Dave's Christmas Holiday | Just Add Ginger

Dave the Cat has been with us for eight whole months now, and he is well and truly part of the family. He is probably the craziest (and strangest) cat I've ever met, but he is our little weirdo and I love him to absolute pieces. 

So - as you can guess - knowing that we had to leave him whilst we went away on our Christmas holidays was really difficult. I felt so guilty that we had to leave him behind and couldn't take him with us. Finding a fantastic place for him to go on his own holiday was priority number one. 

It was MG who discovered The Pets Country Manor online. With lots of really positive reviews, I knew it was a place that we had to check out. So, one Autumn afternoon, MG and I set off to see it for ourselves. 

I was not disappointed by what I saw. The Pets Country Manor has got to be the most spacious cattery I've ever seen. The grounds are absolutely huge, with beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. The owners were absolutely lovely, and put my mind completely at ease. I honestly was an emotional wreck at the thought of leaving my furry baby with complete strangers, but you could just tell that the owners live and breathe their job. There was so much passion and love behind all the information I was being told, that any fears I had were instantly quashed. 

The morning I had to drop off Dave was really difficult emotionally I felt really sad that I had to leave Dave, and was worried that he was going to be a little menace. He is still coming out of being a kitten and still has mad half hours where he tears around like a loon. I dropped him off with his favourite toys - just in case he got lonely - and waited for him to protest at me abandoning him. But quite honestly I didn't have to worry. No sooner had I unclipped the hatches of his cat box he was off exploring his suite without so much as a glance back at me to say goodbye. I on the other hand, was holding back the tears.

What I loved so much about The Pets Country Manor is that whilst you are away, their Facebook page is regularly updated with photo and video updates of how your cat is getting on. This is a great comfort for those of us who may be leaving our cats for the first time because you can see how they are getting on. In all of Dave's updates he looked contented and happy as can be, playing away happily without a care in the world and nosing into his neighbours' suites to see what was going on.

It was pretty clear that whilst we were away, Dave got bucket-loads of attention. The suites are heated so there was no chance of him getting cold (he does feel the cold quite a lot, choosing to sit with me underneath a blanket if it's bitter outside.) And with his own dining area, he could still maintain the routine we have got him in of having a completely separate eating and play area. It was an all-inclusive holiday, with Dave's food, litter, and toys for his stay provided. He had been one pampered puss on his holidays!

When we returned the ten days after leaving Dave, it was as if we had only left him for five seconds. He could not have been less fazed at being on his own little holiday, and was happy and content. He got a stellar report from the owners, and we were told that on Christmas Day he had received his own little cat-friendly turkey dinner, and that a little Christmas present was coming home with him for him to enjoy. He had been absolutely a spoilt! And we could not have been happier. 

The Pets Country Manor does not just provide a cattery service. It also has accommodation for smaller pets too, with hay, fruit & veg, bedding etc. provided.

I would have absolutely no hesitation in booking Dave in to The Pets Country Manor again. It is an outstanding facility, and to have owners with so much passion and drive looking after your furry baby is such a comfort. "The Manor" and owners have won a number of awards, and in 2014, The Pets Country Manor was awarded The UK's Number 1 Cattery title. 

If you live in or around Liverpool and you are looking for somewhere for your cat or smaller pet to spend their holidays whilst you are away, please check out The Pets Country Manor. It really is an amazing place, and it deserves every praise for providing such a dedicated and loving service for its guests. Come future holidays, I can only imagine Dave will be only too happy to return and spend some time sunning himself in his suite. And he won't miss us one bit. 

For more information about The Pets Country Manor, please visit: 

http://www.petscountrymanor.com/

#Blogtember Day Seven: Snapshots Of A Ginger Life

(Top L-R: A Sunny Summer Evening, Pretty Flowers, Homemade Cheesecake
Middle L-R: Sofa Time With Dave, Engagement Sparkle, Seeing Les Mis
Bottom L-R: A Magical Night, View From A Train, Champagne Flutes.)

Summer is starting to move over and leaving room for Autumn to arrive. Because this Summer has been so busy and amazing for me, I wanted to share some of my favourite photos from the past few months to look back, and reflect on all the blessings that came to me. 

Most of the photos are from my Instagram (my username is @Gingerjax if you want to follow me.)

What were your Summertime highlights? 

My Must-Have Starter Kitten Kit

Getting a pet is something that Boyfriend & I have talked about for a while. We both knew that we wanted a pet. That was never in doubt. But ideally, we both wanted a dog, and in a fantasy world, I think we would already have one. But our house is far too small for a dog in reality. It'd be unfair to keep one cooped up in such a humble-sized house while we are out at work.

So we decided to wait a few years until we move.

And then, a few weeks ago, we got a call from destiny. There was a kitten in desperate need of rescuing. There was no hesitation or doubts in our minds. We knew we had to take him on.

And name him Dave....of course!

We've had cats in our family pretty much all throughout my adolescent life. But I never really knew a lot about caring for them. They were family cats, and as far as I was concerned, my parents were in charge. So when it came to trying to buy supplies for our new furry arrival, I was completely at a loose end.

Which is why I thought I'd compile a selection of things that I think are a must-have for those of you out there thinking of or who will be bringing a new kitten home.

The most important thing I'd say is to invest in a good litter tray and cat litter. Space in our house is limited, so a hooded tray was essential - for the comfort of our noses, and to ensure that Dave has enough privacy. So far, we've only had one cat poo-related disaster. Dave was pretty quick at mastering how to use the tray, and conquering his fear of the cat-flap entrance. We also bought a kitten-friendly disinfectant for cleaning out his litter tray, which comes in handy when you have to clean the floor surrounding his little box too because you know it won't harm them. And that is a big worry of mine at the moment.

We always opt for clumping cat litter because for us it's easier to manage. The choice however, is up to you/ And it's always best to have a few poop-scoops in stock just in case one needs to go out for a deep-clean. I've had a few times where I've left myself without a clean scoop, and let me tell you...those have been the scariest moments of my life as a pet owner! Dave also has his own dedicated poop bin which we line. Any waste goes in scented bin liners to eliminate odour, and we change the bin bag regularly to keep it hygienic.

Top of your priorities list should be getting your kitten to the vet to register ASAP. When we rescued Dave, we knew pretty much next to nothing about him, so taking him to the vet made sure that he had had his jabs, we knew how old he was....and had it confirmed that Dave was actually a boy! Make sure you do your research when looking for a vet, and ask lots of questions. We were quite lucky in that Boyfriend knew where he wanted Dave to go based on experience that he had with his family's dogs. But if you're not sure, ask around get some advice and find our if any vets offer kitten packages to help towards the costs of jabs/neutering/all things medical.

To make Dave comfortable, we have invested in a lot of toys for him. He is a very intelligent cat, and needs bucket-loads of mental stimulation or else he just gets bored. Catnip mice are his favourite, so we have bought lots for him because, well, they just go missing. He will hide all his mice, you won't see therm for a week and then BOOM, four turn up as if by magic. It is bizarre, but we really have no idea what he does with them all. So, moral of the story? Overstock!!

Part of  making your kitten comfortable is also investing in a decent scratching post. When Dave came to us, he had death-claws, that, when he stuck them in to you, hurt like an absolute biatch! Having a scratching post has really help file his claws down and means that he isn't using the back of our sofas instead. He does have an invested interested in our rug though. But I think that's because it's just so soft.

When it came to buying a bed, we pretty much needn't have bothered. Dave rarely sleeps in his bed. He's usually up with us. (And I know, I know, that's bad kitten-mama practice, but when you have a kitten who knows how to open doors when they are firmly shut, what else can you do?) He's really well-behaved at night, and during the day, he sleeps on a blanket that my parents donated to us for him.

And lastly, on to food. To be honest, this is still something we're figuring out. A few weeks ago, Dave was mega hungry, and getting through loads of cat food a day (the standard RDA for a kitten his age, plus a bit more.) But now he has really calmed down. We start off in the morning giving him fresh water and about 60g of the IAMS Kitten food (he was eating this prior to coming to us.) That 60g lasts him until the evening. where he gets one quarter of a bottle of kitten milk. This isn't a necessary part of feeding him, we just do it as am accompaniment at the moment (although I want to start weaning him off it.) We have trained Dave to know that the only place he will get food is by his food bowls. To get food, he needs to stand there and wait. This males sure that we are left in peace eating our dinner, and so that Dave knows he won't get very far scrounging.

There are other things that we know we should get for Dave (a cat tree being one,) but this selection is for the absolute basics. Once you get to know your kitten, you'll know what he/she likes or doesn't like, and how best to care for them. They are quite picky creatures, and don't hesitate to let you know what they want!