Hotel guests beware : cats on patrol ...
14 November 2018
Cats Protection volunteers paid a visit to the Grimscote Manor hotel in Coleshill to check that the three feral cats placed there – Gladys, Gypsy and Giovanni – were ‘earning their keep’ by keeping the rodent numbers down. And hotel owner Jill Etheridge confirmed the cats were ‘happy, doing a great job, and staff and guests loved them too’.
Of course, rats and mice apart, the three moggies do get fed regular cat food by the hotel staff too – proving the point that ‘dogs have masters, cats have servants’.
Volunteer Sheila Pennell fostered the three cats for a while, but it soon became apparent they were unlikely to become domesticated, so set out to find them an outdoor stables or hotel-style placement. She remembers the call she made to the Grimscote Manor Hotel, at least two years ago, clearly.
“The delightful receptionist Chloe answered the phone and, after a brief cat chat, asked me the names of the cats we were hoping to place. ‘Oh, they sound lovely’ she said, ‘we’ve fallen in love already - can we have them before Christmas?’
“Never did I think it would be that easy – it’s very hard to find the right people, the right placement, for feral cats. We and the cats - now renamed Tiptoes, Kitcat and Baby – couldn’t be more thrilled about how the placement has gone. To see them again and to watch black-and-white Tiptoes being picked up and cuddled by staff member Carol surpassed all we hoped for them just two short years ago.”
The luxury hotel featured on the popular prime time TV show ‘The Hotel Inspector’ and, as a result of taking on board the advice of hospitality industry expert Alex Polizzi, guest and wedding marquis bookings are up and the hotel regularly gets five-star reviews for ‘giving customers the very best’.
Certainly, North Birmingham branch volunteers Sheila, Kathy, Sue, Jenny and Jane enjoyed the very best coffee and the warmest hospitality when they visited in November. The sign as guests drive in reads ‘beware – cats on patrol’. Long may they roam free in the four acre grounds of the Grimscote – the ‘manor’ to which they’ve become accustomed.
** Cats Protection volunteers are always looking for a variety of placements for feral or community cats. Call the helpline for more details – 0345 2601503.