A Nice and Quiet November...

November was a much quieter month for Fur Your Convenience as we took a few weeks off to take a much needed break and to help out with the maintenance at Conifer Kennels and Cattery (our partner boarding kennels). Read on to find out more...

Lulu the Cat...

November begun with some more drop ins for one of my favourite feline friends, Lulu. Lulu's owners were away in France for a few days and so Lulu required two drop ins a day for food, litter tray changing and obviously plenty of play and cuddles.

Cilla and Thomas...

I met two new cats that have recently moved to one of the local villages this month and had the joy of looking after them for a few days! Cilla was a little shy and with her house currently being renovated, she found lots of new places to hide! She warmed to me towards the end of my visits and gave some of the nicest cuddles! Thomas is very outgoing and extremely playful. I loved spending time with him and playing with him and his toys! Cilla and Thomas also have two of the most amazing bowls I have ever seen - they have a cover that will only open when detecting their microchip! This was so important because Thomas often steals Cilla's food and Cilla is quite fussy. It meant that I didn't have to worry about their food at all and if Cilla didn't eat whilst I was round, she would still be able to definitely get her own food when I wasn't there. I can't wait for any future visits to check in on Cilla and Thomas!

Florida...

Here is where this blog post becomes more of a travel blog than a pet sitting one! I has the absolute pleasure of being able to travel to Florida for 12 days in November with my family. We stayed at an Air BNB in Orlando and as soon as we arrived at the house, we saw a little playful raccoon running around the street and in and out the bushes!

For our first few days in Florida we spent our time in Universal, at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, trying to cast spells in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, escape the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and listening to the Blues Brothers. We enjoyed munching on the famous Simpson's pink doughnuts and tried a chocolate frog! We helped ET return home and were in awe of all of the Fast and Furious cars!

We also spent many days at Disney World experiencing the magic of Its a Small World, New Orleans and the Storybook Circus. We loved going on safari in Animal Kingdom and exploring the world of Pandora on the back of a Banshee. We then visited Hollywood Studios to see how stunts were performed and filmed in Indiana Jones, we visited the Millenium Falcon and became part of the Resistance. My brother built himself a lightsabre at Savi's Workshop and then we visited Toy Story Land. We enjoyed sampling the food from different countries at Epcot during their food and drink festival and we all enjoyed our journey with Remy through Gusteau's kitchen! We managed to catch a showing of Cirque du Soleil's Drawn to Life and were mesmerised by the talent and amazing tricks and stunts. Finally, we managed to see the spectacular firework display and brilliant Starlight Parade in Main Street.

Whilst in Florida we also managed to squeeze in a day in Tampa to watch an NHL game between Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers. We were so impressed by their hospitality and received a two free pucks and a mini hockey stick to celebrate our first ever game with Tampa Bay (and out first ever NHL game too!). It was a great experience and one we will certainly never forget!

One of our favourite days by far was when we spent the morning kayaking at Blue Spring State Park. During our adventure we managed to spot some otters playing in their natural environment, an alligator chilling on his log and so many birds and manatees going about their every day lives. It was incredible to see these amazing animals in their natural habitat and being able to get up close in our little kayaks.

On our final day we visited Gatorland. Gatorland was set up as a rehabilitation and rescue sanctuary for alligators and crocodiles across the world and is home to some big celebrities including Jawlene (the alligator with no top jaw), Mr C (an alligator rescued during a smuggling operation) and plenty more incredible reptiles all with their own stories of trauma and now safety. Also at Gatorland, exotic pets turned bad such as Pumas, Bobcats and Red Foxes could be found living the high life and plenty other wildlife such as Flamingos, Capybaras and Parrots. Gatorland was absolutely incredible and one of the only places that hadn't been turned into a tourist trap with rides and stalls everywhere. It was genuinely set up to care for animals and improve their welfare and still does today. We would recommend it to anyone who visits Orlando.

Bobby...

I also got to see and look after one of my best friend's dog Bobby this month! Bobby is a gorgeous Malinois x Retriever and he is so beautiful and well natured. We had loads of play time playing his favourite game, fetch, and plenty of cuddles too! His owner was away for a little over a week in Paris but it wasn't long enough - we want Bobby for life and cant wait for our next play date!

As you can see, compared to other months, November has seemed a very quiet one but this was because we chose to take a lot of time for ourselves in this relatively quiet month of the year for pet sitting and pet care. December is already looking so much busier with plenty of our favourite pets needing our care again whilst their owners enjoy their festive plans! December should also (hopefully!) see me finally achieving my Level 3 Diploma in Kennel and Cattery Management and see me a third of the way through my MSc in Conservation Biology! We cant wait to see what December brings!

Alix

Fur Your Convenience