Anna Wan from the UK decided to trade her work colleagues for cats. And who could blame her? After all, who among us wouldn’t like to give up the rat race to be a feline nanny?
After working in PR and events management for years, she decided her ideal job would be more flexible and allow her to be around cats more and people less.
At 38, she was recently married and settling into life in Wokingham, a town west of London. Now, she was ready to take a chance and start a cat-sitting service called The Feline Nanny.
“I count myself really lucky because my job is something I love doing which is being with cats,” Anna told Wokingham Today.
“Look what arrived today! 😺” she posted on Instagram.
The Feline Nanny
Soon after starting her business, Wan found a steady list of clients. To make cats comfortable, she cares for them in their homes and gets to know each cat’s unique needs and personalities.
As cat lovers know, they can become easily stressed in unfamiliar places. Never fear; the Feline Nanny is here so they can relax when their pet parents are on vacation.
“Cats like routine so moving them to a strange environment for a few weeks can be unsettling,” Wan said.
“I look after cats in their own home while the owner is away, so their routine is not interrupted. That makes for a happier cat and an owner who can go on holiday or away on business, safe in the knowledge that their pet is being looked after in the place they know and love.”
Some of her kitty clients
Now, many cat owners in the area are relieved to have first-class service from a cat lover with a lifetime of experience. Plus, she’s a member of the National Association for Pet Sitters, has a clean driving record, and is fully insured for pet sitting and associated services.
A no-brainer! #wokingham #CatsOfTwitter #catsitting pic.twitter.com/lCbaBHOsEE
— thefelinenanny (@thefelinenanny) June 10, 2020
Also check out: What’s the Best Way to Provide Cat Care While On Vacation?
The Work of a Feline Nanny: Caring for Cats and Homes
Services the Feline Nanny provides range from basic to more extensive, depending on the client’s needs.
- A daily health check
- Playtime with the cats
- Emptying litter boxes
- Cuddling with lonely kitties
- Replenishing food and water
- Taking out the trash and collecting mail
- Keeping the home looking lived-in
“Many owners like to know that their house is also being looked after while they are away,” added Anna.
For each client, she creates a package to suit them and their cat. According to Metro, she cares for as many as 20 cats a day, with a client list of “150 muggies,” total. So, she’s extremely busy but loving what she does, living the dream.
“It’s me, myself and I, a one-woman band. The only person I need to count on is myself and I would never want to go back to having a full time job anywhere else.”
A Lifetime of Experience
Wan has loved cats from an early age, having her first kittie named Tommy at age three.
“Collecting our first cat Tommy. Me sporting a basin haircut,” she posted to Facebook.
Now, she has a big ginger cat named Garfield, featured prominently on her Facebook page.
See Garfield’s “judgy face” below:
A Feline Nanny Who Cuddles with Cats
Now, the Feline Nanny gets to meet new kitties all the time, getting to know each of them well. On the job, she suggests that she gets a significant health bonus cat sitting in the form of stress relief.
“They are all unique, with their own personalities and traits, and I just love that,” she told Metro. “They can look after themselves to a degree but then choose to love you.”
“Winning a cat round is the best feeling. The best part is sitting with cats. My blood pressure is very low from all the cat cuddles.”
😻 Independence Doing What She Loves 😻
Say goodbye to corporate culture stress. And, for people who call her a “crazy cat lady,” she says, “I’m not. I’m just someone who loves cats, and it just happens to be my job to look after them.”
“I wanted a job which was doing something I love, working for myself and that I can fit around my life.”
Sounds highly reasonable – ideal really to us!
“What my brand means to me. For me, it means joy. I love what I do,” she posted on Instagram.
It means freedom of time. Work when I want, rest when I need to. As someone who both loves and needs her sleep, this is a gift!
It means independence. The only person I need to depend on is me. 😊”
Featured image: Garfield via Twitter with image via Facebook/The Feline Nanny
