Maine Coon breeder infuriates neighbours by building cat houses in her backyard without planning permission

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NEWS AND COMMENT-SHAVINGTON, UK: Last November a Maine Coon breeder bought a property in a semi-rural area in a village in the middle of the England called Shavington. She appears to have erected 10 cat houses in the backyard without planning permission and then retrospectively applied for that permission. In other words, to be clear, she went ahead and constructed these cat houses in her backyard without checking with the council first but then applied retrospectively for approval. Note: I don't know if this is a woman or a man or a couple. I have described her as a female for the sake of convenience. The report does not name the person.

Maine Coon breeder infuriates neighbours by building cat houses in her backyard without planning permission
Maine Coon breeder infuriates neighbours by building cat houses in her backyard without planning permission. Photo: Cheshire Live.

The retrospective application may have come about because she may have received complaints from the neighbours. Whether that happened or not I don't know, but it is clear from the media reporting that the neighbours are very annoyed.

The application seeks permission to erect "timber frame and clad outdoor cat houses with exterior exercise areas".

The neighbours foresee a lowering of the ambience of the area. It is reported that they have slammed the plans because they think that this Maine Coon breeder will cause a potential mess and traffic jams when customers come around to her home and check out the kittens and buy kittens.

Also, some neighbours are angry, it is reported, because she built the constructions without planning permission. One resident said: "I find it completely out of hand that the proposal has gone ahead without planning from Cheshire East Council or any thought and consultation with the people that live in close proximity to the proposed development.

There are plans to build 10 cat houses in Weston Lane, Shavington (Image: Google)

There are plans to build 10 cat houses in Weston Lane, Shavington (Image: Google)


This development, if approved, would destroy the character of this part of Shavington. If this proposal goes ahead, it would turn a private dwelling in to a business with all the associated issues."

Another resident said that it will be a commercial venture by which I presume they mean that it is unacceptable to have a commercial enterprise in the middle of a residential area. Further, they said that the development will lead to vermin and "impinge on the quality of life and nearby neighbours. The location is in a village with other properties close by."

RELATED: Check if you need planning permission for your catio.

A purchaser of kittens from this Maine Coon breeder has supported her by saying that she truly cares for her cats. And that she needs an outdoor area for the cats because it's "essential for their health and well-being and the standard of work and facilities will be exceptional as these cats are truly loved and cared for like no others I know. This is in no way a facility that in my opinion will have a detrimental effect on its surrounding area but to allow family business the right to care for the cats in the best ways possible."

The application by the Maine Coon cat breeder to the local authority included a statement: "The applicants are Maine Coon cat breeders and purchased the property Weston Lane in November, following a lengthy search for the perfect property. They chose it because it would provide not only a beautiful family home but more so for their cats. They wanted to provide their cats with safe secure outdoor access. Maine Coons are a breed that thrives in fresh air and with space to play. They believe in giving their cats the best quality of life possible, hence their wish to erect timber framed cat enclosures in the rear garden of the property."

RELATED: Cat flap that required planning permission before installation.

The breeder fully understand that it is a large project but she has been open and honest and upfront about it. In the application they stated that the "Maine Coon cat breed is by nature a quiet breed". The constructions will be soundproofed. Further, there will be curfews/bedtimes for cats, licensed waste collectors and couriers for calculations rather than large numbers of visitors. This clearly implies that the cat will be shipped to their destination rather than visitors turning up and collecting their kittens that they just purchased. And if customers want to pick up their kittens they can do so between Monday to Saturday, 9 AM-6 PM with no collections on Sundays.

Comment: it an interesting story because it does highlight the way cat breeders operate. They often operate from home because they are hobby breeders. Although this one is clearly 'professional' because they are constructing all these outhouses. It looks as though it is going to be a big operation with quite a lot of money involved. 

She reminds me of A1 savannahs in Oklahoma, USA. I visited that breeder a couple of times and it was huge. And they made a lot of money. With the price of purebred cats such as Maine Coons rising all the time, if you do a good job and have a good "production line" of kittens you can earn a great deal of money.

I am not going to take sides on this one. I think she was careless in not applying for planning permission at the outset before she constructed the outbuildings. Or perhaps you did it deliberately. This is more likely because she wanted to force the hand of the council to approve permission after construction. If that's true then it shows that she is too commercial and not playing things in a straight and fair way. 

Also, it is a bad idea to try and circumvent planning as you lose the support of neighbours and worse. If from the outset your neighbours hate you and your operation, you are going to be miserable indefinitely. You can't fight with neighbours all the time. Arguably, she has already failed because she is fighting the neighbours.

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