This article appeared in The Kingston Whig Standard's yearly feature
"Women in Business" on November 11th, 2006.

This is what Teresa Shevchenko had to say about us:

Sorry Dogs, Whiskers Inn is for cats only!

Cat lovers take note. A luxury boarding inn exclusively for felines is just a 20 - minute drive away from Kingston near the village of Harrowsmith. Danielle Gilbert, owner of Whiskers Inn, hosted her first quests just one year ago.

"Almost all of our friends have cats, and creating a boarding facility for cats was always in the back of our minds," says Danielle, who had the support of her family in getting her business up and running. As a mother of three who was juggling a full-time career with a busy family life, she loved the idea of being able to work from home to do something she loved.

After months of researching other cat hotels, planning and designing, Danielle was ready to transform an old barn behind her house into a cat utopia. Danielle and her father, Ray Duffey, worked many long months on renovating the barn themselves and creating the right atmosphere.

Since Danielle has a love for all animals, she finds running her business very enjoyable. She checks in on her guests many times during the day and each cat gets plenty of personal attention.

"It is a very serene and relaxing atmosphere," says Danielle, who stresses that cleanliness is a priority, "I love to spend time here."

For felines, this restful but stimulating space in a country setting has it all - soft lighting and plenty of sunny spots, soothing music, spacious individual and multi - level family suites overlooking a large fish aquarium, and outdoor balconies with a birdfeeder view. And, most importantly, there are no barking dogs.

All guests at Whiskers Inn have daily opportunities to enjoy the large common area with climbing structures and cozy rocking chairs or one of the playrooms. For the health and safety of all guests, only cats from the same family are allowed into the common area at a time and every cat must have a veterinary certificate of current vaccinations.

For more information on Whiskers Inn, including directions, boarding fees and business hours, visit www.whiskersinn.ca or call 613-372-5776.