The Cat’s Whiskers

It is well known that the United Kingdom has a reputation for being a nation of animal lovers so it is not surprising that one in two households own a pet.  Of these it is estimated that cats are the favourite choice of pet; in 2003 the cat population in the UK was 9.2million, this figure has increased dramatically over recent years and represents an increase of more than 100% on cat ownership figures 30 years ago.  Cats are a popular choice of pet as they tend to be affectionate as well as independent, whilst fitting in well with today’s busy working lifestyles.  Thanks to Lesley Nicol, cat owners in the North East can now choose to send their cats on a holiday of their own to her exclusive cattery, which can be found in the idyllic setting of Upper Anguston, Peterculter.  A combination of indoor double beds and outdoor penthouse suites means that Erinvale Cattery, can accommodate up to 62 cats.  The outdoor penthouse suites give the cats an external exercise area and a raised sleeping area.

Lesley says, “I’ve always loved animals so it was a natural progression that when I decided that I wanted a change of career to do something that would allow me to stay at home, so it made sense that it should be something that involved animals.  Having always had animals of my own I know how hard it can be when you are going to be away to find somewhere and someone that you are happy to trust with the care of your pets.  I identified that there was a gap in the market for a luxury cattery.  Putting cats into a cattery should not be a traumatic experience for either the owner or the cat; I make sure that every cat receives plenty of individual attention whilst they are in my care.”

“The environment I have created and my approach seems to be working as the cats settle in easily and are not stressed at being removed from their familiar home environment.  I aim to provide an extremely high level of service and offer a holiday home for the cats – after all why should it only be the humans that get to go on holiday?  When people contact me for the first time I encourage them to come out and visit the cattery before booking their cat in; this way they can see for themselves that their cat is going to be spending time in a pleasant environment and will be well looked after.  I have received many positive comments about the fact that I do not offer kennel services alongside the cattery; it seems, from my experience, that most cats owners prefer, where possible, to send their cats to a dog free environment.”

Prior to deciding to set up Erinvale Cattery Lesley had worked for 21 years in the financial services industry, during this time she was a bank manager and latterly a financial services advisor and had spent a significant amount of time away from home.

Lesley continues, “Moving from the financial services industry to setting up and running a cattery has been quite a change but so far I am confident that I made the right decision.  I was lucky enough to have land available which meant that I could have a cattery built to meet the latest EU legislation providing plenty of space to accommodate the cats.  I opened for business in August and since then I have had regular bookings and I am also starting to see repeat bookings being made as well.  One of the biggest compliments is that people are recommending my services to their friends.”

Lesley contacted Business Gateway through Enterprise North East Trust for advice on setting up her business and was assigned Karen Stewart as a business advisor.

Karen comments, “As an animal lover myself I was interested to hear about Lesley’s plans for Erinvale Cattery.  I was able to act as a sounding board for her when she wanted to discuss ideas and also to provide advice on various issues including helping her with advertising her business.  As part of the Business Gateway aftercare process we contact the new business once they have been up and running, this enables us to find out if they require any additional advice or assistance. Equally if they feel the need to contact us for any reason at any other time we are just at the end of the phone.”

Lesley adds, “The support of Enterprise North East Trust, via Business Gateway, has been very useful in getting the cattery set up.  I particularly found it helpful to be able to turn to Karen for advice on who to contact regarding setting up IT systems and a website for the business; knowing that there is someone at the end of the phone who will be able to offer sensible and practical advice and information is important; I found this to be especially true because I was striking out on my own and making such a dramatic career change.”

Not one to let the grass grow under her feet, Lesley already has plans to expand her business and is finalising plans to open a livery yard which will be able to accommodate up to twelve horses on either a full or part time livery basis.  The livery yard should open its stable doors in November 2005.

Erinvale Cattery can be contacted on 01224 730000. 

Enterprise North East delivers business support and advice through the Business Gateway service which is supported by Scottish Enterprise.  Telephone 01467 672595 for any aspect of business advice or visit www.enetrust.com.

Ends

Note to editors: Pet Ownership Statistics Source: Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association

For further information contact:
Lyndsay Brackenbury
Tricker PR
9 Victoria Street
Aberdeen
Telephone  01224 646491
Direct Line 01224 654086
Mobile  07780 680751
Email  lbrackenbury@trickerpr.com