Hello!

Autumn Animals is the result of a host of elderly animals stomping their way into my life. Either by own choice or accidentally, they all made a huge impact and sparked the fire of my love for the more "mature" companion animals.

After almost ten years of veterinary nursing in the Netherlands and five years of working in London as a palliative pet carer, I finally took the plunge in 2022 and set up the kind of care company I would like to use by the time I need it for my cat, Lewis.

This was Autumn Animals 1.0. A London-based mobile veterinary clinic that sent paraprofessionals such as animal physiotherapists, acupuncturists and veterinary nurses into people's homes to support them and their pets in their own environments. The aim was to ensure continued good quality of life for the whole family.

Eventually, when the time came, one of the Autumn Animals vets and I would visit the family to euthanise their pet in a peaceful way, at home. I would provide aftercare, such as emotional support and funeral planning. I made sure the family's beloved pet would be well taken care of by our partnering crematorium and that the family would always be in the loop so that they knew where their pet was at any given time.
Aftercare did not stop after death. A family was checked in with regularly (even a year later) and offered resources to help them cope with their grief.

 

After a few years of doing this work, I noticed that veterinary surgeries were comfortable referring clients our way for euthanasia, but not sooner. Often, I'd wish we had been introduced much sooner.

 

The discomfort of the pet had gone unnoticed for a bit too long as caregivers didn't know the symptoms of diseases like dementia, osteoarthritis or kidney disease. They weren't getting enough time with their veterinary team to discuss how the physical home environment was limiting their pet's mobility. The quality of life for both the pet and human would often be diminished due to routines that were not suitable for continued daily life. 

I also met caregivers frustrated with the limited support and communication provided by their GP surgery. They were worried they hadn't done enough. They felt guilty for making the decision to euthanise. And most families were utterly exhausted by the time we came to help them.

 

It made me wonder:
Who is caring for the caregiver?

What does the caregiver actually need?

And how can we make sure a family, both human and pet, is supported sooner in this journey?

 

So, I went back to the drawing board and tried to find out what my role was in this very niche corner of veterinary care.
I handed over the clinic's knowledge, contacts and equipment to my colleague Dr Tamara, who is now running her own home euthanasia service, Treating Tails.
My husband, super senior cat Lewis, and I moved to a working farm in beautiful Devon.

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Shortly after moving, our boy Lewis, 18 at the time, got sick himself: kidney disease. I was able to nurse him and deal with the sadness of the impending loss. I had an amazing network around me of vets (local and London-based), paraprofessionals, and friends and family who supported us throughout. We said goodbye to Lewis in February 2026 at exactly the right time. It was a very peaceful journey that was held by a caring community.

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Lewis was and will always be my "soul-cat", the feline love of my life. This experience with him, combined with all the others that have come before him, both my own pets and patients, has inspired me to set up Autumn Animals 2.0.
 

My vision is that interdisciplinary care for a multi-species family will be normal in a few years' time. This includes holistic medical care for the pet, ranging from Western medicine to complementary therapies, and emotional, psychological, spiritual, and practical support for the humans.

My mission is to ensure the people I work with will feel supported and empowered in the same way that I felt throughout my Autumn and Winter journey with Lewis - and beyond.

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I do this by offering you written, audio, and visual content, contributing to the limited research available on Veterinary Palliative and Hospice Care, and guiding families with senior and ill pets through their journey.

I bring a host of qualifications: NVQ-4 Animal Care & Veterinary Nursing (Terra, in the Netherlands), BSc and MSc Human Geography (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands), RYT200 Yoga & Meditation Teacher (Parimukti, India), Blue Cross Pet Loss Support and End-of-Life Doula for Companion Animals (University of Vermont).
I am a member of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care.​

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If you're curious to find out why I chose the name Autumn Animals, please read my explanation here.