cattery hampshire

Summer 2024

June 5, 2024
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by Jackie
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in News
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Hopefully as I write this we will start to see warmer weather on the horizon! Tim and I had our first holiday together in 28 years last week, we decided to go to the Lake District but came home after four days as it was heaving with people. We’ve decided that the occasional night away is plenty as we both love where we live so much.

The Cat Hotel has been so busy again and we have many bookings coming in everyday. It’s so lovely to see how quickly the cats settle in and the new cat towers are extremely popular. The outside of the hotel has been painted and the gardens are looking so good. We now have new electric gates at the entrance, which not only look good, but are great security and mean that Tim and I now don’t have to be on gate duty!

The donkeys are all happy and enjoying all the grass. Arthur has had another treatment on his eye as the tumour started to grow again, but this treatment seems to have worked. He’s such a little star and takes it all in his stride. Stan now has asthma! He is currently on 40 steroid tablets a day – he was on 80! He is going to have an inhaler next week, it will be interesting to see how that goes as he is such a worrier. Our two sheep have just had their 13th birthdays and although they are a little stiff in the morning, are doing really well.

Our three cats are all doing really well, Sweep has just turned 15, Stella and Nou are 14. I do get broody everytime a kitten comes in, especially if it’s a tortoiseshell!

Do give me any dates with as much notice as you can to guarantee a room as we don’t like to have to say no.

Jackie xx

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Christmas 2023

December 12, 2023
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by Jackie
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in News
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Comments Closed

What a year this has been. The hotel has been so busy and we have met some amazing new guests. Two of our older favourites have gone onto rainbow bridge which was very sad to hear, I can still see them in my mind waiting for either fuss or treats. We also, very unexpectedly, lost two of our dogs within three weeks of each other. This was such a shock and is something we are still coming to terms with. Losing an animal is such a sad time as they are family members and so very much loved. We are fortunate to be able to bury ours here and always plant a rose or a tree for them and I still speak to them all when I walk past.

On a brighter note Arthur’s last tumour treatment has started to work, the huge growth has gone and he will start treatment again in the new year to try and get rid of the rest. The donkeys are all really well and love the new stable and it’s so lovely to see them waiting for their biscuits in there every morning.

We now have our new gates up and they are working! It’s been a big project this year, but has made life so much easier. It means that Tim no longer is gate monitor! Our camera lets us know you have arrived and we just press the button to let you in. On the way out the gates open automatically, technology is a wonderful thing!

We are getting all prepared for Christmas, we are always at home as we have our guests and our four legged family to look after, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our own cats are all teenagers now so just have treats in their stockings as they don’t play with toys so much now. Little Sweep has made a full recovery since her dental surgery on her 14th Birthday and will be 15 in April. She is completely blind now but manages so well and is very demanding when she hears me near the food!

Our prices are rising in January, it’s the first time in two years, but unfortunately all our costs have risen dramatically this year.

We are fully booked for numerous dates already next year and have many bookings in the diary for 2025, so if you have any dates you would like booked please let us know as soon as possible.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Jackie xx

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Autumn has arrived at Hotel Cat

September 30, 2019
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by Jackie
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in News
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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

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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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January

January 30, 2015
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by Jackie
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in News, Nou The Cat
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Comments Closed

Well January is nearly over at Hotel Cat and we are convincing ourselves that signs of Spring are all around! We have had a very busy month and met a delightful number of cats. The one thing that really is apparent is how well they have all settled in. We have had a couple of very shy cats stay, but due to the fact that they have plenty of places to watch us from and get to know us, we have become part of their world very quickly. The feeling you get when you are best friends with a cat who didn’t want to know you 24 hours earlier is fantastic and a big part of why we created Hotel Cat.
We have a virtually full diary for February and are really looking forward to meeting all our new guests. They range from four month old kittens right up to a 16 year old gentleman who loves to lay on a chair and watch the chickens from his window.
The donkeys are very much looking forward to Spring arriving as they miss sunbathing! Basil has stayed really well as the winter has been relatively mild and his arthritis has been kept at bay.
We have been in talks with a couple of TV production companies who are putting cat themed shows together. I’m sure that we have a number of guests who would pose for the camera the minute it was pointed at them!
As ever, if you are thinking of leaving your precious cats and would like to come and have a look around or luxury cattery, then we would be delighted to meet you.
royal mews cat hotel suite

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Fish4Cats

December 18, 2014
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by Jackie
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in News
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Comments Closed

We were thrilled to be asked to be involved with the company Fish4Cats. Many of you will know all about their well known brand Fish4Dogs, which is a very popular premium natural food. Well, they have recently launched Fish4Cats alongside. We have trialled Fish4Cats on our own cats and on a number of our guests too. They have all, without exception, loved it. The complete kibble is crunchy and smells lovely and the fish mousse is gone as soon as it is put down.

The complete food contains high fish levels -65% fish content and is obviously extremely good for your cats coat and general condition. With added algae – a rich and sustainable source of Omega 3, added Cranberries and ideally balanced amino acid and mineral profile of fish to aid with urinary tract infection.

From now on each of our guests will be given a complimentary bag with both kibble and two pouches of the mousse to try. Have a look on their website for more information www.fish4dogs.com

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The Latest from Nou the Cat

July 16, 2014
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by Jackie
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in Luxury Cattery Hampshire, News, Nou The Cat
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Comments Closed

We love all animals here at Hotel Cat and have been fortunate to be able to offer a home to many unwanted ones. Your cat will be able to see our four gorgeous donkeys, three lovely sheep, two very naughty goats (!) and our many chickens and ducks who roam freely around outside.

If there is an animal or bird in need of a home we will always offer a home if we can. Our newest arrivals are 19 ex caged hens who arrived in June through the British hen welfare trust (http://www.bhwt.org.uk/) .

They were a little shell-shocked and wary of the big outdoors, but I have been showing them around the place and I’m rather enjoying my new job as ‘Mother Hen’….

They are a gorgeous bunch of girls and are so inquisitive. It has been very rewarding to see their confidence grow and the once scared girls now thrive on scratching in the grass, dust bathing and laying in the sunshine, all the things which were denied to them before. If you ever have any leftovers when you are dropping off your cat they love most things, especially biscuits and pastry!

They also  keep our guests entertained, provide lovely eggs for the humans, and spend many happy days in our beautiful gardens. It’s all rather splendid.

Make sure to check back soon as I’ll be reporting on our latest feline guests in the coming months.

Best whiskers!

Nou the Cat

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Savannah Cat Suite

July 8, 2014
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by Jackie
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in Our Rooms
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Comments Closed

Savannah Suite

A safari-themed cat suite for play & relaxation

The Savannah Suite is our smallest suite, but it is still far larger than that of any luxury cattery in the country.  This suite has a safari theme and has either a single bed, low bed suitable for those who cannot jump far or a small sofa, with pillow and soft duvet to snuggle up on. The garden room is filled with trees, climbing frames and sun loungers. There is plenty of space to run, hide, play and sleep and all suites have televisions, radios and many stimulating cat toys and games.

Suite Pricing

The suite is priced at £25.00 per day, with additional guests from the same family costing £10.00 each.

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