She launched a pet-caring business, Fuzzies Sitting Service, yesterday.
"I call them my 'lodgers'," she said, surrounded by rats, guinea pigs and rabbits in the backyard of her Wakari home. "Not many kennels take rodents, so I thought it would be a good service to provide."
The mini menagerie was already proving popular with local children yesterday.
"Small pets are the way to go for little children. When you cuddle small animals they relax, so it brings out the nurturing instinct in kids. They're interactive and like a live version of a soft toy."
Ms Gubbins charges $2.50 Cath Gubbins and friends yesterdqaya day for a single pet, or $2 a day for cohabiting animals.
"Guinea pigs are probably the best pet for children, because they're easily trainable, the right size and can be toilet-trained. I call them `permanent kittens', because they come in all sorts of textures and colours," she said.
"A guinea pig will tell you if it's hungry or grumpy. They have a huge vocabulary, from little growls to bird-like cheeps.
"Rats are very clever. You need lots of toys for them, or they get bored and cause mischief - a bit like children, really."
Rabbits could live up to 10 years, but guinea pigs and rats lived only about five or six years, she said.
"Because they're not long-lasting, it teaches kids about empathy and caring for another living thing."
The little lodgers are guarded by an elderly huntaway-German shepherd cross called Tarn, who appeared to take her responsibilities very seriously, regularly wandering around the cages to check on her charges.
Ms Gubbins is also planning a rent-a-rabbit business.
"Sometimes, children have lost interest in a pet after two or three months. This way, parents can try a pet out and see if it's really what they want."
