Rabbit – Origin
The origin of Rabbits
The original European wild rabbits evolved about 4,000 years ago in Iberia.
Visiting Phoenician merchants referred to part of Iberia as ‘I-shephan-im’ which means land of the rabbits. This was translated as ‘Hispania’ or as we know it today – Spain.
When the Romans arrived in Spain during the Second Punic war in the 2nd century B.C. they quickly started farming them in a practise known as cuniculture. Initially the rabbits were kept in fenced off scrubby areas but they kept tunnelling out and it wasn’t long before every rabbit enclosure was as closely guarded as the emperor’s own palace. Some speculate that this use of centurions has contributed in a small way to the downfall of the Roman Empire…
The increasing trade amongst countries helped to introduce rabbits to every continent except for Antarctica. The plentiful food supply, as a result of humans getting better at growing crops and cultivating more land into fields full of food, provided rabbits with an ideal habitats and this combined with their famously fast rate of breeding meant that they established themselves quickly wherever they went.
Wild rabbits are said to have been first domesticated in the 5th Century by the monks of the Champagne Region in France. Monks were almost certainly the first to keep rabbits in cages as a readily available food source, newly born rabbits, Laurices, were not considered to be meat and were therefore allowed to be eaten during Lent. The monks started to experiment with selective breeding for traits such as weight and colour of the fur.
Rabbits were introduced to Britain during the 12th Century, and during the Middle Ages, the breeding and farming of rabbits for meat and fur became widespread throughout Europe. Some sources also suggest that some women among the medieval gentry kept rabbits as pets. The selective breeding of European rabbits meant that distinct breeds arose in different regions, and the origins of many old breeds can be traced back several centuries.
During the industrial revolution many brought their rabbits with them to the towns. They were an important source of food (a pair can produce up to 90kgs of meat a year). But in the 19th century the Victorians started to breed rabbits for shows and competitions. Since then we have more or less stopped eating rabbits in the UK although in many other countries they are still a regular part of the diet.
After the wars rabbits became commonplace as household pets. Rabbits have now become the third most popular pet after cats and dogs in the UK, unlike cats and dogs however they are traditionally seen as ‘pet for children’, and often sadly misunderstood.
During the last 30 years or so, attitudes towards rabbits as pets have been shifting and there is now a better understanding of rabbits, their basic needs, their intelligence, personality and behaviour. Rabbits are increasingly seen and treated in the same way as cats and dogs, as a rewarding companion or family pet and they are given the same level of care and attention including routine vaccinations, healthcare, and a much greater freedom and interaction with their owners.
info@afurryworld.com - 020 8050 5764
WHAT WE DO AND WHERE WE DO IT
Our passion is pets and we provider pamper, play and TLC 365 days a year including Bank holidays, Easter, Christmas & New Year.
We understand that deciding whom to entrust with the care of your precious companion is a difficult and possibly even daunting process. Hopefully, our Testimonials and client Reviews will help you feel confident and happy to choose us.
Since our beginnings in 2003, we have offered a comprehensive range of personalised pet care services including small pet boarding, small pet visiting, cat sitting, house-sitting, cat behaviourist and dog walking.
We are proud to be recommended by vets and pet professionals as well as consistently receive 5-star reviews from our clients from all over London and beyond.
Your peace of mind and the happiness and safety of your pet is of paramount importance to us and when choosing to become part of our community and trusting us to take care of your precious pet we can reassure you that we are a family-run business with a tight-knit team of pet carers offering total accountability, reliability and genuine pet lovers care.
We are a team of dedicated pet professionals with a great love for pets.
Most of our carers have either long-term working experience with pets and/or professional education in animal care including Vet Nurses, Animal Behaviourists, Pet Hospital Assistants and Pet Bloggers.
All our pet carers are security vetted and public liability insured and we provide thorough in-house cat care training including Cat First Aid to ensure that carers are well equipped and confident cat carers.
Boarding is offered in a home environment often referred to as a critter boutique hotel. Over the years we have provided: rabbit boarding, hamster boarding, guinea pig boarding, gerbil boarding, giant African snail boarding, ferret boarding, hedgehog boarding, rat boarding, chinchilla boarding and more.
Our critter visiting services is offered every day of the year as once or twice daily check-ins and is offered to visit most critters including rabbit visits, guinea pig visits, hamster visits, and gerbil visits.
Our sister company CitiKiti has since its beginnings as a Cat Sitter service in North London Islington, N1 taken pride in offering the very best in professional & reliable holistic cat care with an emphasis on pampering, play and TLC. Our Cat Sitters are all dedicated professionals with a great love of cats. Most have either long-term working experience with cats and/or professional education in animal care.
Cats are territorial creatures of habit and can find catteries very stressful and upsetting. It is generally agreed by pet professionals that they are most relaxed and comfortable staying in their own homes when "parents" go away for short or long breaks. Travelling to and from catteries can also be stressful for both you and your cat. Our Cat Sitting service means your cat can stay home whenever you are away.
Since the beginning of 2019 CitiKiti has also offered cat behaviour therapy as well. Cat behaviour therapy can help if your cat is urine marking, stressed, anxious, aggressive, destructive or urinating or defecating outside the litter tray. The CitiKiti Cat Behaviourist can also offer advice on getting cats to get along, getting cats and dogs to live together peacefully, and taking care of kittens or older cats. Our Cat Behaviourist offers home consultations in London and in some cases worldwide video consultations work as well.
AREAS WE COVER
The areas we visit and have clients travel from include the below but if you are looking for a service in areas that are not listed feel free to contact us and we will see what we can do.
VISITING
Since our beginnings in 2003, we have offered home visit services and the areas we currently cover for our cat sitting and small pet visiting services include: Hoxton, Shoreditch, E2, Bethnal Green, Fish Island, E3, Bow, Hackney Wick, Mile End, E5, Clapton, Hackney Marshes, E8, Hackney, Dalston Kingsland, E9, N1, Islington, Angel, Barnsbury, Canonbury, Clerkenwell, De Beauvoir Town, Hoxton, Pentonville, Shoreditch, N5, Highbury, N6, Highgate, N16, Stoke Newington, Shacklewell.
BOARDING
We have clients travelling from great distances to bring their rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and other small pets to our North and East London boarding facilities. Not only from greater London but also Essex, Kent, USA, Europe, Hong Kong and more.
WHY CHOOSE US
Proven track record - A Furry World - was established in 2003 and when searching the web, speaking with your local vets and visiting our Review Page you will discover that we come highly recommended including in some of the most important areas such as reliability, trustworthiness and knowledge.
Not a search engine - We are a family-run business with a large team of genuine pet lovers. As the team works for us not as individuals you can rest assured that we are accountable and reliable and we will insure that your pet is taken care of even if your booked carer falls ill during an assignment.
First Aid Training - A Furry World is pleased to work with Vet Helen Dennis (VetMB MA MRCVS) who runs our pet first aid training courses. This insures that our carers are well equipped for and confident in their work even in an emergency situation.
Security Vetted - All A Furry World sitters are required to obtain a Police Check a copy of which we will be very happy to email to you for your peace of mind.
Insured - For your peace of mind, all A Furry World carers are fully covered by our industry-standard insurance.
Home Security - having an A Furry World carer entering your home on a regular basis, taking in post and changing light and blind positioning will help keep that lived-in look.
No Advertising Vehicles or clothing - As part of keeping your pet and home safe we have made the decision NOT to drive advertising vehicles or wear clothing with advertising as this would highlight the fact that you are not at home and, although it would of course be of great benefit to our business to widely advertise our services, we believe that the safety of your cats and your home is more important than our self-promotion.
Recommended by Vets - we are well known among both vets and pet professionals who are happy to recommend and work with us.
Same Designated Carer at no extra cost - when first booking with A Furry World you will be assigned a Carer. For both your and your pet's comfort and peace of mind, it will be your designated carer who will take care of our pet from then on. This of course with the exception of carers own holiday or sickness in which case you will be informed and your alternative carer will be introduced where at all possible.
Ongoing training - before their first assignment all carers receive in-house training and many of our carers already have experience from vet nursing, animal rescue work as well of course as having pets in their own lives. Many carers also choose to sign up for external certificated courses and training including Cat Behaviour and Cat Health and Welfare.
Free Initial Meeting - all clients are required to fill out a detailed form to help us understand all wishes and requirements to offer the best care possible. We also arrange a face-to-face meeting for you to have a chance to ask any questions you may have and for and your pet to get to know their new friend.
Key Holder Service - we offer to keep hold of your keys in order to make booking your pet care as easy and quick as possible. All you have to do is email us to make a booking request and, once confirmed, we are good to go.
Trusted by Pet Professionals - we are well known among both vets and pet professionals who are happy to recommend and work with us.
Provides care 365 days a year - including weekends, school holidays, bank holidays, Christmas & New Year.
Member of FSB - The Federation of Small Businesses provides us with additional insurance, ongoing support and industry-relevant information helping us keep up-to-date and informed for the benefit of both us and our clients.
Supporter of ICatCare - ICatCare is an international cat charity organisation for the promotion of feline health and well-being. A Furry World wholeheartedly supports the fantastic work they do. Their website is also an excellent resource for a world of cat-related information.
Sponsors of Dogs Trust - Their mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. Meet GOLDIE & TY
Sponsors of a Cat Cabin - at Cats Protection http://www.cats.org.uk/ click on the videos below to see some of the purry friends at Cat Protection.
Services - Since foundation we have offered a comprehensive range of services to suit our client's requirements. The services and areas we cover include; Cat Sitting in North London N1, N5, N6, N8, N16, NW1 & NW6. We also offer dog walking with dog walker in Islington, N1, N5. If you are looking for live-in care or house-sitting in North or East London including Islington N1 N5 we can help. For Critter boarding including, Rabbit Boarding, Hamster Boarding, Guinea Pig Boarding and Gerbil Boarding we have clients come to us from North, East, South and West London as well as from Kent and Essex.
PROFESSIONAL PET CARE
A Furry World offers professional and reliable holistic pet care service where the emphasis is on, pamper, play and TLC.
We are here to help make you and your furry friend's life together a wonderful, stress-free and rewarding life and are happy to look after any domestic pet.
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SECURITY VETTED & INSURED
Everyone at A Furry World is a dedicated professional with a great love for animals. Most have either long-term working experience and/or professional education in animal care.
We have full third-party insurance and are security vetted all for your safety and peace of mind.
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