Lynne Gilhome took on Tollfield Kennels about nine years ago, and since then, the business has been a booming success. Lynne has been a pillar of the community in the Northumberland village of Belford for many years, although I’m sure she’d never say that about herself.
She’s a friendly, familiar face to many locals, bringing a smile and laughter wherever she goes. Having worked as a paramedic alongside running the business, she is still registered to work bank shifts on top of her full-time role at the kennels. Her contribution has been – and continues to be – huge. Lynne and her team uphold incredibly high standards of animal care, and they have been using Catmax since it was first launched.
We visited her to gain some feedback about the product and her business.
Do you enjoy working at the kennels?
Yes, I enjoy working at the cattery and kennels. Being outside and working with the animals is fulfilling, and I don’t have to do any more night shifts! I have always been an animal lover, with my own Jack Russell at home, along with two cats, sheep, chickens, and some ducks. Animal care already takes up a lot of my day before I even start on the others. The cattery and kennels can be quite tiring, and it is, of course, a huge responsibility. We can house up to 15 cats and 30 dogs at one time, so as you can imagine, it gets quite hectic at times. This is a lovely environment to work in and is healthy for me and all the others that help here. It also has a great social aspect; many of our clients are locals or return customers. Some people who have moved out of the area still come back to us, and of course, we take that as a huge compliment.
What has your experience with Catmax been like so far?
We have used Catmax for just over a year now, and it’s going really well. All of the cats we look after like it, and we haven’t had one yet that hasn’t wanted to use it, which obviously makes our work much easier. Prior to using Catmax, we were on a mixture of litters, but the main issue we had was that disposal was always slightly more complicated than necessary, which created extra work for us. Catmax is sustainable and easy to dispose of, which is the main reason we continue to use it. In the past, we tried shavings for our cats, but they created a lot of mess, especially with the Ragdoll cats, which would often end up covered. We still use shavings for our visiting dogs in the kennels; they are highly absorbent, making cleanup easy. Yes, we will continue to use Catmax, as it is working well for us here at Tollfield.
Can cats be quite challenging to care for?
Most cats and pets we get here are absolutely fantastic. There are a few customers with slightly higher demands than others and a few pets that are a bit more spoiled. This is all part of the job. After a while, you get to know your pets and who likes what, as well as who gets upset and for what reasons. We have one cat that hates traveling, so for the first few hours after he arrives, we just leave him to calm down, and then he’s an absolute delight. We have another cat here at the moment whose owner is having to live with his in-laws, who are allergic to cats. He is a lovely cat, and I definitely think that he is missing his owner.
As a local person, how do you find having a business as big as Bedmax on your doorstep impacts the area?
I think it’s great! It is important for the local economy to have businesses that provide stable jobs and contribute to their community, and that is exactly what Bedmax does. It is an innovative company that makes high-quality products, and certainly, Catmax is quite an innovative product. In terms of the product itself, Catmax doesn’t smell, which is unlike any other cat litter I’ve tried in the past.
Finally, what is in store for you and the cattery and kennels in the future?
Well, I think just continuing to operate as we do. It all works quite well, and we have a good list of returning customers. We inherited a great reputation, which also helps. When we purchased Tollfield, the cattery had just been done up, and we have recently expanded our license to look after more cats. At the moment, everything seems to be working well, and I enjoy it.