I was introduced to Susan Ryder of Heritage Crafts when she had a cat enclosure built by our team of cat containment experts for her delightful cat Boris (pictured). His ‘vampire’ photo has since gone viral on our social media platforms: I think cat lovers just love the open mouthed expression!
Sue and I met for the first at the Supreme Cat Show in November, which is when I was reintroduced to cross-stitch. I can clearly remember really enjoying designing and stitching a ‘sampler’ as a school project when I was about 8 years old. After it was completed, I didn't return to cross-stitch until I met Sue. She gave me a very simple ’14 count’ Santa to familiarise myself with the techniques. In the evenings, after the children are in bed, I aim to two a couple of lines every night. I find it really satisfying to watch as the picture appears and I can’t wait to give the completed kit to my daughter.
Sue was introduced to ProtectaPet in the spring time when she was looking for a solution to keep Boris safe from the dangers of free-roaming. Outdoor cats are exposed to increasing hazards such as road traffic, Feline HIV, fighting with other cats, and poisons like antifreeze and slug pellets. I know all too well: we lost our own cat, Lola, one spring several years ago. This inspired Simon, my husband, to design some fence top barriers to keep Leo safe. Our cat owning friends wanted us to do the same in their gardens and we very quickly realised that we’d got a desirable product.
We have spent the years since optimising the fencetop barriers to that they contain even the most agile breeds of cats such as bengals and orientals. We manufacture our components in the UK to maintain a high standard and we've just been awarded permission to use the official ‘Made in Britain’ logo. We've continued to develop our product range and have launched freestanding cat enclosures and gates this year, all made to the same high standard.
So Sue has given me a renewed interest in cross-stitch and ProtectaPet has given Sue a cat enclosure to keep precious Boris safe… Long may he continue to give us amusing photos for our followers!
