Thoughts on Cat Boarding

[daltongangmom]

I'm in the (expensive) process of building a cat only boarding facility. I am trying to gauge interest and get any thoughts on your experiences with boarding your cat. My cat only boarding facility will be an all-suite, climate controlled building in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. Please share your thoughts, questions and discussions.

 

[angelinacat]

Hi Dalton, congrats on starting the business.

I am in Florida, and I have had to board my cats in the past.  Sometimes I used the vet's servicies, at other times I used private people who did this on the side.  One lady also took in dogs, but they were housed in a different building.  Another lady, who I preferred over the other one, would give my cats playtime and attention, but she got sick and stopped doing this, so I had to use the first mentioned lady.

After those experiences, I took to asking the neighbors to check in on the cats, house and yard, and that worked much better.  Every person we asked to do this service for us, also got a nice amount of money for their time and trouble.

When we had to live in Houston for nine months on a temporary basis, we had a group of four people who, taking turns so that no one was overwhelmed, would stop in, check everything, feed the cats and that worked well.  Our cats were indoor/outdoor cats, so that helped too.  That way, someone was here almost every day.

 

[chloe80]

I've never used one as I have a friend who always comes to stay when we go away, our cat is a bit timid and that's what works for us. But our neighbour used a boarding facility for her cat last year and she'd been really worried about him but he was fine, she said he got spoiled more than when he was at home and developed a taste for being brushed every day, something he'd never really liked at home but had had done at the boarding place

My concerns would be about my cat getting personal attention and play time with someone andI  would also worry about how my cat would interect with other cats.

Good luck with your new venture!

 

[GoldyCat]

That's quite a project you've taken on. How big is this place going to be? How are you planning to keep the cats separated? Will you have a separate room for each cat or family of cats? I would want to know that my cats are not going to be put in with other cats they don't know since there wouldn't be time to do proper introductions. How many cats will you take at any one time? Will you have facilities for caring for sick or special needs cats?

Sorry, I have more questions than suggestions. Just trying to think of all the questions I would ask before boarding my cats anywhere.

 

[animalrescue]

Talk to potential customers in the area first. Run a few Facebook ads and check clickthrough rate. Just don't guess and 'hope' it all works out!

 

[daltongangmom]

Thanks for your feedback everyone!

My facility will have 15 individual suites (3' x 8'). Several of the suites will have the option of a pass-through for larger feline families. There will be no intermingling of cats, unless in the same family and requested by the client. Each suite will have a large window overlooking our farm, so lots of nature to entertain the clients!

My concern is our location--which is rural. I'm not sure clients will want to drive an hour to drop their cat at our facility. I'm guessing I will have to have a pick-up/drop-off service.

My husband has done extensive research and similar facilities in other parts of the country have been successful. There is nothing quite like this in our general vicinity.

I appreciate your unbiased thoughts and opinions. Keep 'em coming!

 

[GoldyCat]

3'x8' sounds awfully small for a cat especially if you're going to have a litter box, food dishes, and a bed in it. Do you have vertical space for them? Cat trees or shelves on the walls could work. Do you have larger areas where you can take the cats out to play with them?

It also sounds narrow for a human. I would be bumping my elbows on the walls every time I tried to clean the area.