The Kitty Sitter

25/10/2023

Hi everyone,

Hope we’re all well and ready for the colder months. Just wanted to say that although I’m retiring in May 2024 I’m still available for bookings from existing clients. I’m doing a small number of sits in the Tranent and Prestonpans area over Christmas but I’m keeping it very limited. If you require sitting for the Festive period please let me know as soon as possible.

Take care everyone, stay warm and cuddle a kitty.😁

03/08/2023

Hello everyone, well I hope we are all ok and enjoying these brief little interludes of sunshine. Been a bit of a soggy July hasn’t it? Let’s hope August does a bit better. We’ve had a lot of bees and butterflies in the garden this morning and it’s lovely to see them going about their business.

My news is that I’ve decided to retire at the end of May 2024. For many years now I’ve battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the battle is becoming more uphill. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to push on and power through like I used to do. So I’ve made the decision to retire before next summer.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my lovely clients and their wonderful kitties for affording me the opportunity to run my own business and be my own boss. I’ve met some fabulous people and many gorgeous cats over the years and the experience has been fantastic. The support I’ve been shown has been brilliant and my lovely loyal clients came back to me after COVID, for which I will be forever grateful.

I’m still working and taking bookings up till the end of May 2024 and I’m happy to chat and offer advice till then.

Once again thank you all so very much, your loyalty and support has meant the world to me.

Take care
Christine.

18/07/2023

Hello everyone,

Well July is certainly giving us a very mixed bag of weather isn’t it? Scorching one minute and lashing down the next, never boring though at least. I just though I’d pop an availability update out for anyone planning their next getaways.

August the 20th to 8th September on holiday.

September 9th to 16th spaces available

September 17th to Sunday 24th now full.

September 25th to Monday 2nd October spaces available

October 3rd to the 7th spaces available

October 8th to 12th on holiday

October 13th to 20th filling up fast ( half term for schools ) please book early if you require sitting for this week.

October 21st to Friday 27th spaces available

October 28th to 5th November on holiday.

Hope this is useful folks, enjoy the sunshine when it appears.

15/05/2023

Hello everyone,

Hope we are all well and enjoying a bit of sunshine.

I just thought I’d give a wee availability update and let you know my remaining availability for the summer. It’s filling up fast!

I’m on holiday from May the 25th until June the 12th.

Week beginning Monday 12th June- 2 spaces available

Week beginning Monday 19th June- 2 spaces available

Week beginning Monday 26th June- now full

Week beginning Monday 3rd July- 1 space remaining

Week beginning Monday 10th July- 1 space remaining

Week beginning Monday 17th July- 2 spaces available

Week beginning Monday 23rd July no more bookings being taken

Week beginning Monday 31st July - 3 spaces available

Week beginning Monday 7th August - 3 spaces available

Week beginning Monday 14th August - 3 spaces available but only up until Saturday August 19th.

Unfortunately I am also having to increase my visit prices. I’ve put this off as long as possible but sadly can longer hold off.

My prices will now be £10 per visit to Tranent, Prestonpans, Macmerry, Port Seton and Elphinstone

For visits to Haddington, Musselburgh, Pencaitland and Wallyford the price per visit will now be £11. Thank you to all my lovely, loyal clients and I’m really sorry that I have to do this.

24/04/2023

Hi there everyone,

Just a little heads up for people who have battery operated smoke alarms and cat flaps to make sure that you change the battery before you go away. I can pretty much guarantee that I will walk into a house and hear a very loud “bip” at some point, with the cat looking at me pleadingly to make it stop. It’s worth remembering that the house will be very quiet when everyone goes away and so a beeping smoke alarm will sound louder and more annoying than usual.

And of course a cat flap battery that goes flat may well mean that your cat is either stuck outside or stuck inside, neither of which go down particularly well with cats that are used to coming and going as they please!

Take care everyone.

Christine.

15/04/2023

Hello everyone,

Well, I’m still getting over the very sad death of Paul O’Grady, what a lovely kind man he was. An amazingly funny, sharp witted entertainer and without wishing to get too political he had very little time for our crop of grasping conservatives.

Lately though Paul became synonymous with animal rescue. His work with the Battersea Dogs Home is a legacy to be proud of and a reminder that rescue animals can make fantastic companions, loving and loyal.

So here’s to Paul, R.I.P ( should stand for Rest in Puppies )

Take care everyone.

25/03/2023

Hello all, hope everyone is well and all our lovely pets are too.

Just thought I’d give an availability update for the coming weeks.

Week beginning Monday 1st May- several place available.

Week beginning Monday 8th May- several places available.

Week beginning Monday 15th May- several places available.

Week beginning Monday 22nd May- some availability but only up to Thursday 25th May

June Availability

Week beginning Monday 12th June- 2 places available only.

Week beginning Monday 19th June 3 places available only.

Week beginning Monday 26th June 3 places available only.

July is filling up very rapidly too, if you can book early I would recommend that you do to avoid disappointment.

Enjoy the Spring weather folks.😁

04/03/2023

Hello everyone, well, hopefully this next cold spell will be short lived and we can look forward to spring. I just wanted to give a shout out to the Edinburgh Cat and Dog home who like most of us are looking at massive cost of living rises, any food donations that we can manage will help them out enormously and can be handed in to Dunedin Vets at Tranent.

If anyone is looking to book Kitty Sitter service here are a couple of sets of dates I’m not available for.

Wednesday 12th April to Tuesday 25th April

Thursday 25th May to Sunday 11th June.

Enjoy the Spring weather folks.

08/11/2022

Hi everyone, hope we are all well and ready for winter, now if I’m honest winter isn’t my favourite time of year. Sure it has some advantages, cosying up nice and warm and not feeling the need to rush around but I’m a Spring person if the truth be told.

I’ve actually just been reading about a wonderful organisation called the Cinnamon Trust, I heard about them a long time ago but kind of forgot that the trust existed. Founded in 1985 by Mrs Averil Jarvis the aim of the trust is to provide peace of mind to elderly or terminally ill people that their pet will be looked after when they are no longer able to do so themselves.

This may take the form of dog walking for a housebound person, fostering someone’s pet whilst the owner is in hospital and finding new homes for pets whose owners have sadly passed away. The wonderful work and peace of mind that the charity provide are invaluable. You may wonder why I decided to do a post about this but I just felt that I should commend this organisation that you don’t often hear about and the amazing work they do.

The Cinnamon Trust

10 Market Square

Hayle

Cornwall

Registered charity number 1134680

E mail [email protected]. (sorry the U.K. in this is lower case but my device won’t let me change it )

02/10/2022

Hello everyone and once again I’m very sorry for not doing any recent posts. I’d like to make up for my absence with a lovely wee story I saw about a cat called Ziggy. Ziggy is a very handsome ginger/white boy owned by a young family. The family have two little girls who attend a local primary school, take a guess at who else decided he was going to attend school? Yep, that would be Ziggy. At first Ziggy was routinely expelled from school and sent home but Ziggy was undeterred, never come between a cat and his education.
Ziggy now attends school most days and his attendance record is exemplary, he is involved in assembly, moves around the classrooms and has naps in the headmaster’s chair when he gets a bit tired. Then came school photo day, now I’ve never been a fan of having my photo taken but guess who posed happily for his? Yeah, you guessed it. The preview photos were duly sent home with the children and mum got the surprise of her life when Ziggy’s picture was in the envelope with those of her daughters. I believe that Ziggy’s picture now sits proudly on the mantelpiece alongside his human siblings. This made me smile for the day and I hope it does the same for you.

Take care everyone.

31/08/2022

22/06/2022

Hi there, now that summer is well and truly upon us I hope we can enjoy a bit of good weather. I now have two available slots for week beginning July the 18th and the same for week beginning the 25th July.

Could I please ask people to refer to my terms and conditions before making a booking and give a gentle reminder that payment is expected within 48 hours of return.

Many thanks

22/04/2022

Hi everyone, availability update.

Week beginning 4th July now completely full.

19/04/2022

Hello everyone,

Well the sunshine is back with us, for now at least. Speaking of sunshine, for those who are lucky enough to be planning a get away this summer I just thought I’d give a wee update on my Spring/Summer availability.

Week beginning May 2nd 2 spaces available.
Week beginning May 9th no bookings being taken.
Week beginning May 16th good availability.
Week beginning May 23rd completely full.
Week beginning May 30th good availability but off weekend of the 3rd June.
Week beginning 7th June good availability.
Week beginning 13th June filling up.
Week beginning 20th June good availability.
Week beginning 27th good availability but attending a wedding weekend of the 2nd/3rd.
Week beginning Monday 4th July filling up.
Week beginning Monday 11th July filling up.
Week beginning Monday 18th July good availability at present.
Week beginning Monday 25th July good availability at present.

Hope this is useful, enjoy the sun everyone.

22/03/2022

Hi everyone, just a wee reminder that now we are moving nicely into Spring this is the time of year when our nosey little kitties like to have a look round other people’s sheds and garages. Please always remember to have a quick check round your shed or garage before closing up, especially if you are going away.

On a separate note could I ask a wee favour of anyone reading this post? Mothering Sunday is coming up and I’m sure many mums will be receiving some lovely bouquets of flowers this year. Could I possibly ask that if you are lucky enough to be given roses when they are going to be thrown out could you message me and let me have them please? I’ll cut them down, put some rooting compound on them and try to propagate them. If I can get enough growing I’ll try and sell a few to raise money for charities.

18/02/2022

Hello everyone, really hope we are all safe and well and not too blown away. I’m really looking forward to the spring and spending time in the garden. Last year I went from pretty much no interest in plants or gardening to crazy plant lady. Time is marching on though and Easter is will be upon us before we know it. Here is my availability for April and May

Week beginning Monday April 4th good availability.

Week beginning Monday 11th April good availability.

Week beginning Monday 18th April good availability.

Week beginning Monday 25th April filling up.

Week beginning Monday May 2nd good availability.

Week beginning Monday May 9th on holiday.

Week beginning Monday 16th available from evening of Wednesday 18th.

Week beginning Monday 23rd May good availability.

Week beginning Monday 30th May good availability.

Unfortunately due to constantly increasing fuel/cost of living prices I will have to increase my visit charge to £10 per visit to house. This increase will come into effect from end of February. Any bookings taken before Monday 28th Feb will be charged at £9.0.

21/01/2022

Hi everyone again.

I’ve made a small change to my March availability. I’m no longer available from the 13th to the 16th but I’m available the 25th and 26th. Also I’ve added terms and conditions to my website, so please have a wee look at those prior to making a booking.

Many thanks

20/01/2022

Hi everyone,

I hope we are all keeping well and enjoying the milder weather. Here is my availability for February and March.

Week beginning 30th January - spaces available

Week beginning 7th February- spaces available

Week beginning 14th February- spaces available

Week beginning 21st February- not working 21st to the 25th, available from the 26th onwards.

Week beginning -28th February spaces available.

Week beginning -7th March not working 7th to 9th, available from the 10th onwards.

Week beginning- 14th March spaces available

Week beginning - 21st March spaces available but not working Friday 25th and Saturday 26th. Available from Sunday 27th

Week beginning- Monday 28th spaces available.

Hope this is useful to all. Stay safe.

13/01/2022

Hello everyone and a very Happy New Year. Here’s hoping that 2022 brings many wonderful things to all us and our pets.

Speaking of wonderful things, on the 31st of December 2021 the world said goodbye to Betty White, the actor. I think most of us associate Betty with the Golden Girls tv show, one of her best known shows but there was so much more to this amazing lady.

Born in 1922, Betty and her family would take camping holidays in the Sierra Nevadas, this and the fact that her parents would take in pets that their neighbours could no afford to keep ignited a lifelong passion for animals within Betty.

The amount of work Betty has achieved for the betterment of animal welfare is simply staggering. In 2005 she adopted “Pontiac” a “career change” guide dog. Simply put, Pontiac didn’t have the focus to be a guide dog, wanting to chat to everyone he met. Betty co-authored two books with her friend Tom Sullivan about guide dogs and when his guide dog Dinah retired Betty adopted her.

The Morris Animal Foundation is a non profit organisation that invests in science to advance animal health. Betty served for fifty years as a Trustee, a Trustee Emeritus and a Trustee President. In 2010 the organisation set up the Betty White Wildlife Rapid Response Trust with a gift from Betty following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The trust continues to help and support animals and areas affected by major disasters and in 2020 gave 1 million dollars to Australia to help following the wildfires.

In 2009 she was the recipient of the Jane Goodall Institute Global Leadership Award and in 2013 she was made an honorary zookeeper by the American Association of zookeepers for her longstanding work with LA zoo.

In 1877 America Humane was founded. This organisation works to ensure the safety and welfare of animals with a variety of initiatives, this includes the “No Animals Were Harmed” programme to protect animal actors in movies, television shows and commercials. Betty was involved with America Humane for over seventy years, nearly half of the organisations’ one hundred and forty five year history. In 2012 she was honoured with the National Humanitarian Medal and the Legacy Award.

Wow! Words just don’t do justice to this incredible lady and her legacy. On the 17th of January she would have been 100 years old, so how about we raise a glass on the 17th to this very special lady and take a moment to absorb and reflect upon just how much of a contribution to the world of animals this extraordinary woman actually made.

28/11/2021

Hello everyone, hope we are all well and safe, what between the virus and the wild weather, phew, life can be a tad stressful right now can’t it? Then I go and throw Christmas into the mix, really sorry about that. I will be closing my bookings for Christmas at the end of this week Friday the 3rd, so if you have any plans to travel over the festive period please let me know as soon as possible. Many thanks.

To all the folks out there who have feline “tree trashers” I’ve written a cat version of “Oh Christmas Tree” I hope you like it.

Oh Christmas Tree ( cat version )

Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
Your shiny baubles call to me
Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
I’m pretty sure you are for me
Your branches green
You are sublime
Up to the top I must surely climb
Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
And now I’m stuck
Oh dearie me.

I climbed right up, oh what a thrill
But climbing down is not my skill
Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
Your tinselled arms they tempted me
My joy has now become dismay
As Christmas tree you start to sway

I’ll make a jump, land with a thump
As Christmas tree you follow me
Oh Christmas tree, you’re smashed to bits
My owners having forty fits
I stroll away so casually
It really and truly wasn’t me.

I’ll wash my face, stare into space
Ignore the chaos in this place
Let my owners stress, clear up the mess
Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
You really were no match for me
Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
I hope they kept the warranty

So that is that, my spiky friend
All good things must surely end
You’re in the bin
They’re on the gin
All things considered, this is a win
Tis’ the season of goodwill and cheer
Until we meet again next year.

09/10/2021

Hi everyone, well now that Autumn is well and truly with us and we start to pull out our woolly jumpers I thought I’d just say hello and remind people that Halloween and of course Bonfire Night are not far away. Many of our pets really struggle this time of year with the excessive noise of fireworks and helping them to cope can be difficult.

Your vet can be a valuable source of information at this time of year they are always willing to help to find the best remedy for your managing your pet’s stress. Sadly some animals will need medication to help them through the firework period but here are some other options that are worth a try.

1 Television- yep sounds obvious but a tv show with a similar kind of noise can act as a sound block. We used to have a collie that was terrified of fireworks, then hubby was watching Spanish football one evening and Casper wasn’t remotely bothered by the fireworks outside. We figured the crowd noise and horns created a sound block.

2 Pheromone diffusers- these aren’t a cure for all ills but if plugged in a couple of weeks before the fireworks really get going they can take the edge off things.

3 Weighted blankets and Thundershirts- now, these aren’t something I’ve tried but the science behind them seems solid. Gentle pressure is exerted by the blanket/shirt making the animal feel safe and secure. Maybe it reminds them of being with mum and siblings.

4 Dens- sometimes a good old cardboard box can just provide a bit of welcome sanctuary, a blanket draped over the top will help dampen the sound too.

I hope some of this is useful and it’s always worth remembering that our pets hearing is far more acute than ours and so as fireworks get louder each year and go on for far longer than just November the 5th, our poor pets have to cope with noise that must feel very scary and threatening.

03/10/2021

Hello everyone, well here we are in October and it really does feel autumnal, or is that just me? Halloween will be upon us soon and I read an interesting item on Facebook suggesting that instead of just binning your pumpkin after Halloween, if you live in a fairly rural location break the pumpkin up a bit and leave it out for wildlife to eat. We’re coming into the time of year when food sources dwindle and so this could give our wildlife a welcome meal.

I used to look after a lovely ginger kitty called Pumpkin, a real sweetheart. Apparently Winston Churchill was also a ginger cat fan. On his 88th birthday Sir Winston was given a ginger rescue cat by his private secretary Sir John Colville, Sir John was known as “Jock” and the cat was duly named Jock. Sir Winston adored his cat so much that it has been said that family meals would not start until Jock was seated at the dining table. In fact Sir Winston stipulated that there should always be a marmalade cat living a comfortable life at Chartwell, his country house, also stipulated was that the cat should have four white paws and a white bib!

Chartwell is now home to JockVI, a friendly, inquisitive chap who loves showing visitors around, posing for photos, he also helps out in the office in that special way that cats do. Sadly though, the current Jock has retinal degeneration which means that his sight is not dissimilar to tunnel vision. Despite this, Jock is still a happy chappy living a comfortable life at Chartwell.

19/08/2021

Hello everyone, just a wee availability update.

Week beginning September 13th spaces available.

Week beginning September 20th working only until Thursday 23rd.

Week beginning September 27th annual leave.

Week beginning October 4th off until Friday 8th.

Week beginning 11th October spaces available.

Week beginning 18th Ocetober spaces available.

Week beginning 25th October limited spaces available.

Hope this is useful. Catch up soon.

14/07/2021

Hello everyone, I can’t remember if I mentioned this in previous posts but some time ago my own two elderly kitties went off their food. They were on Felix as Good as It Looks chicken variety and this was pretty much the only food they would entertain.
All was well until Purina changed the packaging, fair enough we thought, surely the contents will still be the same? Nope, after the change our cats would not touch the food. I contacted Purina, has the flavour changed? Oh no they assured me in a somewhat condescending manner. We’ve removed artificial colour and preservative but the quality and taste are as good as ever, they said. Well my cats beg to differ I argued but to no avail, they insisted all was fine and it must be just me hovering over the cats as they eat!
At this point I gave up and after many food fails we found some meat they would at least tolerate. Fast forward to this morning and on the East Lothian Ladies group I see a post regarding Felix. Apparently the company experienced difficulties earlier this year sourcing ingredients for As Good As It Looks and used raw ingredients sourced from Russia. According to the post some cats had vomiting and diarrhoea following eating the food and others like my two simply refused to touch it. I’m pretty angry to be honest, had they just been straight with me that would have been fine but to insist that the product was fine when clearly it wasn’t undermines ones faith in a previously trusted company. If anyone has concerns regarding this food I’ll try and find the post again and pass on the link.

All the best to everyone, enjoy the sun😎

24/06/2021

Hi everyone, just a wee update on my availability.

Week beginning Monday 5th July is now full.

Week beginning Monday 12th July has one available space.

Week beginning Monday 19th July has one available space.

Week beginning Monday 26th July has full availability.

Week beginning Monday 2nd August has full availability.

Week beginning Monday 9th August has full availability.

I appreciate that it is somewhat difficult to make plans at the moment but I just thought I’d let people know what availability I have currently.

17/06/2021

Hello everyone, I hope we are all well and safe. How lovely is it to be able to enjoy the sunny weather after the awful month of May. Gardens are blooming and it is fantastic to be able to get out and just enjoy outside time.
So this brings me on to the subject of bees, those little garden guests that are generally welcomed but are in trouble right now. Over the years bee numbers have declined significantly and since 1990 13 species of bee has become extinct. 35 more species are under threat, changes in land use, habitat loss, disease, pesticide use, pollution, farming practices, invasive plant and animal species and climate change have all contributed to the disappearance of the poor bee.

Thankfully though all is not lost. Conservation groups have raised awareness of the struggles that bees and other wildlife now face and we can change things for the better. If the bee were to completely disappear it is thought that the cost of pollinating U.K. crops would be 1.8 billion, a staggering amount. Bees have their own transport network around the country, this is comprised of flowering plants but the more of these plants that are lost, the more the bee network is disrupted forcing the bees to travel further to find food sources. A bee with a full stomach is only forty minutes from starvation, so these networks are vital to bee survival.

What can we do as individuals to help these guys out a bit? Ok the obvious answer is to plant flowers if you can, the experts say that even a window box with flowers can make a difference. Bees love blue and purple flowers as they see more of this part of the spectrum. Flowers have craftily adapted to this and project a blue UV halo to lure them in. When choosing plants to attract bees, go for nectar rich flowers, now this may seem like a given but many cultivated plants are not necessarily rich in nectar. Buying local honey and products supports bee keeping. Lastly, before I forget did you realise that bees have even made it into the Harry Potter universe? The name Dumbledore is actually an old Cornish word for bumblebee, magic!

Lastly again, sorry, if you or your pet get stung by a bee if you have any bicarbonate of soda in the house, make a paste and apply to the affected area, this will reduce the pain and swelling. Enjoy the sun everyone, bye for now.

16/06/2021

Hi everyone, could I just alert any Sainsbury’s customers or those who use Applaws food to check their products. A number of cat foods are being withdrawn from sale following a concerning link to a rare blood disease.
The products are primarily in the hypoallergenic range, please check your batch numbers if you are concerned.

09/06/2021

Hi here are your quiz answers

1- Officer Dibble

2- Simba’s mum is called Sarabi

3- It’s C the cheetah

4- Mammy two shoes.

5- It’s C Glenturret

6- It’s A a goat.

7- Bagpuss

8- Sadly it’s C approximately 43%

9- Tardur Sauce.

10- Cravendale.