Mar 28, 2023 | Homefuryou
After 7 successful years running HomeFurYou in Bedfordshire, we bade a fond farewell at the beginning of the year to our 154 customers, 300 cats, 20 guinea pigs, 10 rabbits, 2 hedgehogs, 1 tortoise and a stick insect.
Oh the stories we could tell about that time. The highs the lows (very few – mainly due to flooding and bad weather) and the adventures we had and the friends we made. You could almost write a book about it. Wait a minute – we have! It’s available on Amazon and called Telling Tails – Adventures of a cat sitter. Order your copy here.
Anyway, the time came to move house and to start a new life near the Lincolnshire coast. The boxes are unpacked, the garden is shaping up and so we’re now relaunching!
If you live in Partney, Spilsby, Hagworthingham, Alford, Burgh le Marsh or surrounding areas and have a cat or other small animal, then please get in touch. We cover your holidays, weekends away or just one-off feeds. We look after your furry friends and keep your house safe as well as providing regular daily updates with pictures and videos.
But don’t just take our word for it, take a look at our many 5* reviews on Facebook or here on our website.
We’re waiting to take your call and make your getaway a stress free zone.
Don’t forget we throw in cuddles for free!
Martin and Jules x
Feb 17, 2023 | Homefuryou
As mentioned in the last blog, we have recently moved to the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. Now moving house, as you probably know is one of the most stressful times in your life. But it wasn’t really the move that was worrying us.
We have recently acquired three rescue cats from the RSPCA – Cludo, Alvin and Dora. Cludo is nearly 16 with health issues and Alvin and Dora (both 12) have been in care for over a year and are extremely nervous of human contact. So, I hear you ask – why would you choose to take on three new cats before moving, why not wait until after you have moved in? Good question! Well, we did consult with the RSPCA and they assured us that it would be better to take them on before the move as they would have time to bond with us, making the move easier.
Well after a very long time on the day waiting for solicitors to do what they are paid for, we set off nervously on the two and a half hour road trip. Luckily we had employed our secret weapon – Jo of Jo’s Cat Care (we seriously recommend her services by the way!). We’ve know Jo for years and as an ex vetenerary nurse, there was nothing she doesn’t know about animal behaviour and care. Jo had advised us on herbal remedies and sprays to chill out our petrified pets and it seemed to have calmed them down.
Jo helped us scoop Cludo, Alvin and Dora into their carriers with the minimum of fuss and off we went! Nearly three hours later on a wet, dark miserable evening we arrived at the new HQ of HomeFurYou and unpacked three slightly spaced out moggies and we had done it!
Now, as the movers weren’t bringing all of our stuff until the next day, we had a great first evening in our house. There was nothing else for it – we opened a bottle of bubbly and the five of us started exploring our new abode.
The start of a new adventure had begun.
One thing’s for certain the future would definitely be cat shaped.
Feb 17, 2023 | Homefuryou
HomeFurYou is on the move!
We have recently upped sticks and moved from Bedfordshire to Lincolnshire. But behind those words, lies a lot of sadness as we leave behind our beloved customers and furry friends. Over the last seven years we have looked after well over 150 customers and 300 plus pets and loved every minute. It’s always been the #bestjobintheworld and it will carry on being that, but with different customers and their fur babies.
So before we tell you about the relaunch of the business, our task over the last few weeks (amongst all the tedious box packing) was to inform our customers that we were moving on. The good side of that is that we have formed lifelong friendships with many of them and we will stay in touch. They have all been invited to the seaside as soon as they can make it!
We also left behind the lovely ladies that helped us make the business tick. Katie, Abi, Tina, Rachel, Gemma and Josie – we couldn’t have done this without you! Katie has already been to stay in our new house, looking after our three new rescue cats – Cludo, Alvin and Dora. And of course (sadly) we left behind Posh, Becks, Flo, Dylan and Atom; but they are forever in our hearts.
So on to that bright new future – we will be looking after pampered pets in Lincolnshire. Taking in such wonderful places as Spilsby, Partney, Alford, Hagworthingham and Burgh le Marsh. Situated on the very edge of the Wolds, we have certainly moved to an area of outstanding beauty.
So here’s to the next 150 customers and the next 300 their pets. We can’t wait to meet you!
Aug 18, 2022 | Homefuryou
We’ve updated this story! Flo is now 20!!
We thought this would be a great time to introduce our new princess to you all. Flo is 19 years old and used to be one of our customers, alongside her darling brother Dylan who sadly passed away recently. When Flo’s owners decided to retire earlier this year and move permanently to their property in Greece, they had the painful dilemma of finding Flo’s forever home. Not wanting to leave her behind, but knowing that she wouldn’t be fit for such a long jouney they turned to HomeFurYou for advice.
How could we resist!? Although we knew that we would have to very carefully manage the integration of Flo and Posh, we didn’t want to upset our own princess and decided we would give it two weeks before we made a final decision to keep the new minor royal.
Well, it wasn’t easy and I wouldn’t for a moment say that Posh is ever going to be best buddies with the new interloper. But they have found a way of co-existing in the same house, whilst very much having their own space and safe areas in which to feel at home.
I think Flo would love to cuddle up to Posh, but that just isn’t going to happen!
Flo is such a personality. Her health is not great but she is in to everything. We never get a breakfast or mealtime to ourselves as she wants to join in and try to eat everything and she jumps all over us at night, with her favourite trick being hair eating. She is fascinated by Jules’s long locks!
She is simply a delight to have around and even if she is only with us for a short time, she is going to leave some precious memories.
May 26, 2022 | Homefuryou
As most of you will know that follow us on social media, Jules and I recently came back from the Poland/Ukraine border where we worked in an animal supplies warehouse, helped the refugees arriving in the reception centre and looked after sick animals being brought in over the border.
We were able to personally unload and get your incredibly generous donations to the people that desperately needed them, which was so important to us. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and left us emotional and very moved by the plight of these brave people.
So much so, that we have decided to launch a second campaign, now we have a much better idea of what is needed on the ground.
Here are the details of the campaign and if you need further advice or information then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
We urgently need the following please by 23 June:
1. Pet supplies – Cat litter, pooper scoopers, poo bags, puppy food, kitten food, dog leads, cat harnesses/leads, flea treatment (cats and dogs), wormer treatment (cats and dogs), sachets of cat food (adult), sachets of dog food (adult), blankets, soft baskets/bedding (dog and cat), brushes (dog and cat), cat carriers (canvas preferred).
2. Suitcases on wheels and rucksacks – refugees are carrying their lifelong possessions in carrier bags. These are urgently needed to help with their onward journey.
3. Laptops and tablets for an orphanage in Poland which is looking after over 130 children from Ukraine (the youngest is 2 months old). These devices are needed to help with online schooling from their teachers in Ukraine. All laptops will be professionally wiped and returned to factory settings
Please help us to send thousands of items to the the border. To arrange to drop off your items, please PM us. If you would rather donate for products we can buy on the ground, then please contribute to our just giving page – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfun…/julesmartinukraine…
Thank you so much again for all of your support!
Martin and Jules x
Apr 7, 2022 | Homefuryou
Who knew that just a few weeks ago at the end of February, the world would change forever. Ever since then, our screens have been full of harrowing images and the news bulletins have been depressing to say the least.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken a terrible toll on the people living in that country, but we have all taken the people of this beautiful land to our hearts. Their passion and patriotism, their will to survive and their sense of togetherness is just awe inspiring.
Here at HomeFurYou, we wanted to play a small part (as have so many people, businesses and charities). We started by collecting clothes and food items from our customers and that of our sister company FitBizNow (run by Jules). The response was incredible. But then we felt we needed to address the suffering that was being caused to the animals of Ukraine. There were so many images of refugees escaping into Poland with their beloved cats and dogs. These, it turned out were the lucky ones. A lot of people had to run so quickly that they had to leave their pets behind. It was then that we heard of many charities on the Polish/Ukraine border that were rescuing these animals and taking them to shelters in Poland, Romania and Moldova.
HomeFurYou had to do something and so we sent out a message to all of our customers, families and friends on social media to give us their unwanted pet food, carriers, harnesses, leads, toys and cages. We expected a few boxes and maybe a small supply of food to send out to the needy. Instead, we quickly became inundated with so many items, either dropped off on our doorstep or collected by us around the Bedfordshire region.
A great friend of the business Karen Matthews, then spread the word on some of the Bedford and Milton Keynes social communities and shortly, our own houses were full up. We couldn’t get through our hallway and dining room for supplies! Other businesses got involved, from local vets to Dominos in Milton Keynes and in the end we packed up eight massive pallets of items and loaded them onto a container (supplied by a wonderful local farmer – Thomas Beazley). As we write, these pallets are being loaded onto a Polish lorry for onward distribution this weekend.
We’ve now made the decision to travel out to Poland and work at one of the animal reception centres later this month. I’ll be blogging on the ground to give you a flavour of where all of these items have ended up and how they’re being used to save lives.
HomeFurYou and FitBizNow have the best customers and the most amazing friends and family who have made all of this happen in such as short space time. We are truly humbled by the response from all of you.
Thank you!
