Cat hotel New Forest

Merry Christmas from Hotel Cat

December 2, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

Well December has arrived and we are flat out here preparing the hotel for Christmas. We have had two rooms refurbished with new wallpaper and tiled floors in the garden rooms and the tiler is preparing the next two. It’s lovely to see the rooms looking so fresh and new again ready for the start of a new year. The hotel works so hard during the year and it definitely deserves some tlc, we will be getting a new video tour done in Spring as all the trees and shrubs that were planted have grown so much and the gardens leading to the hotel are looking lovely.

We had a sad middle of the month as one of the baby deer had to be put to sleep. We found him hung up in the stock fencing early one Saturday morning. His back foot had got caught and although we released him he was struggling to walk. We called out the RSPCA and the most lovely, compassionate man arrived, he assessed the deer but couldn’t decide if his hip was broken or dislocated so called out a local vet. On close examination it was discovered that his hip was actually fractured so the decision was made to put him to sleep. We are devastated to lose one and it’s so sad to just have the three left as I’m sure they can’t understand why he didn’t return to the herd. We are still very blessed that they choose to live on the farm and they make us smile every time we see them.

The donkeys are sunbathing today as it’s beautiful outside. Cookie now wears his rug to help keep him warm as he really suffers when it’s cold. They spend most of the day and night in the big barn, but still like to come out for a wander around if it’s nice weather. We are hoping to rehome some ex commercial chickens this month as there is a rehoming day coming up, both us and the cats love watching the chickens wandering around the gardens. Our oldest chickens are coming up seven and although they don’t lay eggs anymore they have a lovely happy life.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over the last year, we love all our wonderful guests and adore looking after them for you. We won’t be sending Christmas cards again this year as we use the money to buy meals for the homeless, I know you will understand.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas,

Jackie xx

 

 

Read More

Halloween at Hotel Cat

November 2, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

Well it looks like winter is well underway! I am sat here in the warm whilst the wind and rain do their best to rid the trees of all their leaves.

October is always one of our busiest months and this year was no exception. We have had a number of new guests this month which has been lovely, especially when they settle straight in. The majority of first timers have already reserved their suites for next year and I have never seen the diary so full this far in advance, we already have quite a few bookings for 2021 as well!

The donkeys are really fed up with the rain and are spending most of their time in either the barn or the stables, hopefully November will bring some crisp sunshine for them. We have decided to rehome some more chickens so if anyone knows of any elderly girls who need a home please get in touch. Our golden oldie at the moment is seven and going strong, she doesn’t lay eggs anymore but has a lovely retirement running around the donkey paddocks and keeping all the younger girls in check.

All of our own cats are staying indoors now and there is always at least one of them on our bed both day and night, I love knowing they are safe and warm, it’s always a worry when they go outside. All of our guests are lovely and warm in their suites, their heating is on 24 hours a day and very few of them go and sit in the outside rooms, they are usually all in the warm bedroom. It’s so relaxing so be with them and we love being up at Hotel Cat.

We have a quieter couple of weeks coming up so we are looking forward to doing some decorating in the suites that will be empty.

Enjoy your weekend,

Jackie xx

Read More

Autumn has arrived at Hotel Cat

September 30, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

I can’t believe the change in the weather and miss the long hot summer days so much! The Cat Hotel is toasty warm already as all the heating is back on and when I go up first thing in the morning it’s lovely as the heating in our house isn’t switched on yet! We have had a really busy September as usual and have a really busy October to look forward to. September has been full of our favourites and I adore them all, we have quite a few elderly guests and they are all looking in really good health which is so lovely to see.

The donkeys have just had their feet trimmed and are looking really smart. they are spending more time in the barn now and make their presence known if they are feeling peckish! The cats find them absolutely fascinating and are often sat in the window seats watching them. Our new ducks are also a big hit with the cats as they are always around the Cat Hotel and are such funny characters.

We are taking bookings daily now for next year so if you have any dates that you need held the sooner we know then the more chance there is of you booking your required suite.

I’m off now to spend the evening with my lovely guests and enjoy the warmth!

Have a lovely month,

Jackie x

Read More

Busy times at the Cat Hotel

September 1, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

What a hectic month August has been, we haven’t stopped playing and loving cats all month! We have had a really lovely lot of guests throughout August. Some have been many times, others it’s their first time  and we have enjoyed every second of them all. It’s still really sad when they leave but lovely to know that they will be back. September is another really busy month and we have a tiny kitten staying at the moment, he is totally adorable and a total timewaster! We have a number of regular guests who stay every September coming in and it will be lovely to see them again too.

The diary is already filling up quickly for next year so if you have any dates please let us know as soon as possible, some dates are already full up and we don’t like having to turn our lovely regulars away.

The donkeys are full of mischief at the moment and are loving the last of the hot days. They are also loving the bucket of apples they get each day which have fallen from our trees! I’ve never seen so many apples on the trees but between us, the donkeys and the birds they are not going to waste. The crows sit at the top of the trees knocking them down and then flying off with them, that’s if the chickens haven’t got there first!

Our lovely deer family are always here, it’s so lovely to have been able to see the twins growing up and to see them with their Mum and Dad playing in the field each night is so special. They are so used to us now that they just watch us and we can get quite close to them. We adore living here surrounded by animals, it really is our piece of paradise.

We have decided to give the cat hotel a makeover with new wallpaper, redecorating the paintwork and new cat trees, hopefully this will be completed by Christmas and I can’t wait.

Have a wonderful month,

Jackie xx

Read More

Summer continues at Hotel Cat

July 28, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

What a beautiful summer, we are all loving the sunshine. Cats basking on their loungers and donkeys stood in the shade of the fruit trees, it’s just so peaceful and I hope it stays for August too.

The cat hotel has been really busy with lots of lovely guests and we are full for much of the year now. It’s so lovely to see all of our favourites coming back to see us and we love them all.

The donkeys are all well, although all a little fat! Percy was meant to be going to the New Forest Show this week but he is just too tubby. I have started to up his walks around the lanes in a bid to get his weight down, perhaps I’ll even get him to run with me once he’s fitter!

We had to have one of our lovely white ducks put to sleep this month. The vets tried to save her but she had peritonitis and they couldn’t keep her going. Her sister Elizabeth was very upset so we arranged to rehome two young runner ducks. Kate and Meghan have settled in really well and the three of them wander around together and sleep curled up with each other which is very sweet.

Right, back off to spend the last couple of hours with my guests before bed.

Jackie xx

Read More

It’s May – Hooray!

May 23, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

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

 

Read More

March Madness at Hotel Cat

March 27, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

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

 

Read More

February at Hotel Cat

February 28, 2019
/
by Jackie
/
in News
/
Comments Closed

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

Read More