Cat-sitting needed for our lovely furry in our comfortable semi-detached home, a great base to explore the south of England. We have afriendly, healthy 13-year-old, indoor/outdoor cat who will need care and a bit of love. Some of you may remember that last year there were two sweet pusses, but sadly Emi has departed this life.
Southampton is a very old city of about 270,000 diverse people. It has important docks (the Titanic, and the Mayflower, sailed from here), a good chunk of medieval wall, two universities, culture, good restaurants, shopping, pretty good transport links.
Our house is in a quiet, very convenient residential neighbourhood (Upper Shirley). It's 260 paces to a corner shop, less than 10 minutes' walk to The Common (350 acres of woods and parkland), a city park, pubs, cafes. A walk of minutes brings you to a shopping street, supermarket, public library; there also are a few buses nearby, so a car is not 100% essential. You can walk from Southampton Central Station to our house in minutes (1.5 miles)
Built 1924, the house has been extended and renovated. So it's bright and up-to-date but still cosy and comfortable. A major feature is the 25' (nearly 8 metre) kitchen/dining room that extends from front to back and opens onto the small patio (with a retractable awning) and landscaped garden. There are three bedrooms and a study upstairs (you must be able to manage stairs), modern bathrooms. There is good wifi, a landline, fairly easy on-street parking on our quiet road.
From Southampton, there are frequent trains to London Waterloo (1 hour, 20 minutes, an easy day trip) and many other UK destinations. There are pedestrian and car ferries for the short trip to the Isle of Wight. The lovely New Forest, a national park with its 1000s free range ponies, cattle, donkeys, sheep, is just 20 minutes away. The cathedral cities of Winchester, Salisbury, and Chichester are easily accessed, as are lovely villages, several National Trust properties, gardens, etc. It's a great area for gentle walking, also cycling, sailing, horse riding, shingle and sand beaches.
Our main need is for cat care for our friendly-but-independent furry cat: she may well want a lap to sit on, once she approves of you. She loves having her chin, ears, tummy rubbed. Other modest needs are to bring in mail, water a few indoor plants, tend the small garden and mow the small patch of lawn, communicate occasionally with us, leave our home clean and in good order. There may be small jobs available to an eager handyperson or gardener--very welcome, but these are not required.
I'm happy to provide more information and photos to prospective sitters after initial contact; I can call or FaceTime/ /WhatsApp. Please do tell us something about yourself and your experience with cats. Non-smokers only, please. Vaccinated, please.
I'm American/British and my husband is British. We love house sitters, have had great experiences for over 10 years with sitters from many countries; it's such a good solution for travelers, pets, and sitters. Cheers.