{"id":9450,"date":"2021-06-10T15:32:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T14:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/?p=9450"},"modified":"2021-05-18T09:38:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T08:38:48","slug":"becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a cat sitter &#8211; from cat owner to successful cat sitting business owner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #101010;color:#101010\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #101010;color:#101010\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner\/#finance-fanatic-%e2%80%93-my-former-life\" >Finance fanatic &#8211; my former life<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner\/#%e2%80%9cyou-gave-up-holidays-for-a-cat%e2%80%9d\" >\u201cYou gave up holidays for a cat?!\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner\/#a-change-in-direction\" >A change in direction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/becoming-a-cat-sitter-from-cat-owner-to-successful-cat-sitting-business-owner\/#where-are-we-now\" >Where are we now?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>People often ask me why I chose to become a cat sitter. Some of them\u00a0don\u2019t understand why or how I could have walked away from a finance career to spend my days \u2018going around people\u2019s houses feeding cats\u2019. Well, let me start by telling you that it was\u00a0<em>the<\/em>\u00a0best decision I ever made, and the \u2018job\u2019 is about so much more than just popping in, leaving some food and then vanishing!<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"finance-fanatic-my-former-life\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"finance-fanatic-%e2%80%93-my-former-life\"><\/span>Finance fanatic &#8211; my former life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Back in the noughties, I worked as a financial manager in the City. It was the only career I\u2019d ever really known, and it was one that had allowed me to build a good life for myself and my family. Back then, this family included a beautiful cat called Ziggy. He really was my fur baby, and I loved him to bits.<\/p>\n<p>My parents &#8211; a lot of my relatives, in fact &#8211; lived in South Africa, which is where I grew up. I had a job that allowed me to travel, but I rarely went back \u2018home\u2019. Getting time off work wasn\u2019t the issue, nor was the cost. The reason I didn\u2019t go had four legs, purred whenever I tickled his chin and loved nothing more than a good snuggle on the sofa.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"you-gave-up-holidays-for-a-cat\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%e2%80%9cyou-gave-up-holidays-for-a-cat%e2%80%9d\"><\/span>\u201cYou gave up holidays for a cat?!\u201d<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Well, yes &#8211; if you want to put it simply! Ziggy, like most cats, was a creature of comfort. He liked being at home, where he felt safe, and where he was surrounded by familiar things. When we had gone away previously, we\u2019d used local catteries. When we returned, Ziggy always seemed different. Not just in a bit of a huff because we left him, but visibly distressed.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d also tried asking neighbours to watch him so that he could stay in his own home. He was certainly happier, but it still wasn\u2019t the answer. I was, of course, very grateful that we had neighbours who could and would help out, but they weren\u2019t able to offer Ziggy the level of care and attention that he was used to.<\/p>\n<p>So, I just didn\u2019t go away. I know that some of you will be reading this and thinking, \u201cis she mad?!\u201d; others, though, will relate on some level.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9451\" title=\"zena domov kocka mazleni 704x0 is\" src=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is.jpeg\" alt=\"zena domov kocka mazleni 704x0 is\" width=\"704\" height=\"469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is.jpeg 704w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-150x100.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-696x464.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-630x420.jpeg 630w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/zena-domov-kocka-mazleni.704x0-is-20x13.jpeg 20w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"a-change-in-direction\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"a-change-in-direction\"><\/span>A change in direction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The life-changing moment came about for me when I was made redundant in 2010\u00a0following the financial crash. It was a stressful time, for sure, but there was also a silver lining\u2026<\/p>\n<p>You see, the career wasn\u2019t giving me the same thrill that it once did, and I was longing to do something else. I\u2019d been thinking for a while about going out on my own and starting a new venture &#8211; once that centred around my love for animals. So, I set up a general pet care service, which took off in my local area.<\/p>\n<p>A few years later, I started another new venture, one that was inspired by that story about Ziggy that I told you above. I set about creating a cat sitting business with a difference. My vision was to look after cats in their own home, where they were happiest. Rather than just a quick \u2018feed and leave\u2019, I wanted to create a cat sitting business whereby we sent trained, vetted and professional cat sitters to feed, groom, pamper, cuddle, and love cats while their owners were away. This is how The Cat Butler was born.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"where-are-we-now\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"where-are-we-now\"><\/span>Where are we now?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Cat Butler has grown to become a highly successful cat sitting business. In the last six years, we have looked after thousands of cats, all in the comfort of their own homes. We\u2019ve trained more than 20 cat sitters and have expanded our cat sitting team across the areas of St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden, Wheathampstead, and Hatfield.<\/p>\n<p>We are now expanding again, taking on Cat Butler franchisees across the UK. We are helping cat lovers grow their very own &#8211; and very successful &#8211; cat sitting businesses in their local area. We\u2019re helping cat owners up and down the country, and we are delivering cats the care they deserve in the comfort of their own homes.<\/p>\n<p>Sound like something you\u2019d love to be a part of? Why not take a look at our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecatbutler.co.uk\/franchise-opportunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">franchise packages<\/a>, and see what your life could look like as a Cat Butler franchisee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People often ask me why I chose to become a cat sitter. Some of them\u00a0don\u2019t understand why or how I could have walked away from a finance career to spend my days \u2018going around people\u2019s houses feeding cats\u2019. Well, let me start by telling you that it was\u00a0the\u00a0best decision I ever made, and the \u2018job\u2019 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1472,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-cat-butler","category-pet-franchises"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cat-butler-news.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}