Friends to local felines

By Asleen Mauthoor

“The naming of cats is a difficult matter” T.S. Eliot said, but choosing the business name A Cat Above for their cat-minding business was easy for Southbank residents Paula and Craig Scher, as most of their clients and their feline friends live in high-rise buildings.

“We started A Cat Above about five years ago in response to a need for our clientele to have their cats looked after in their own homes,” Paula said. “This is beneficial for so many reasons: The cat has the same company every day, the cat continues to enjoy the environment they’re used to and the owners have peace of mind knowing that their cat is well cared for.”

The service has proved popular, as Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world and clients include busy professionals and cat owners taking short holidays. The feline clients are catered for in a most meticulous way.

“Our services are tiered to suit the unique personality and demeanour of the cat,” Paula explained. “We’ve even had a client ask us to come over to entertain the cats when life got just that little bit too busy.”

Cat behaviourists advise that company, stimulation and exercise are critical for the wellbeing of cats.

“This is even more important for indoor and apartment cats,” Paula said. “Our first priority is the wellbeing of the animal, so we always get a full brief and understanding of the needs of the owner and cat, so that everyone benefits fully from the experience.”

A Cat Above offers some unusual extra services, such as arranging Skype calls between cats and their humans, particularly when the latter are away for extended periods.

“We Skype the client from their home and place the screen where the cat can be seen by the client and give them some privacy to have a ‘chat’. Some clients also love to receive video footage with commentary which we call ‘KittyCam’. I even recorded the wonderful purring of one of my cat clients and sent it to his owner to listen to in an audio file,” Paula said.

Remarkably, A Cat Above also organises bird-watching sessions for these well-beloved pets. Paula explained that the cat remained in its carrier, “but is able to soak up the sun and watch the birds. This is a wonderful activity full of enrichment.” No birds are harmed in the course of this activity.

acatabove.com.au