Catting About
Yesterday I went touring some catteries in the area. I've got to find a place for Ginger to stay while we are packing out and before he flies home. His usual home away from home, Cosy Cattery, can only accommodate him from 2-8 July. We don't fly home until 25 July. I'd been hoping Ginger could fly with us but for various complicated reasons we've decided to send him home ahead of us. My sister JoAnn will be able to pick him up at BWI airport, but not on the weekend of 8 July. So it looks like we will try to put Ginger on a plane around 11 or 12 July. Hence, the reason for the cattery search. I thought it would be better to find a cattery that could accommodate him until at least 12 July. I got a few leads on catteries from friends, and found some more prospects through internet and phone book searches. I narrowed it down to three catteries for my touring.
I decided to revisit Petties Paws, a cattery on a farm just outside of Harrogate. Ginger had stayed there once before but I wasn't completely satisfied with it. It was a little dirty and the construction of the cat pens was a bit chintzy. At that time aboout two and a half years ago the owners stated they had plans to move the cats to another area in a purpose built cattery building. I arrived yesterday morning to find the new purpose-built cattery is still in the planning stages. In fact the owner gave me just about the same speech he'd given me two and half years earlier. The cat pens were really stinky and I could see many of the litter pans needed tending to. so I struck that one off my list.
Next stop was North Oaks Farm Cattery. I found this one in the phone book. I liked the idea that it was a facility exclusively for cats, on a farm and in a fairly easy-to-reach location. It was off the road to Brimham Rocks just outside of Pateley Bridge. When I pulled up I was pleased to see a nice farm house with neatly tended flower gardens. I met the owner who took me in to see the cat cabins. Everything looked great. All the cats were in private enclosures, it was neat and clean. Then I mentioned that Ginger needs to be given pills on a regular basis. The owner said she could give Ginger the pills only if they could be given with his food. With Ginger that's not possible, but he takes his pills very well. At that point the owner set off on a rant about why she couldn't accept cats that need pills. She went on and on quite frantically about how she'd had a bad experience with a cat that went berserk when she tried to pill it and how would I like to give that cat (she pointed to a particularly vocal feline) a pill and you just never know how they will act and my cat might be on edge depending upon what other cats are there at the time and if I come across anyone who agrees readily to give a cat a pill just don't trust them because they will just say that and not give the cat a pill. I just stood there and looked at her not believing what I was hearing. How can she run a business in which she cares for cats yet not be able to give a cat a pill?! Oh well, strike that one off the list.
Final stop of the day was The Secret Garden Cattery in Winksley. I liked the name of this one but it was in a more remote location. I'd gotten confused by the directions given to me and anyhow I was approaching Winksley from a different direction that I'd been given the directions for anyhow. I thought I'd be able to figure it out from a map but I took a wrong turn and felt hopelessly lost. I stopped once to get directions to Winksley and made it to the village, no really it was a hamlet, but damn if I couldn't find the cattery. I decided I must've gone too far and looked for a place where I could turn around. I saw a driveway up ahead and thought that was as good a place as any. As I pulled in I saw the sign: "Secret Garden Cattery". What luck I thought, this must be a good sign. The owner is a very nice (sane) woman, her cattery is neat, clean and climate-controlled with private enclosures and outside areas for the cats. Plus she had vacancies for the entire month of July. Yes!! Success. I made a provisional booking for 2-12 July. I'm under no obligation if I have to cancel.
I was feeling really good about my find but on the drive home it dawned on me that I will need to take Ginger out of the cattery shortly before his trip to visit the vet for a health certificate. It can only be done 10 days or less before he flies out. I realized I could board Ginger in Cosy Cattery from 2-8 July, take him out on the 8th, visit the vet, and then take him to another cattery, Padside, close by. We've used Padside before; it's an excellent facility and is run by a veterinary nurse. Hmmm... if Winksley weren't so out of the way and if Ginger had stayed there before I might think of going with that plan but now I was beginning to like option two much better.
Oh well, the day's outing was not really a loss. I'd enjoyed driving around in Nidderdale a lot. Winksley was in an area near where I'd gone hiking before and I remember how much the narrow roads had scared me before. This time around I wasn't intimidated by the roads. That was such a liberating feeling. It only took me nearly three years to get there.
I decided to revisit Petties Paws, a cattery on a farm just outside of Harrogate. Ginger had stayed there once before but I wasn't completely satisfied with it. It was a little dirty and the construction of the cat pens was a bit chintzy. At that time aboout two and a half years ago the owners stated they had plans to move the cats to another area in a purpose built cattery building. I arrived yesterday morning to find the new purpose-built cattery is still in the planning stages. In fact the owner gave me just about the same speech he'd given me two and half years earlier. The cat pens were really stinky and I could see many of the litter pans needed tending to. so I struck that one off my list.
Next stop was North Oaks Farm Cattery. I found this one in the phone book. I liked the idea that it was a facility exclusively for cats, on a farm and in a fairly easy-to-reach location. It was off the road to Brimham Rocks just outside of Pateley Bridge. When I pulled up I was pleased to see a nice farm house with neatly tended flower gardens. I met the owner who took me in to see the cat cabins. Everything looked great. All the cats were in private enclosures, it was neat and clean. Then I mentioned that Ginger needs to be given pills on a regular basis. The owner said she could give Ginger the pills only if they could be given with his food. With Ginger that's not possible, but he takes his pills very well. At that point the owner set off on a rant about why she couldn't accept cats that need pills. She went on and on quite frantically about how she'd had a bad experience with a cat that went berserk when she tried to pill it and how would I like to give that cat (she pointed to a particularly vocal feline) a pill and you just never know how they will act and my cat might be on edge depending upon what other cats are there at the time and if I come across anyone who agrees readily to give a cat a pill just don't trust them because they will just say that and not give the cat a pill. I just stood there and looked at her not believing what I was hearing. How can she run a business in which she cares for cats yet not be able to give a cat a pill?! Oh well, strike that one off the list.
Final stop of the day was The Secret Garden Cattery in Winksley. I liked the name of this one but it was in a more remote location. I'd gotten confused by the directions given to me and anyhow I was approaching Winksley from a different direction that I'd been given the directions for anyhow. I thought I'd be able to figure it out from a map but I took a wrong turn and felt hopelessly lost. I stopped once to get directions to Winksley and made it to the village, no really it was a hamlet, but damn if I couldn't find the cattery. I decided I must've gone too far and looked for a place where I could turn around. I saw a driveway up ahead and thought that was as good a place as any. As I pulled in I saw the sign: "Secret Garden Cattery". What luck I thought, this must be a good sign. The owner is a very nice (sane) woman, her cattery is neat, clean and climate-controlled with private enclosures and outside areas for the cats. Plus she had vacancies for the entire month of July. Yes!! Success. I made a provisional booking for 2-12 July. I'm under no obligation if I have to cancel.
I was feeling really good about my find but on the drive home it dawned on me that I will need to take Ginger out of the cattery shortly before his trip to visit the vet for a health certificate. It can only be done 10 days or less before he flies out. I realized I could board Ginger in Cosy Cattery from 2-8 July, take him out on the 8th, visit the vet, and then take him to another cattery, Padside, close by. We've used Padside before; it's an excellent facility and is run by a veterinary nurse. Hmmm... if Winksley weren't so out of the way and if Ginger had stayed there before I might think of going with that plan but now I was beginning to like option two much better.
Oh well, the day's outing was not really a loss. I'd enjoyed driving around in Nidderdale a lot. Winksley was in an area near where I'd gone hiking before and I remember how much the narrow roads had scared me before. This time around I wasn't intimidated by the roads. That was such a liberating feeling. It only took me nearly three years to get there.
posted by lenora at 12:53 PM
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