The Gifted Cat - Registered Pet Sitter Profile of Nicola Ives

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Tel: +447852175753

Mob: 07852175753

Email: giftedcatsales@gmail.com

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Personal Information

Company Name:The Gifted Cat

Full Name:Nicola Ives

Location

Town:Silloth

County:Cumbria

Postcode:CA7

Licence Details

Licensing Borough:

Licence Number:

Services Offered

Pop In Service to Feed Animals
Pet Transport

About The Gifted Cat

We adore our six cats and as every cat lover knows they rule the house, not us! Cats are territorial animals and love to be at home with their comforts. We all like to take time away on holiday and cats don't tend to travel well, so what do we do? Catteries have served many people well , but cats don't enjoy being displaced and it's certainly not a cheap option, especially for those with more than one cat. So, why not save yourself and your kitties the stress and allow us to care for your cats for you? With up to two (or more if required) visits of 45 minutes each we can really spoil your cat with attention and feed and care for them as well; whether that be with brushing, walking or hand feeding them smoked salmon!

Why choose us?

29 year's experience of being 'owned' by cats
We ONLY care for cats, so no other smells to upset your felines
Excellent references from clients, vets and cat charity workers
Fully insured, CRB checked, registered with NARPS (National Association of Registered Pet Sitters)
Free consultation prior to commencement of booking, to bond with your cat and understand their needs
We can administer medication or a special diet
No age limit - kittens to older felines
Free photos and updates sent to you as often as you wish
Free care for your home and security initiatives
Essential groceries ready for your return home
Competitive rates

We LOVE cats and we LOVE our job so purrlease call us on 07852175753 TODAY then you can enjoy the PURRFECT holiday knowing your cats are safe and loved.

Reach out a paw and contact us: phone 07852175753, or email giftedcatsales@gmail.com

(rate sitter)

Customer Reviews

23-05-2024
Paul & Asta

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Home sitting

Town Country : Wigton, Cumbria

Nicola and Richard have been looking after our cat for over 2 years and we wouldn't consider using anyone else. They come to our house at the time of day we asked for. Our cat's litter tray is emptied, food bowls topped up, she gets her daily brush and a good long play. We get a set of photos daily of her playing. We feel totally safe entrusting our key to them and the house is always clean and tidy when we get there, and belive me our cat knows how to spread litter everywhere! They will even leave groceries for your return if you ask for them. They always check to make sure you are home as planned as well.

Highly recommended cat lovers.

Contact Methods:

Telephone:+447852175753

Mobile:07852175753

Email:

giftedcatsales@gmail.com

Website:

Customer Feedback

Rate Pet Sitter

23-05-2024
Paul & Asta

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Home sitting

Town Country : Wigton, Cumbria

23-05-2024
Marisa Maietta

Type Of Pet : 3 cats

Service Provided : Feeding and care

Town Country : Silloth, Wigton

We use the Gifted Cat to care for our three cats every time we go away. They are obviously cat lovers and I know that our 3 will be looked after so well, that I can relax and know that they're in good hands. As well as feeding them and cleaning up after them, The Gifted Cat also play with them all and makes a fuss over them. It means my cats can stay in their home and are well looked after and happy. Cannot recommend them highly enough.

22-05-2024
Graeme Aiken

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Cat Sitting

Town Country : Silloth, Cumbria

The Gifted Cat provide a service that can only be described as perfect. (or Purrfect perhaps!).
As customers we are always treated with the upmost respect. Every detail of the sitting service is planned and communicated.
Most importantly, of course, our Cat simply loves the care that is provided! From the daily updates with photo's and video's we are sure that our little lad is having as good a holiday as we are! (Possibly more fun sometimes....!).
It is just a joy to know that our beloved Cat is being so well looked after with the added bonus that our property is also being cared for with checks carried out on request to make sure all is well and the taking in of post and provisions left for our return.
I simply cannot rate The Gifted Cat highly enough and have no hesitation in recommending their excellent service.

22-05-2024
Andrea Davies

Type Of Pet : Cats

Service Provided : 2 visits each day while on holiday

Town Country : Wigton, Cumbria

Excellent care of our two cats. They love their daily visits with lots of play. We come home and they look at us as if to say "Oh are you back? Ok, are we gonna play then?" Love the photos and videos. We know we can go away and not worry about our babies. Highly recommend.

22-05-2024
Joe Cosby

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Holiday visits

Town Country : Silloth, Cumbria

Nicola and Richard have cared for our cat on several occasions over the past few months. We have always found them friendly and reliable, give the best care to Milo, and that their prices are more than reasonable. I would highly recommend them to anyone else in the North Cumbria area.

22-05-2024
Kat

Type Of Pet : Cats rabbits and guinea pigs

Service Provided : Full care

Town Country : Cumbria

I run a rescue aswell as having my own animals. Nicola and richard went above and beyond to make sure all the animals were fed and looked after. They took one of our cats to the vets when she was showing signs of being a little under the weather. I can go away knowing everyone will be safely and well looked after.

11-03-2018
christine grey

Type Of Pet : cat siamese

Service Provided : full care while on long holidays

Town Country : burton green warwickshire

I would like to thank The Gifted Cat for their care on several occasions when I was away on long holidays.
I had reports and video messages of my beloved cat Babu.
I could see from his reaction to them that he loved their visits and that they had been very loving spending time with him. Especially taking extra care of him when he fell ill administering his meds and liaising with the vet

23-08-2016
Angie Saffrey

Type Of Pet : cat

Service Provided : cat sitting

Town Country : Coventry West Midlands

These lovely people have just cared for our little man, Warwick, while we were on holiday. We were sent updates with photos daily which was very reassuring & lovely to see him playing. He was very content on our return and we could see a difference compared to other companies we have used (who spent no time with him), he had received a pampering brush and had been left a feather toy! Extremely good service as they meet you & your cat at home for familiarisation and complete detailed paperwork on your pets needs etc. Well priced also and I will be using them again, best company we have found by far as you can tell that they are genuinely passionate in their work. Thank you x

17-06-2016
clare lennox

Type Of Pet : cats

Service Provided : pet sitting

Town Country : coventry. W mids

Nicola and Richard did an excellent job pet sitting my 5 cats recently. Plenty of time spent with the cats playing, which one Tallulah, particularly likes. 2 of my cats were rescues just arrived from Athens the week before, and i appreciated the daily updates by e mail. Would thoroughly recommend them to look after your cats.
I love the little extras they offer too, e.g putting your bins out, and getting bread and milk.

15-05-2016
Richard Vernon

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Home service

Town Country : Coventry

I needed my cat Alfie looking after as I was going away for the week. I found the Gifted Cat details on the Internet and after talking to Nicola I decided to use their service. Alfie is a nervous cat but after only one visit he was happy with Nicola looking after him. I received updated texts a pictures whilst I was away and could see how relaxed and happy Alfie was.
I am going away two more times this year and have already booked for the gifted cat to look after Alfie. Nicola is very professional and I would recommend for anyone who needs their cat looking after in the comfort of their own home to use the gifted cat’s services.

15-05-2016
Richard Vernon

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Two Home visits per day.

Town Country : Coventry

01-05-2016
Alison

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Cat sitting

Town Country : Coventry

Great service so our kitty can stay in her home comforts while we are away!
Nicola is always happy to accommodate us and take care of Lulu.
Definitely recommend to anyone who doesn't want to leave their cat in a cattery.
Super friendly cat loving people that take care of your cat like it's their own! :)

01-05-2016
Juliana and John

Type Of Pet : ginger tabby cat (17 yrs.)

Service Provided : cat sittting

Town Country : Coventry

WOW! We were very fortunate to have found Nicola and Richard (The Gifted Cat) to sit and care for our 17-year-old 'kitty'. He can be suspicious and shy when strangers come, but Nicola and Richard won him over. He felt so comfortable with them and was not stressed out when we returned from our trips. Yes, we have used their services many times over, and will continue to do so.

We are extremely impressed with their professionalism as well as the compassionate and gentle care they give our cat Twills. They even played the special games we do with him. They truly love cats and want them to feel at ease and safe in their environment.

So..... here are the wonderful things about them.

1. Came to our flat to meet us and Twills before coming to sit for the first time. This was great! They got to know how he fits in in his home. We were also made to feel comfortable, as they showed us their friendly and professional manner.

2. Took detailed notes about all the things to remember concerning the care, food, his cat beds, and any other special needs he might have.

3. Excellent business practices, providing clear terms on the contract, fees (very reasonable!), and dates.

4. Sent us text messages about the care (and photos of Twills) each and every day after feeding. This was very reassuring to know he was doing so well. We thus felt no worries about being away, and we could enjoy our trip.

5. Cleaned the kitty box each day and even vacuumed the flat. They also offered to bring milk or bread so we would have it when we returned — Now that's really special!

6. Great rapport with our kitty and treated him like their own.

7. Totally dependable, reliable, punctual, and trustworthy in all their dealings.

I could go on and on. I think you get the idea. FIVE STARS for Nicola and Richard. We are very lucky to have them care for Twills, and we feel confident that he is in the best of hands.

We recommend them without hesitation.

16-02-2016
Michelle Jackman

Type Of Pet : Cats

Service Provided : Cat sitting

Town Country : Coventry

I heard about the Gifted Cat when I 'lost' my one of my indoor cats, Sparky, who went AWOL for five long agonising days. If there is any silver lining to that event it is that I discovered Nicola and her gang!

I had been nervous about inviting stranger into my home while I was away, and especially entrusting my beloved Misty and Sparky to them. However, at the very first meeting with Nicola and Richard I instantly felt at ease.You can tell that they are genuine cat lovers and they are passionate about providing the very best service they can. Nicola later came round again with one of her sidekicks Rebecca. Again, I felt there was nobody other than my mum who lives an hour away that I would trust to look after my babies! I even made a second booking before they'd even completed the first!

I've used The Gifted Cat many times since and tell everyone how brilliant they are. They've cleaned up cat sick, fetched groceries (no charge for service, but you leave them the money for the shopping, of course) and even vaccuumed my rug after plenty of kitty cuddles left it covered in cat hair! They send my texts with pics during every visit which reassures me that the pussies are okay.

I highly recommend The Gifted Cat if you're looking to leave your furbabies in safe hands while you're away!

11-10-2015
Jill Harris-Kuhn

Type Of Pet : 2 Cats - one with insulin dependent diabetes

Service Provided : Cat sitting for 3 and a half weeks.

Town Country : Warwickshire

Wait - 5 stars??? But I want to give 6, or 7 or 8 or more - 5 stars does so little justice!!! Seriously, I cannot give enough stars to this wonderful couple who run The Gifted Cat.

They have sat for us and our girls twice now: once last Easter for a week and most recently during almost all of August for 3 and a half weeks.

You can expect the highest level of professionalism when you first meet them. Nicola is very thorough in finding out about you, your cat and their/your needs whilst in her care. She is organised and efficient, leaving nothing to guess work or chance.

She likes to meet the cats and spend time with them at the initial meeting and this is where The Gifted Cat really comes into their own. It's apparent from this meeting, how much she adores cats (Richard too if he's there). They are the ultimate cat lovers - this job is no mere money spinner for them, but clearly a passion that runs deep. If they won the lottery, they'd do it for free, I think!

After that first meeting, you feel that absolutely nobody could look after your cats in your absence better than this couple.Indeed, you have a sneaky feeling that they might even do a better job with them that you do yourself ;)

Then there's the sitting itself. Don't expect Nicola and Richard to merely go in, feed your kitties and change litters. They will give your cat fuss, love and attention, play *string* with your cat, do whatever your cat desires of them. If your cat is shy with strangers or likes to be left alone, they will respect his space, but still make contact with your cat until your cat comes to them of his own free will. Even the most aloof cats are won over in the end. They provide daily updates by email or text on your cats's eating, drinking habits, litter output, general health and well-being and detailing any interactions your cats enjoyed with them.

At my request, Nicola and Richard Skyped me every few days with my cats - so they are open to anything like that, as they understand mad cat ladies like myself, lol.

On an important medical note: one of my cats was fairly recently diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes. Nicola is a trained (human) nurse, so I was confident that Phoebe would be in excellent hands. Nevertheless, Nicola met me at my vets before I went, and had him go through Phoebe's specific dosage and how best to inject a cat. Nicola was outstanding at giving Phoebe her insulin 12 hours apart everyday, getting to mine for 7.30am and again at 7.30pm. This level of care was critical to Phoebe's survival.

Whilst we were away, Nicola and Richard opened/closed our curtains, sorted the post, turned on/off the lights and generally kept an excellent eye on the house. This gave us added piece of mind. Before we returned, Richard vacuumed our floors and got some staples in for when we got home (they'd offered to do this, but only charge for the items, not for the service).

I received a beautiful gift from The Gifted Cat on our return too.

All in all, Nicola and Richard are the most awesome cat sitters you could hope to have cat sit your cats. My cats are so fond of them now, that when Nicola came to drop off my keys last time, they raced downstairs the second they heard her voice when my husband opened the door.

I wouldn't go to anyone else now. My cats are so lucky to have Nicola and Richard step in and be there for them when we are away. I can relax and know they are looking after my cats as if they were their own. And you can't get better than that.

17-09-2015
karen Berry

Type Of Pet : tabby & black cat

Service Provided : twice a day visits

Town Country : warwickshire

Nicola and Richard looked after our much loved cats while myself and my family were on holiday for two weeks. During our holiday we had daily emails reassuring us about our cats and on our return we had two very happy cats. when Richard called to hand over our keys it was lovely to see our cats delighted to see him, they obviously loved him. Having brilliant pet care while you are on holiday enabled us to enjoy our holiday even more I would therefore strongly recommend them!!

04-09-2015
Chris Ramsbottom

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Cat sitting

Town Country : Coventry

Nicola helped us out when we went on holiday and forgot to book a cattery! She came for a fortnight, morning and night, and gave us daily progress reports and photos which we really appreciated. She actually did more than we were expecting for us, which is a sign of excellent customer service. We thoroughly recommend The Gifted Cat.

17-07-2015
Mrs margerrison

Type Of Pet : Cat

Service Provided : Cat sitting

Town Country : Bulkington

Thank you, I have three cats and I also foster for a cat charity, Gifted cats are very caring loving people to our cats, also proffesional in all they do. I have no hesitation in recommending them as cat sitters. They look after our home and I can always go away with peace of mind. They are truly gifted in cat care.

Sitter's Gallery

Cat Sitting - £12 for a 45 minute visit
Cat Sitting - £22.00 for 2 x 45 minutes visits
Six cats or more - £1.00 extra per cat
We do not charge extra for weekends
Spring and summer Bank Holidays - time and a half
Easter Sunday - double time
The Gifted Cat is closed over the festive season
Discounts are available for twice daily visits
The Gifted Cat also offers a small grocery shop (you will be invoiced for the cost) so that you have the basics, such as bread, milk, cheese, etc. ready for your return.

Planned visit to vet - £25.00
Emergency visit to vet between 7am - 8.45pm - £35.00
Emergency visit to vet between 8.45 pm - 7am - £45.00
Free texts with message (within the UK)
Free What's App messages and photos worldwide
Free emails with either message and/or photo (worldwide)
Free messages via Facebook, Twitter or Skype

Silloth, Cumbria

What exactly do we do?
A sample day of the life of a cat sitter...we will have discussed your needs and met your cat(s) at the free consultation so the following is an example of what we could do:

We arrive at the property and turn lights on/off, draw or open curtains according to the time of the day. We call the cat(s) by name who come running to see who this interloper might be! A little stroke reminds them.

The cat bowls are retrieved whilst we chat away, we wash the bowls and put down fresh food and water and ensure each cat receives their food in a bowl and place they are used to.

We will check the areas of the house the cat frequent for any 'pressies', dispose of them and clean up if necessary

The litter tray is dealt with and the kitchen area we have used is left clean and tidy.

Your post will be placed neatly in a pre-agreed place and we can even water the house plants.

We have lots of time left so we can play with your cats. We brush them, stroke them, fuss them and entertain them with toys until our time is up. We usually finish with a little Dreamie shaped treat! Then we message you with an update and some photos.

On our last day, we can take out the bin, stock up your fridge with the basics, and make sure everything is left how we found it.

If the worst happens and they are ill or hurt we will take them to your vet and ensure that they are cared for.

Your cats become our furriends and the trust we can build with them will mean that you never have to worry about them when you go away again.

Gold