Tag Archives: cats

Little Cat’s Story

Although some readers may find this upsetting I feel it will be beneficial for people to know about Little Cat’s story. Over the last four years Little Cat a beautiful male Bengal cat has stayed with us on many occasions with his friend Marble who is also a Bengal and Baby Bunny a Rabbit. We have had some great times with these two cats and rabbit and have grown fond of their individual personalities. Last year we even threw a birthday party for Little Cat… which he really enjoyed (See pictures on our Instagram page).

During the last year Little Cats owner had noticed that he was slowly losing weight but it didn’t cause too much concern as he was still eating well and didn’t seem unwell at all. On a few occasions Little Cat was taken to the vet for check-ups as they were due to relocate to New York in February 2014. His owner bought up her concerns about her beloved cat’s weight loss, she also commented that his breath was a little smelly and thought he may need his teeth cleaned… We now know it was an Ammonia smell not bad breath. Little cats vet didn’t carry out any diagnostic tests and told his owner that he was well.

As more time went on Little cat visited us again and the cattery staff noticed he was still underweight but we all thought that he was fine as he had recent veterinary checks and we were not made aware of any concerns when he arrived. During his most recent visit it was noted that he had lost even more weight. He still seemed fit and strong and always ate all of his food. However, on Friday evening Little Cat seemed off of his food, this was not normal and very strange for him! On Saturday morning he refused his food again and he seemed a little under the weather. We decided to take him straight to our vet as we were very worried about him. I explained to our vet that Little Cat had lost weight, especially over the last six months and he had smelly breath, I also explained that we knew him well and he was definitely not himself and was not interested in his food. Our vet looked very concerned and took him straight in for diagnostic tests and hospitalisation to give him IV fluids as he was becoming dehydrated. Within hours his blood results came back which showed that he was suffering from chronic kidney failure. Our vet explained that it was severe and he had probably been suffering with this condition for about 2 years… It was a massive shock for his owner to hear this, especially as she was abroad getting everything ready to receive them in the new family home in New York.

After a tense 24 hours of Little Cat being hospitalised his condition deteriorated rapidly and the very difficult decision was taken to put Little Cat to rest. It was a heart breaking moment for me to hear this horrible news and even harder for the cattery staff who had loved and cared for him over the last four years.

I would like to firstly say on behalf of my whole team, that Little Cat was such a beautiful natured cat and we hope he is now resting in peace. But I would also like to raise awareness for other pet owners. I dare say that if tests had been carried out sooner and preventative treatment given, we would probably still have Little Cat here with us now. If you ever feel that your pet is different in anyway, physically or not you must always push your vet to diagnose the problem as quickly as possible… don’t forget, you know your pet/s better than anyone.

Below is a Facebook message that was posted on our Facebook from Little Cat and also a picture taken of Little Cat at home in May 2013.

“Dear Elmtree, Tom, Katy, Angie and Staff
I want to thank you all from the bottom of my small heart for everything that you have done for me in the last 48hrs and in the past 3-4 years. I will miss you all VERY much. Whatever happens, that was my last stay with you and I will never forget the wonderful love, care and attention that you gave me, Marble and Baby Bunny. I still can’t believe you had a birthday party for me in November. I will never forget it.
Thank you enormously.
With MUCH LOVE to all, Little Cat”

Rest In Peace Little Cat

Rest In Peace Little Cat

Exciting News from the Manager!

Over the last few months we have eagerly been waiting to receive some exciting news from The London Borough of Broxbourne Council.  Finally yesterday we had our planning permission through for our new site in Theobald’s Park Estate and works will start next month to build a fantastic new luxury boarding facility that will continue to offer the best boarding services in the UK.

Initially the new site will just be an overflow for our current site based in Hilly Fields Country Park, it will consist of 30 luxury kennel suites and a beautiful Crufts like training centre. The site in Burnt Farm Ride was originally a kennels and cattery owned by Bill Meredith who was well known as the game keeper for the estate and its shoot. His partner Bobbie ran the kennel & cattery business for many years and built up a thriving business that is still talked about to this day for proving some of the best boarding facilities of its time. There are currently 26 kennel / cattery and storage buildings but these will all be knocked down to make way for our 2 new buildings. The large site of 9½ acres has its own 4 acres of beautiful woodland and this will be transformed into a fully enclosed woodland exercise facility, with paths for the dogs to run and play in a natural but safe environment.

The interior kennel design has not yet been finalised but the kennel suites will definitely be of a luxurious design. The outdoor exercise facilities will be exciting and mentally stimulating, filled with agility equipment, swimming pools and grass land as well as our exclusive woodland area. The site will have accommodation for up to 8 members of staff who will provide care throughout the day and into the night. I have now personally moved house to our new site to oversee the works, fortunately the new site is only about a 4 minute drive away from our site in Hilly Fields.

We plan to have our new site open in approximately 1 year and I will keep you all updated on an open day. Watch this space for more updates on our new site.

Thomas Pipkin

Manager

Elmtree Pet Hotel – Review from Anna Carr

We left our three cats at Elm Tree for a week last week. We usually have them looked after at home so this was a new experience for them (and us), and we were absolutely delighted by how happy, healthy and relaxed they were when we picked them up. One of our cats is an ageing, insulin-dependent diabetic and it is incredibly important to us that he get the best care. The staff at Elm Tree are really brilliant, so caring and affectionate with the animals as well as being super-professional & efficient. It is also incredibly clean – I’ve never been somewhere with so many animals in one place that smells so fresh! They do such a fantastic job & are clearly devoted to the animals. I have already spread the word on Facebook and will tell anyone who ever asks that Elm Tree is the perfect place to take care of your loved pet when you’re not around to do it yourself.

Read more here…

Boarding Cattery

Welcome to Elmtree Luxury Pet Hotel, a modern and very unique concept in animal boarding.

Here at Elmtree we provide luxury pet boarding for dogs, cats and small animals. Our facilities have been created to offer unrivalled comfort and the highest possible standards in animal care.

Situated in Hilly Fields Country Park, Enfield (London) we are considered one of the most prestigious pet hotels in the UK.

We proudly call it a pet hotel as with such beautiful grounds, suites and leisure facilities such as a gym and grooming spa together with a highly trained team, the comparison is clear to see.

So when you book your pet, our guest, into Elmtree you can be confident they are going to have as good a time as you because they are on holiday too!

Read more about Elmtree’s Cattery here…

Leading up to Fireworks Night

Keeping cats and dogs secure

•         Make sure your dog or cat always has somewhere to hide if he or she wants to and has access to this place at all times. For example this could be under some furniture or in a cupboard.
•         During firework seasons, walk dogs during daylight hours and keep cats and dogs indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off.
•         At nightfall close windows and curtains and put on music to mask and muffle the sound of fireworks.
•         If your pet shows any signs of fear try to ignore their behaviour. Leave them alone unless they are likely to harm themselves.
•         Never punish or fuss over your pet when it’s scared as this will only make things worse in the long run.
•         Make sure your cat or dog is always kept in a safe and secure environment and can’t escape if there’s a sudden noise. Have your pet micro-chipped in case they do escape.

Just for dogs – before the firework season starts

Planning ahead can help your dog cope with the firework season.

Talk to your vet about pheromone diffusers. These disperse calming chemicals into the room and may be a good option for your dog, in some cases your vet may even prescribe medication. If either of these options is used they should be used in conjunction with behavioural therapy. We would recommend asking your vet to refer you to a clinical animal behaviourist or using the ‘Sounds Scary’ therapy pack (see below).
Before the firework season starts provide your dog with a doggy safe haven, this should be a quiet area so choose one of the quietest rooms in your home. It should be a place where the animal feels it is in control, so don’t interfere with it when it’s in that area. Train your dog to associate the area with positive experiences eg. By leaving toys there but not imposing yourself at any time. Use a variety of toys and swap them regularly, putting them away when not in use so that your dog doesn’t become bored with them. With time your dog can learn that this place is safe and enjoyable. So when fireworks happen it may choose to go here because it knows that when it is here, no harm will come to it and so it’s more able to cope. It is important that your dog has access to its doggy safe haven at all times even when you’re not at home.

Just for dogs – when the fireworks start

•         Close any windows and black out the ‘doggy play area’ to remove any extra problems caused by flashing lights.
•         Each evening before the fireworks begin, move your dog to the play area and provide toys and other things that they enjoy. Make sure that there are things for you to do too so that your dog isn’t left alone.
•         Ignore the firework noises yourself. Play with a toy to see if your dog wants to join in, but don’t force them to play.
•         If you know a dog that isn’t scared by noises and which gets on well with your dog, then keeping the two together during the evenings may help your dog to realise that there’s no need to be afraid.

Sounds Scary – for dogs

In the long term your dog needs to learn to be less afraid of loud noises. With proper treatment this is possible so that the next firework season will be less stressful for you and your dog.

We recommend Sounds Scary, an easy to follow therapy pack for dogs which includes a specially made set of high quality sound recordings and an easy to follow guide. The amount of training needed will vary from dog to dog so owners should start training with the Sounds Scary pack well in advance of firework seasons. Visit Sound Therapy 4 Pets for more information and to download the therapy pack.

Just for cats

•         Make sure your cat has somewhere to hide if it wants to. For example this may be under some furniture or in a quiet corner.
•         Don’t try and tempt your cat out as this will cause it to become more stressed.

Don’t forget small animals

•         If your pets live outside, partly cover cages, pens and aviaries with blankets so that one area is well sound-proofed. Make sure that your pet is still able to look out.
Provide lots of extra bedding so your pet has something to burrow in.