Lowestoft & Great Yarmouth Cat Sitting

I’ve lived in Lowestoft all my life, apart from a short spell in Norwich while I was at art school. And for almost as long as I can remember, cats and other animals have been a big part of my life.

Growing up with two older brothers, our family home was rarely without pets. Rehomed cats and rabbits – and even budgerigars – somehow found their way into our lives. My first cat was Smokey, a beautiful grey and white long-haired cat who came to us when her previous owner was no longer able to care for her.

That was just the beginning of a lifelong love of cats.

The cats who chose us

Over the years, our family seemed to have a wonderful habit of being “chosen” by cats.

One of the most memorable was Wibble – although her real name was Tibby! As a youngster, I thought that if I called her by a different name, her owners might not realise I was outside encouraging their cat to come and see me.

Wibble was an incredibly friendly tortoiseshell who loved nothing more than fuss, cuddles and treats. She visited us so frequently that Mum nicknamed her the “Time Waster”, because we would become so distracted playing with her that dinner – or whatever else we were supposed to be doing – would be forgotten!

Eventually, Wibble’s owner acknowledged what Wibble herself had apparently already decided: she wanted to live with us. She became a permanent and very much loved member of our family.

Then there was Henry, an enormous and wonderfully placid tabby. He was so relaxed that when my parents had their kitchen renovated, he simply slept in the dining room next door, apparently oblivious to all the drilling and banging going on around him!

My first cats of my own

When I bought my first home, Wibble came with me and settled in beautifully.

Not long afterwards, a friend told me that her mum had taken in a pregnant stray cat. Once the kittens arrived, of course I had to go and see them – and that was how Mable entered my life.

Mable was the tiniest black ball of fluff and the runt of the litter. On her first night with me, I carefully prepared a little cardboard box beside my bed, complete with something carrying her mum’s familiar scent to help her settle.

In the middle of the night I woke to the sound of purring in my ear. Somehow, tiny Mable had climbed onto the bed, curled herself into my hair and was happily padding away.

That was it. I was completely smitten.

As Wibble and Mable grew older, both developed health problems. Wibble was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid and Mable developed kidney problems. Caring for them through illness taught me a great deal about the additional patience, observation and attention that older cats and cats with medical needs can require.

Losing them both in the same year was heartbreaking.

Alfie, Percy, Martha and Reggie

When I eventually felt ready to welcome another cat into my life, I visited the RSPCA and met Alfie – the largest, fluffiest, wonky-eyed boy you could imagine!

Alfie was a huge grey and white long-haired cat, incredibly affectionate, interested in absolutely everything edible and particularly talented at squashing my flowers by choosing them as his favourite sleeping spots in the garden.

Then came Percy.

A friend told me about another cat desperately needing a home and suggested I should “just come and meet him”. As any cat lover will probably appreciate, there was never much chance of me leaving without him!

Percy was a gorgeous, long-haired tabby who adored cuddles and lap time. He would often lie upside down so that his tummy could be rubbed.

Years passed, I moved house again and had two baby boys of my own. Eventually, after both Alfie and Percy sadly developed cancer, our family once again felt as though something was missing.

So it was back to the RSPCA, where Martha joined us. My boys wanted to call her Cupcake! Martha is a beautiful long-haired black cat with an impressive fluffy mane – although she has never been particularly enthusiastic about having it brushed. She is now around 15 and has grown up alongside my youngest son.

And then there’s Reggie.

Reggie is my eight-year-old tabby and the cat you’ll see in many of my photographs. I found him through a family whose black and white kittens had all been chosen, while somehow nobody had chosen him. I couldn’t understand why – I thought he was gorgeous!

He is incredibly loving and follows me everywhere around the house – including to the bathroom. Outside, he loves chasing leaves and butterflies, and his zoomies have been known to finish with him running straight up a tree!

Turning a lifelong love of cats into my work

Cats aren’t simply pets to me – they are members of the family.

Even when I’m out walking or away on holiday, I seem to find a cat to fuss. Walks regularly get interrupted because I’ve spotted a friendly cat, and when my youngest son was smaller, we would even go on a “cat walk” after tea to see how many neighbourhood cats we could find and say hello to.

Before joining Home Loving Cats, I spent more than 20 years working in banking, looking after people and their finances. Today, I’ve swapped looking after finances for something much closer to my heart – looking after cats in Lowestoft and the surrounding area.

As a Home Loving Cats cat sitter, my aim is not only to provide excellent care for your cats while you’re away, but also to give you the reassurance of knowing they are safe, comfortable and being cared for with genuine affection in their own home.

I understand how important it is to entrust someone with both your much-loved cats and your home. Every cat has their own personality, habits and preferences. Some want lots of fuss and attention; others would much rather observe their visitor from a safe distance until they decide that friendship is permitted!

For me, good cat sitting means respecting those individual personalities and caring for each cat in the way that makes them feel happiest and most secure.

When I’m not cat sitting…

My other great passion is gardening. I love creating a pollinator-friendly garden and watching the bees, butterflies and birds that visit. I also enjoy propagating plants, saving seeds after flowering and looking after my ever-growing collection of indoor plants.

And when I’m not occupied with cats or plants, you’ll often find me with a crime thriller, trying to work out “whodunnit” before I reach the final chapter.

Cats have been part of my life since childhood and I genuinely can’t imagine a home without them.

I now have the pleasure of making that lifelong love of cats my work – providing professional, caring and reliable cat sitting in Lowestoft and the surrounding area through Home Loving Cats.