“We lost our own cat, Lola, in a road traffic accident in 2009. We were devastated and quickly started to feel that there must be a better way to allow cats to enjoy the enrichment of the outdoors without fear. We designed a range of cat fence barriers, catios and cat enclosures to enable cats to explore the outdoors safely. 16,000 Cats Protected and Counting! For us, there’s no better job satisfaction…”
Lola was rescued from a farm barn as a tiny kitten with her brother, Leo, and - as if relishing every moment of her precious life - she certainly lived it to the full. From climbing the textured wallpaper like spider-man to deliberately splashing water on guests, there was never a dull moment with her around!
Sadly, Lola’s life came to a premature end in a road traffic collision in 2009 when she was just two years old. Simon and Eve had tried to keep her as an indoor only cat but even as a kitten she would sit on the windowsill, watching the birds and chattering her teeth, longing to go out to play. She’d jump from open windows or slip between your legs as your opened the door to explore outside.
Devastated, Simon and Eve were determined that Lola’s brother, Leo, would not reach the same fate. Simon designed a fence barrier to keep Leo safe within the garden and was overwhelmed by the assurance. Simon and Eve reflect, ‘We were just delighted that when we came home, we knew he was there: safe and content. We realised that other cat owners would benefit from this peace of mind too.’
ProtectaPet is bestowed International Cat Care’s prestigious ‘Cat Friendly Award’ for outstanding contribution to feline welfare. As ProtectaPet products keep thousands of cats safe, Simon and Eve reflect that this achievement is a fitting tribute to Lola: a wonderful, curious and fun-loving character who was so loved.
Researchers from the University of Lincoln developed a new feline welfare score to investigate the impact of installing a controlled outside environment (i.e. physical barrier from one of the ProtectaPet range of cat fencing solutions). The 4 welfare subscales grouped into positivity, maintenance behaviors, health issues and fearfulness; installation of the system was associated with significant improvements across all of these and positive changes in both owner and cat quality of life.
ProtectaPet was granted The King’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation – the highest official UK award for a British business to receive.Following the announcement, Eve was invited to a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace where she personally spoke to HM King Charles III. The King explained how pleased he was that ProtectaPet are keeping cats in gardens and expressed his appreciation of the huge benefit to wildlife.
