DANIELA Woodbridge is hoping her business will be the purr-fect solution for people who want to leave their feline friends in the best of company when they go away.

Mrs Woodbridge and her husband Chris have been busy getting the first phase of their cattery, 'The Cat's Whiskers', at Holly Tree Cottage, Castle-wood, ready for the official opening on May 7.

Mrs Woodbridge said the idea for starting the business struck her one morning after she was contemplating what to do to earn a living.

She added: "I had moved into the area from Hereford where I was a shop manager. I didn't want to be a shop manager any more and wanted something different. One morning I was looking at my cat and the thought came to me.

Work on researching the feasibility of a cattery in Talywaun and finding the finance to get the project up and running has taken more than a year.

Mrs Woodbridge said: "Where I live is very rural and it's an ideal situation for a cattery. "We are starting with being able to board 25 cats but hope the second stage will be in place next year. Then we will have the capacity for 50 cats."

Funding for the business has, however, been difficult to find although Mrs Wood-bridge has been given a £2,000 grant from Torfaen's Women in Enterprise fund.

The rest of the finance has come from savings and remortgaging her home. Mrs Woodbridge said some of the money was used to employ contractors to do the technical and heavy building work.

The rest has been spent on buying materials to build the individual chalets for their guests.

Mrs Woodbridge said the main difference between herself and some of the other cattery owners in the area is that she has been trained by the Feline Advisory Bureau, a Wiltshire based organisation, and the cattery has been built to their specifications. She said: "That's why building it has been so expensive.

"The costs involved mean there will be maximum comfort, hygiene and safety for the cats that stay here."

The Cat's Whiskers can be contacted by telephoning 01495 775506.