luxury cat hotel

Christmas and New Year

December 27, 2021

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Where to start! We had a slow start to the year then some of the busiest months we have ever had, including a hectic December. January appears to be quieter so we can catch up on some overdue jobs at the end of the month. We have had a wonderful Christmas full of the most gorgeous guests, at one stage in the year we thought we would close for the Christmas period but I’m so glad we changed our minds as it has been so much fun.

We have had lots of new guests join us this year and most of them have been back for more visits and have booked for 2022 which is so good. We have had so much support from our wonderful customers this year, all small businesses have struggled over the pandemic and we feel very blessed to still be here and going strong as I know a lot of people have had to pack in their dreams of running their own businesses, hopefully things will recover in the coming months.

The donkeys are all really well and Holly and Percy have been out spreading smiles at local care homes. The last one we went to just before Christmas we took Ted the Shetland and he was a superstar. It was a neurological unit and Holly wore her Christmas hat and Ted donned his antlers and they went down a storm with the residents. We have big news on the four legged front, Ted has a new best friend called Tony. Tony is a six month old miniature Shetland pony who has joined us as part of the cat entertainment team. He is such a little gem, cheeky but extremely cute and very lovable! Ted thinks he is the best toy ever and the donkeys don’t know quite what to make of him. It’s so funny as when I go out in the morning Ted and Tony are normally asleep outside whatever the weather but the donkeys are always in the barn on their soft straw beds, totally dry and warm.

The farm still looks beautiful, we are so lucky to have our resident deer grazing in the fields and the buzzards flying over head. We totally love being here. We are replacing all the fencing in the Spring and having the oak trees pollarded so busy time ahead.

Our prices will increase on the 1st January, I’m just about to update that page now before heading back out to entertain the guests.

Wishing you all good health and happiness for 2022.

Jackie xx

March, but where is Spring?!

March 11, 2020

by Jackie

in News

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We are so desperate for signs that summer is on it’s way, this has certainly been the longest wettest winter. The primroses and daffodils are all in flower around the entrance to Hotel Cat but we want some sun with warmth in it! The donkey’s paddock is still very muddy and they are not happy, fingers crossed the worst of the weather is past and next time I write we will be enjoying an early heat wave!

The Cat Hotel has not been quite as busy due to the uncertainty from coronavirus but we have plenty of bookings coming in for the summer so lets all hope for good news by then. We have been lucky to have only had two cancellations and they were both covered by insurance which covered their boarding fees. It’s been a really odd year so far with Brexit, floods and now coronavirus, lets hope it improves once the sun appears.

We have had new fencing and gates put up in the driveway, it looks so smart and it is now totally secure. Our electrician is coming out next week to fit a video doorbell and floodlights, it really does look so much smarter when you drive in and we love it. Once the trees are in leaf we will get a new video tour done so that the new cat rooms can be seen on the website, we have had great feedback from everyone and lots of new customers already which is great.

The donkeys have their feet being trimmed this weekend and are due their worming so they won’t be happy! Percy and Arthur are doing well with their training and we are now looking for a trailer to take them out in.

Our lovely deer family are all well and last years baby now has tiny antlers appearing, he is so sweet and is fascinated by us walking by!

I hope you all are well and keep that way,

Jackie xx

Merry Christmas from Hotel Cat

December 2, 2019

by Jackie

in News

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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

Busy times at the Cat Hotel

September 1, 2019

by Jackie

in News

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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

Summer continues at Hotel Cat

July 28, 2019

by Jackie

in News

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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

Our television debut

July 3, 2015

by Jackie

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

Lovely Reviews

March 16, 2015

by Jackie

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

Christmas and the Daily Mail at Hotel Cat

December 13, 2014

by Jackie

in News

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We have been very busy in the last couple of weeks. The Daily Mail came down for the day and wrote another lovely review of us in the newspaper. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2869056/The-moggies-ran-8-000-hotel-bill-TVs-suite-smoked-salmon-treats-room-service-scenes-Britain-s-poshest-cattery.html
We have had numerous other journalists visit and the publicity has been fantastic, we already have bookings for Christmas 2015!

The Cat Hotel is looking very festive and our large sparkling Christmas tree has a huge box of gifts underneath ready to be distributed on Christmas morning. I think we are all more excited about our guests presents than our own and each one has been carefully selected to suit the individual personality of each cat. We have a wonderful selection of guests and will post photos on our gallery in the New Year.

The majority of our guests have never stayed away from home before and understandably their parents are always anxious about how they will cope. The truth is that every cat who has stayed so far has settled in really well. We do ask that you bring plenty of familiar bits from home to leave in their suites and all of the cats relax into their new surroundings very quickly. It is important to remember that we are with your cats all day at their calling. They have an awful lot of one to one time throughout the day and late into the evening.

I have posted a couple of photos of brother and sister, Florence and Ravello. Their Mum and Dad were very worried about how they would cope here and whether they would eat. The truth is they are very relaxed, eating well and adore watching all the animals wandering outside their window. Ravello also loves to watch Lion King on the television, he is so funny and always jumps on the table when I switch it on, it’s quite apt seeing as how his parents have gone on safari!

We’re in the news!

November 26, 2014

by Jackie

in News

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Wow, what a week. Our little hotel for cats has suddenly gone viral and we have been featured in the national press here and also in many other countries. Tomorrow I am doing a telephone interview with a newspaper in Sweden and also one in America. You can read the articles here;
http://metro.co.uk/2014/11/25/the-hotel-with-fine-dining-chauffeurs-skype-and-luxury-suites-for-cats-4962405/
http://nypost.com/2014/11/25/the-luxury-cat-hotel-with-24-hour-service-and-king-size-beds/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2848611/Welcome-country-club-cats-felines-holiday-five-star-luxury.html

We are all looking forward to the lovely guests who are booked in for Christmas stays, we have a lovely bunch coming to stay and are busy choosing presents to suit their individual personalities. Our Christmas tree is going up at the weekend and all our guests have presents with their names on to go underneath. I think we are all more excited about their presents than our own!

We adore looking after your cats and it is so satisfying to see them all so relaxed and happy. We had our oldest guest to stay this week. Freddie is 17 and just such a lovely boy who loves company and to be stroked until he falls asleep. We are always greeted with nose bumps and purrs from all of our guests and get to enjoy hours of cuddles and games every day – it’s just purrfect 🙂

The Latest from Nou the Cat

July 16, 2014

by Jackie

in Luxury Cattery Hampshire, News, Nou The Cat

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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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