NATCHEZ &045; If your Honey is a hound and Sugar, a Siamese; and if a furry four-legger rules your household, a new Natchez business is chock-full of goodies for you.

Now open in the Canal Street Depot at 200 State St. is Fideaux’s Pet Company, where Robert and Jacqueline Stephens have amassed amazing products for the health and happiness of dogs and cats of all sizes, shapes and breeds.

&uot;This community has so many people with pets and so many advocates of the humane society,&uot; Jacqueline Stephens said. &uot;And as pet owners ourselves, we had wasted so much money on our pets. Now we have high quality products that last a long time.&uot;

Before deciding to open the business, they made a survey of what was available in the area. &uot;We decided this would be a perfect place for a pet boutique,&uot; Robert said.

After careers in California, where she was a human resources executive for a wine and spirits company and he was a microbiologist consultant validating open heart surgery devices for manufacturers, the two decided to seek a smaller town and quieter lifestyle.

&uot;We have friends who live in New Orleans, and they wanted us to consider moving there, but it just didn’t feel right,&uot; Jacqueline said. &uot;They said we should look at Natchez.&uot;

They did. And it was a house that convinced them they had found the right place.

&uot;We walked into Holly Hedges and fell in love with the house instantly,&uot; Jacqueline said. &uot;We didn’t even know then if we loved Natchez, but we knew this was going to be our new address.&uot;

The house at the corner of Washington and Wall streets has proven to be all they had expected. The neighbors, however, have gone beyond anything they could have imagined, both said.

&uot;We lived in our house in northern California for 18 years and still didn’t know some of our neighbors,&uot; Jacqueline said.

Robert agreed. &uot;They brought house-warming gifts, homemade bread and chicken soup. It was overwhelming.&uot;

Their new pet boutique is based on research the couple did on the West Coast. They looked at products and made decisions about which ones to stock in their store based on quality and durability.

Memory foam beds have a seven-year guarantee not to flatten out. They are anti-microbial, hypoallergenic and antibacterial, Robert said. &uot;And we have them in small, medium, large and extra-large sizes, even for the Great Dane.&uot;

Airline-rated travel bags will pass through the carry-on regulations. Roadie Restraint System will protect pets during road trips. &uot;They also make great harnesses for walking pets,&uot; Robert said.

The pet boutique sells collars with lifetime guarantees. &uot;And if you really want to pamper your pet, we have the rhinestone collars that are hand stitched. They are really beautiful.&uot;

Papier-mache clocks hang on one wall, startling in their realism &045; heads of popular breeds of dogs, from Labradors to Pekingese.

&uot;These are one of my favorite things in the shop,&uot; Robert said. &uot;They are hand sculpted and hand painted.&uot;

Another big hit since the store opened has been the pet T-shirt. &uot;We’re doing very well with our T-shirts,&uot; Robert said. &uot;We have Saints, L.S.U., Mississippi State and Ole Miss T-shirts.&uot;

On one shelf are colorful ceramic food and water bowls; on another, a selection of air fresheners. There are deluxe nail clipper sets and gourmet pet treats.

&uot;And we have the best cat toys around,&uot; Robert said. Those include

Feline Flyer, Critter Bug and Pom Pom.

The new business owners are big supporters of animal shelters and hope to help humane societies on both sides of the Mississippi River. &uot;And we want to help the forgotten felines,&uot; Jacqueline said.

As a service to customers, the pet boutique sells the popular Advantage and Frontline products for flea and tick control. &uot;We barely mark them up,&uot; Robert said. &uot;These are products we know people have to have, and we’re glad to provide them.&uot;

Meantime, the couple continues to settle into their new home, where they reside with two dogs and a cat and get visits from their 20-year-old daughter, a college student.

&uot;This town is so friendly and hospitable,&uot; Robert said. &uot;Just open your door and you’ll meet a friend.&uot;

They have met other newcomers who have chosen Natchez as a place to live and begin new businesses. &uot;And we’re happy to join all the other new couples coming into Natchez,&uot; he said.

They hear some negative remarks about the Natchez economy, but they are optimistic, Robert said.

&uot;We left northern California, where it used to be quiet and beautiful. Now it’s crazy. We could never have retired there.&uot;

Fideaux’s is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The phone number is (601) 445-8811.