Our Service

Home Loving Cats is an expanding UK franchise of dedicated and caring cat sitters who each run their own independent cat sitting business and who provide an outstanding service for cats and their discerning owners. 

We offer a brilliant cat sitting service when you travel away, because instead of owners and cats both enduring the stress and ordeal of going to the cattery:

With our cattery alternative YOUR CAT STAYS AT HOME.

We visit your cat in its own home and:

• replenish food/water
• replace toilet litter
• fuss, play and socialise with your cat
• brush or comb you cat if it enjoys being groomed
• check that it is generally well and happy
• provide lots of re-assuring cuddles!

Catteries try their best, and most cattery owners are very caring people.  However, they are fighting against nature, as there is no escaping the fact that unlike dogs, cats are territorial animals and when they are forcibly removed from familiar surroundings and made to travel to a strange environment, they suffer very high levels of stress, sometimes stop eating for days at a time and can arrive back home in a traumatized state.

Regardless of whether you wish to take a holiday or weekend break, make a business trip, go into hospital, visit relatives or travel away for any other reason, our caring cat sitters offer the cat-preferred and compassionate cattery alternative.

Your cat will of course miss you whilst you’re away, but by using our dedicated cat sitting service you are doing everything you can to ensure that your cat will enjoy continuity of its normal diet, environment, routines and lifestyle.

We are experienced at recognising and handling cat problems and in the unlikely event that a cat becomes unwell whilst you are away, in addition to informing you by text or telephone, we will contact your regular vet and if necessary take your cat to the vet.
 

HOW WE WORK
 

Bookings are accepted for any period of time from one day upwards.

We are available over most of the peak holiday periods of April to September, Easter, Christmas & New Year, school holidays and most weekends.  Therefore to avoid disappointment, you are strongly advised to check availability and make bookings as soon as you are aware of your travel dates.

However, we do understand that travel plans are often made on the spur of the moment and unforeseen emergencies also occur, so we always do our best to accommodate our regular clients. With the current hectic pace of modern life and the availability of cheaper flights, travel is often arranged at the very last minute – so we therefore pride ourselves on being able to react at short notice. Many of our clients regularly telephone to tell us that they’re off somewhere the next morning! Our flexibility, our fast response time and our reliability, are three of the many reasons why we have so many happy customers who like to travel, along with so many happy cats who like to stay in the comfort of their own homes!

When you decide to use our service for the very first time, we will arrange to visit you at a mutually convenient time.  At this (free) initial meeting, we can meet your cat (or cats) and you can tell us anything that we need to know with regard to food, routines, medications, favourite toys, etc.

If you have a security system, you will need to show us how this operates, and furnish us with a spare set of house keys.

We then make visits over the agreed period.  We ask that you leave sufficient cat food and fresh cat litter (if applicable) in plain view.  Nothing else is required.

Should your return be delayed or should you wish to extend your holiday, you can text or telephone us and we will continue to visit for a further period according to your instructions.

On a first booking, we collect the keys from you during the free initial meeting.

Many of our regular clients ask us to retain a spare set of keys so they don’t have to go to the inconvenience of getting keys to us each time they go away.  So whenever you decide to travel, you only need to text, email or telephone us, confirming the dates of your planned trip.  You may make use of this (free) facility if you wish, or continue getting the keys to us each time – whichever you prefer.

Our Mission

We want as many cats as possible to enjoy a life of the highest quality, rich in love, care and attention, and with the minimum of stress.

At the same time, we want as many business-minded cat lovers as possible to enjoy the benefits of having their own cat sitting business – giving them control of their own future and income – along with the personal satisfaction that comes from making a real difference to the lives of cats and their owners.

By helping as many suitable people as possible to join the Home Loving Cats franchise network, the above twin goals are being achieved.  

Why Cats Hate Catteries

One thing is absolutely certain.  

Most cats really hate catteries! 

Is it because catteries are horrible places?   
Is it because cattery owners are uncaring? 
Is it because they don’t like cattery food?

The answer is “none of the above”.

There are some really caring cattery owners and some catteries have quite modern pens.

So why do most cats really hate catteries?

The answer is pure and simply that cats are territorial animals.

What do we actually mean by this?

Over many thousands of years, cats have been genetically predisposed to be solitary animals and to reign over a large territory (unlike dogs which are basically “pack” animals).

This explains much of a modern cat’s behaviour.  It explains why……..

Even though cats can be sociable (when they choose to be!), they spend a great deal of time alone – because they are basically solitary animals.  (They wander over large distances across the neighbourhood – since in the wild they need a certain minimum size of territory to supply an adequate amount of prey – that’s food to you and me).
They will fight other cats to defend their territory (and their food supply).

Of course, thanks to very caring and doting owners, in modern times, domesticated cats do not have to hunt prey in order to eat.

Yet many cats will hunt prey.

Why?

Because, as already stated, they are genetically predisposed to do certain things, including hunting prey (even though these days, they don’t really need to).

What does a cat’s territory mean to a cat?

In a word – EVERYTHING!

So when most cats are forcibly taken away from their familiar home environment (their central territory), they will become stressed, unhappy, sometimes stop eating and are quite unable to adjust to their new surroundings. 

It’s not so much the fact that they don’t want to be taken to a cattery, it is more to do with the fact that they do not want to be taken anywhere (away from their home territory).

So it is simply common sense and far better to care for a cat in its own home rather than take it somewhere else to be cared for.  Why would anyone want their cat to be stressed and unhappy when it could be calm, relaxed and contented?    

So let’s not blame cattery owners for supplying what is, in effect, an inappropriate service – after all, they are only supplying a service that a proportion of cat owners (mistakenly) believe is required.

At the end of the day, it’s down to cat owners to educate themselves with regard to what a cat’s needs really are, and to recognise that a cat’s best interests are served when the cat remains at home.  It’s not just ourselves saying this – it’s simply common sense and the result of thousands of years of evolution.

When you go on holiday, instead of taking your cat to a cattery, check out the difference that Home Loving Cats can make to the quality of your cat’s life by clicking on Our Service

We also have some very useful information for cat owners which can be accessed by clicking on Cat Articles

If you really have no alternative other than to use a cattery (perhaps because there simply isn’t a suitable cat sitter in your area), then be careful to exercise appropriate care and due diligence.

By the way, if we don’t currently offer a service in your area and you are a cat lover looking for a business opportunity doing something you love, then you might wish to click on Pet Sitting Franchise.