champagne cork, we would throw it and she would fetch it back for us each time, so very cute.

Frog the Devon Rex

Frog the Devon Rex

Spring is bursting to life all around us and the birds are very busy. We have a couple of blue tits nesting in one of the boxes which is right outside the Royal Mews bedroom window. I don’t know who is more absorbed by them, us or the cats!

We have a fun filled Easter planned with a cat themed Easter egg hunt for all the lovely guests we have booked in. We are always on the lookout for new ways to keep the cats busy between naps!

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