cat boarding

am considering expanding our current cat boarding facility and was hoping to pick your brains on potential improvements i can make.

currently, each room is a minimum of 6.5ft x 4ft. the walls are 6ft glass panels with steel mesh on top to prevent escape. the floor is painted cement. the back wall is conrete too so we attach shelves and what not to it for the cats.

so here are my questions

1. do the rooms need to be so big?
2. would owners prefer even bigger rooms?
3. what do you think of double level rooms? some place's i've seen do this?
4. what kind of finish is easiest for cleaning and maintaining?

feel free to bring up anything i may have forgotten.

I'll move this to care and grooming

Room size seems ok to me - sorta like those large size "stud rooms". Great for those with multiple cats. Maybe you could have a few smaller rooms for 1-2 cats only where it would be more cozy.

I don't think you need bigger rooms IMO.



As far as cleaning - get a good washable paint for the floor and maybe even some kind of sealer so if they don't pee in the litter pan, things will not get urine on them you can't get out before the next boarder comes. And also use the washable paint for the walls too

Just out of curiousity, can you post a few pictures of your setup now? Sounds interesting

I have been to a few boarding facilities. Here is a list of things that stood out that I liked.

Window with bird feeder outside

Cat tree or similar play thing in separate room (with toys too) where they can play for a few hours

Those cat trees are expensive, see this:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=141788
They practically cost nothing and you could make one in 15 minutes.

I have not seen this at any boarding facilities, but, I think it would be a good idea to have:

toys hanging, balls, mice

cat posters on walls

bird posters

petsitting video - I saw this on another thread and mine are getting it for Christmas!!

I mention the above because if I were to board my cats this is what I would want.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Just out of curiousity, can you post a few pictures of your setup now? Sounds interesting

Click to expand...

Ya, ditto that. And your rates. I'd like to see how they compare with the place I've boarded here.

Wow, that sounds pretty nice.. Most the places for cats around here are so tiny. I think the cats at the other store owned by the one I work at seemed to enjoy having a couple of levels in their rooms. They can lounge up higher and watch what's going on around them (they can see the other cats, some can see out into the office), and it gave the messier ones a place to retreat to after making a huge mess of their litter boxes for us to constantly have to be cleaning up.

golden kitty, here is a link to some photos taken during our opening last year. the floors and walls were painted with washable paint but i'm not satisfied with the result as the tropical climate made the floor saponify. am thinking of tiling the next place.


ddcat, there a pictures on the wall but there are hazrds attached to these. one of our more acrobatic boarders knocked the picture down. luckily, the glass cracked but didn't shatter. i love the bird feeder idea but we've onely one room with a window facing outside.

coaster, being in malaysia, our rates are not really comparable to yours. but here goes anyway. one cat RM35, two cats RM 60 and three cats RM75. the exchange rate is USD1= RM3.55

thank you for the feedback all.

hope this works

here are links instead
photos and more photos

OHHH that is really cool! I'm impressed!

But one suggestion. You have see thru on the sides. Do the cats mind seeing another cat next to them even tho its a solid glass wall? I would put something solid along the sides about 1-2 feet up so one cat doesn't get upset about another.

At the shows, the cages are solid between the cats so they can't see each other.


And I was gonna suggest tile on the floors but didn't know how expensive that would wind up for a lot of rooms.

GK, Alicia's is the only place I would board my cats at - unfortunately, until she expands to the extra place, she canNOT keep mine, I have too many!

Wow, pictures do speak for themselves! Very nice facility! Top notch!
Love the cat beds and how clean everything looks. Nothing compared to what I have seen.

VERY nice place, though I'd agree that some smaller quarters suitable for a single cat staying for a short time might appeal to your budget-conscious customers.

thank you so much for the positive feedback.

GK, we always put in a cardboard box or two so they can hide if they want. they also have their carriers in there with them. most of our cats have enjoyed being able to see other cats. however, i will frost some of the glass and make clear peep holes through to make is more interesting while providing privacy. thansk for good suggestion!

coaster, my husband has been trying to tell me for ages but i wouldn't listen. guess now that two ppl are singing the same tune, i will have to factor it in.

Yeah I think having atleast one or two cat enclosures with the view to the neighbours obstructed would be a good thing.

My cat hates other cats and she goes completely nuts when she can see them so I wouldn't be able to board her in a set up like your current one.

Your set up looks really nice though apart from that.

Oh and for making smaller enclosures too that makes sense really but it's also good to think vertically. I.e a space that's as tall as your current ones but with less floor space can seem just as big to a cat if you put in more shelves. This only works for healthy cats that can jump up to higher shelves of course.

The frosted glass would work well OR

If you are artistic you can get glass paints and do some artwork that will help cover around the bottom of the glass....maybe a "grass jungle" along the sides

me artistic? debatable. but my kids would be delighted with the opputunity to paint my walls. just not sure if i want them too

I would have a mix of see-through and blocked off cubicles. My cats when boarding go two to a room but need to see the others next door or across the way. They like the two-storey rooms too - it gives one cat a bit of privacy when they need it. Tiles are a good idea too - much easier to clean. My boarding house that I use has big logs in each cage that the cats love for scratching and climbing.