Lovely home in Cardiff for cat & chicken lovers
Introduction
I live with my husband and young daughter. We have 3 cats and 1 chicken. I am an event manager and my husband is a building services engineer. We both love holidays, city breaks, going out to music events, comedy nights and getting together with friends. We love getting away whenever we get the chance, hence needing a sitter to hang out with our animals.
Show more...Home & location
Our family home is situated in a pleasant residential area under 2 miles from Cardiff city centre. The driveway has parking for 2 cars. There are 2 double bedrooms for your use. The third bedroom is a small child's room and not suitable for use. The family bathroom has a bath and shower. Downstairs there is a large living room with a 50" smart TV, freeview, Netflix and Disney +. There is a downstairs toilet and porch for storing coats & shoes. The large kitchen- diner has everything you need including an electric hob, oven, fridge freezer, dishwasher, washing machine and plenty of other gadgets for cooking with. The garden is a large lawn and has a patio area for eating. This is also home to our 2 chickens. We have a lot of birds visit our garden and if you sit out at night you will probably see some bats too. A 1 min walk and you are on the Taff Trail beside the River Taff. If you walk south you will go through Bute Park and in 40 mins end up in the city centre. If you walk north then you can reach Hailey Park in 15 mins and further on can be found Forest Farm, a lovely nature reserve with picnic areas and old canal. If you bring your bikes then you can really explore the river path and take a trip to Castell Coch and stop for a pub lunch in Tongwynglais. Also 4 miles south on the Taff Trail will take you to Cardiff Bay. Here you can eat, drink and visit the barrage. You can also take a 15min walk to Llandaff and visit the amazing cathedral. Local amenities: There is a Tesco Extra, ALDI, Greggs and McDonalds just across the road. (5 min walk). We also have a local post office and pharmacy 5 min walk away. For local places to eat I would recommend The Railway in Llandaff North, Society Standard on Whitchurch Rd or Porro in Llandaff. The local bus no 35 runs from the end of the road every 30 mins into the city centre.
Show more...Responsibilities
Winston the cat: During the day he just has biscuits and water with Dreamies as a treat. Around 5pm he has half a packet of wet food. He sleeps most of the time. Make sure he is in before you go to bed. We don't have a catflap so you have to call him and shake the Dreamies to get him in. Millie is 2 yrs old and is very independent. She rarely responds to being called in at night and often stays out (which I'm not keen on but have no control over). If possible when she has her wet food with Winston at dinner time, keep her in from then on. She has the litter tray to use. Once kept in, she is a lovely affectionate cat and will sit on your lap and sleep on your bed (if you want her to). Tinks the latest addition to the family is an elderly cat adopted from a family member. She literally sleeps all day and generally enjoys her retirement. She only eats dried food from the shared bowls. Tinks doesn't go out much, so she does use the litter tray daily. All cats share bowls and are perfectly happy with this. Sharon & Tracey the chickens: Let them out of the coop into the pen. Ensure water and food are full. Food is kept in a big tub in the shed. Also ensure Oyster grit is full in the little red tub attached to the fence. Check for eggs and clear out any poo. Poo can been left on the enclosure floor as I clean this out every few weeks. Fill the coop up with hay if needed. The chickens will put themselves to bed at dusk, you need to close the sliding door to the coop and the outer door too. All codes for the chicken door locks are 0000. If you let them in the garden only do so when you are at home. Be careful though as they will walk into the house! To get them back in the pen take some corn from the shed and shake it into the pen and they'll come running! You can give them vegetable or fruit snacks. No citrus fruit. They love courgette and cucumber. Please water the garden if it hasn't rained. Indoor plants in the snug need watering once a week. Bin day is Wednesday. We will leave you a note to say which bins need putting out.
Show more...Meet the pets
Winston
9 years
Millie
3 years
Tinks
12 years
Sitter Reviews (17)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
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I had a most enjoyable time at Gemma's home. I only saw the family briefly but enough time to cover the essentials and the welcome guide was available to consult if required. Perfect location close to the river Taff., within easy reach of the city centre by bus. The house was very comfortable, modern and clean. The stars of the weekend were Winston and Millie who were very laid back, relaxed and so easy to love. Very affectionate and it was a joy to have one on each side of me purring away while stroking their head and ears. It brought loads of smiles. I would definitely return if dates and travel plans allow. Thank you Gemma for having me as your sitter.
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Really enjoyed my first pet sitting. I loved feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs & Winston & Millie were really cute and affectionate. The house was also really nice, especially the open plan modern kitchen.
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This sit had it all. Great house, great location, and best of all, great pets! Let’s start there shall we? Winston, the big orange cat is the absolute king of the jungle when he is outside. He sits on the wooden fence post, surveying his territory, on the lookout for any trespassers unlucky enough to cross him. But, the moment he comes in the back door, he turns into the friendliest cat you’ve ever met. It’s like night and day and utterly hilarious! He is very gentle and loves to hang out. Millie is a beautiful black cat with just a dot of white on her chest, and is a little more consistent in her feistiness than Winston, but not as extreme in either direction. Both cats enjoy their people-time and were a pleasure to be with. The two chickens, Sharon and Tracey, are very low maintenance, and actually like to be petted. It was fun to watch them wander around the backyard. If you’ve never dealt with chickens before, these two birds would be a great first step into the poultry world. The house has a great kitchen with plenty of counter space. The entire house is a very comfortable place, and we really were sad to leave when we did. A bonus to this sit is that the house has a great collection of books to peruse, especially if you like musician bios and pop music history. Communication with Gemma-Faye and Neil was great. Cardiff really is a great city to visit. I’d put it up at the top of the list for the U.K. Gemma-Faye’s place is located near a beautiful river-walk and an unbelievable cathedral. Walking to the city center is very doable, and I would recommend going! Everything you need (pub, grocery, etc.) is within easy walking distance. If a sit at this location, with these animals, were available again, we would do it in a heartbeat. We both miss the animals already, and feel like we just saw the tip of the iceberg where Cardiff is concerned. Thanks for trusting us with your pets and house!
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Gemma-Faye
