Rachel and I had been together for a couple of years when we decided we wanted a pet. I had always had dogs growing up, but Rachel wanted a cat.

It was Rachel who found Pepper: the first I knew about it was when she called to say she had picked Pepper up and they were on their way home. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but as soon as I saw this tiny ball of fluff, so sweet and so needy, my heart just melted.

A year went by. Rachel and I got married and decided it was time to move out of our rented house and find somewhere we could call our own. Aside from the location, which had to be commutable for both our jobs, our wish list was relatively short – not too close to a main road (it wouldn’t be safe for Pepper); must have a garden (for Pepper to play in); and neighbours mustn’t have dangerous breeds of dogs (they would scare Pepper). To be right for us, our new home had to be right for Pepper.

Wish list uppermost in our minds, we chanced upon the house we have ultimately ended up buying. We’ve now moved in and love it but the best thing of all is that Pepper is happy. She has a garden to play in, the neighbour’s animals are friendly and we are in a nice quiet residential area with low levels of traffic.

Like all new homes, we’ve made a few minor alterations but the most important one was for Pepper: the first job on our list was to install a catflap.

Tom Hyde, Henley

Further information

What makes a house a home and why does it matter so much? Our new series, 'Moving Stories', inspired by Savills new advertising campaign, explores the complex relationship between home and home-owner with funny, sad and bittersweet reflections on moving out, moving in and moving on.

We invite you to submit your own Moving Stories and we will donate £50 to Dreams Come True for every one we publish on Savills UK Blog. We'll also make a donation for every story submitted for consideration.