catteries/cat B&B's

for the past 20 months when ever i have gone on hoilday or had a short break my brother stays at my house & looks after Pisces (cat) & Tattoo (turtle), but every 2-3 years our whole family go on hoilday to scotland at christmas & unfortunatley that year is this year & i have to put pisces in cat accomodation. i'm not too happy about it tbh, when ever i have gone away before i have phoned my brother up every other day to make sure pisces is ok.

so i have phoned a few places up that i think are really good places, i asked the general couple of questions,

do they have to have injections up to date?
how much does it cost per night?
are the pens heated?

i have appointments to go & look around all the catteries on saturday but i need some help in knowing what questions to ask & what to look out for.

obviousley i want to be able to see that the cats that are there look content & that the pens look really clean. that the litter trays are clean & the food & water bowls are clean & kept seperate from the litter trays.

i want to make sure that pisces' wicca basket & a jumper of mine are able to stay in the pen & if i'm alowed to take his fav comphy bed there too.

what type of food do they feed & can i choose what he has?
what time are they fed?

thats about all i can think of at the moment, are there any more questions i should be asking & what observations should i be making while there?

i really dont want to be leaving him in a catterie. i hear lots of horror stories about animals not been treated correctley & not been fed i just want to make the right choise of catterie & ask the right questions.

thanks for now x

I have never used one ever, but I would say that if a cattery did NOT require their guests vaccinations to be up to date, I would never leave my cat there!

Edit to add: It might be worth asking your vet for cattery recommendations?

I put mine in a cattery every christmas as I always go away to family then. They've always been fine, although that doesn't stop me worrying about them. Tbh I feel happier knowing they're safe there than having someone come in to feed them (I worry that they'd get out if someone was petsitting as they're indoor cats). I'm very confident in the cattery I use and know they are well looked after. Jaffa is a very timid cat but they're really good with him and slowly bring him out of his shell. A good cattery will look after them in the way that you want. Most will ask what food they want and provide anything reasonable, and will feed them as and when they get fed at home. They will also groom them. All catteries should insist that vaccinations are up to date - don't leave them anywhere that doesn't. You should be allowed to take along stuff from home to help the cat feel more comfortable. I always end up taking everything but the kitchen sink - last time I took along an activity centre, beds, loads of toys, a t shirt with my scent on etc... and I've even taken their own litter tray in the past! They should also be prepared to spend some time playing, interacting with and observing your cat.

FAB provide some guidelines on what to look for in a cattery which help you

http://www.fabcats.org/choosing_boarding_cattery.html

Above all I'd say trust your instincts. It's not just a case of being satisfied with the physical conditions, you also want to feel the people looking after them are people you trust. When I take or collect mine I'm there for ages chatting about cats as the owners and staff are clearly cat lovers and not just in it for the money. The first time I visited I really connected with the people there and knew straight away it was a place I'd be happy to leave my boys.

The one thing I would be wary of this time of year is that many good catteries will be fully booked for xmas by now - I booked mine in beg September and they only had 4 pens left by then! I'd be cautious of those that still have places left - doesn't mean they're not good catteries but I'd be asking myself (and the owners probably) why they aren't booked up yet.

thankyou urbantigers, that website was extreamly helpfull. one of the catteries that i have on my list to see on saturday have won the fab cattery of the year award so that makes me feel a bit better. i have provisionally booked him in to all the catteries & when i have looked around them all on saturday i will chose 1 & book him in proper. i'll be sure to take that check list with me, thanks again.

There is a "kitty hotel" near me that I have toured but never used. It is run by a lady who is a total "cat person." One thing I was impressed with is that they let kitty out into a "social room" (alone if you prefer) and give them lots of love and attention several times a day. I would be most worried my kitty would be so lonely in there.

We leave our cat (now we have 2 though) in a "cat hotel" when we go away. We checked out about 5 of them before choosing this one. Basically, we got a really good vibe from the place, checked it out, made sure the cats had to be vaccinated, and made sure that cats from different families were never roaming around outside their rooms together. We also wanted somewhere with private outdoor runs attached to the rooms and lots of perching places in the rooms. Our Bella loves the cat hotel -- she runs right into her room, rolls over on her back and starts grooming herself and purring, and the owners love her too! You could consider asking for references and contacting them yourself as well.

Lucky for me, a customer we do a load of Interior Design for through work owns and runs a cattery at her home! She's never had Pippin but she runs a very good business! she is a typical "crazy cat lady!". All sleepovers she calls them must have complete up to date vacs and flea treatments, she has 24 indoor pens and 12 outdoor pens where there is a little indoor shelter for the kitty's and they are all heated - both indoor and outdoor. You supply the food, feeding timetable, play timetable and any express instructions. She and her staff spend a number of hours a day on each sleepover to make them feel as if at home.

Maybe ask online here for any recommendations of any in your area, and check them out!

Good luck