# What would you look for in a boarding facility?



## KittyKare (Jul 12, 2011)

I'm thinking about starting a cat boarding business out of my home, so I'm trying to do some research and get some opinions from cat lovers.  I know not everyone would choose to board their cats, but for those of you that have to and/or are willing to, could you please tell me what you would look for in a boarding environment? What features would make you feel comfortable and confident leaving your cat there? What features would turn you off completely?

I'd like to have a litterbox, food/water bowls, cardboard scratchers, a cat tree, beds, and toys available. I know I can sanitize litterbox, bowls and beds in between kitties (I would be boarding cats from one family at a time only), but I'm uncertain if it's safe to have cardboard scratchers, cat tree, and toys? 

I know I'll have some more questions, but I'd appreciate any insight you can give me into these in the meantime. Thank you!


----------



## mel2mdl (May 30, 2008)

When I boarded my cat, I look for several things:

1. Cost. Sorry, but money is an issue for most people. The vet is $15 a day, so was the facility where the cat ended up. I would pay a bit more for better care, but not too much more.

2. Separation from other animals. The vet has the cats right next to barking dogs. The facility they stayed at had a separate room for the cats with a sound proof door.

3. Free play time out of cage. My cat was allowed to roam the room when no other cats were boarded at will. Otherwise, the cats that were boarded were allowed out in shifts of a few hours each.

4. Size of cage/area. Three story house with climbing levels - litter and food on different levels.

5. Vaccination requirements. All cats had to have vaccinations and be on flea treatment (or submit to an exam for fleas). I didn't have to worry about my baby getting sick from someone else's cat.

6. Willingness to feed according to my instructions. My cat is on a diet and now eats canned food only. I did not want him eating kibble or being fed free will. 

My concern with using a home service is your animals. Are they vaccinated? Are they healthy? Will they interact with my animals? Will they disrupt my animals? What if my babies became injured? Do you have a vet nearby plus an emergency vet? How much would you cover if they are hurt in your care? I don't think the scratchers, etc would bother me - if the animals were vaccinated and checked for fleas. I just wouldn't want my babies to get sick because of someone else's animals.


----------



## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

I would be most focused on cleanliness, adherence to vaccination rules, and access to a veterinarian nearby. 

The woman that we like for our cats has a little "cat house" out back of her house and it has an indoor/outdoor run (the outdoor is above ground level and has tiny mesh screen, is really secure, and can be closed off if needed. She had a really great and thorough system and had a little card/"record" for each cat that included their name, age, weight, feeding instructions and our contact info. They stayed in a double kennel (2 side by side) with a cat door open between them between feeds, and she separated them for feeding times. She took each kitty out for play during the day as much as possible and even let the kitten play with the other kittens that were there, once we had made sure everyone's vaccines were up to date! It wasn't so much about the "fancy" factor as the fact that I could tell she knew all of her kitties and had established rapport with them. 

If my animals had been in her home I think I would have worried about their cats/interaction and my cats feeling safe in her space.


----------



## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

Oh! And pictures! I had to drive all over freaking Nova Scotia to look at places that didn't have websites, and a lot of them didn't have pictures for a reason--one place I went to was basically wire rabbit cages stacked on top of one another, the litter box took up more than 1/4 of the space and I couldn't believe they thought I was going to leave my cat there for a week!


----------



## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

Well, I looked at several boarding catteries for my girls. I couldn't find one I liked- so I found a cat sitter instead... So, I have high expectations!

I'm not sure I'd want my cats boarding with a family, as pets. I know they wouldn't get on with that, and would find trust an issue. We looked at many catteries. The requirements were:

1) That the staff were friendly, knowledgable and open to our cats specific requirements. They had to seem like real animal people.

2) That the facilities were super clean- with fresh litters every day.

3) That there was a separate food preparation area to the main enclosures.

4) That there was a wall between the cat enclosures, not just a fence or wire. 

5) That there was an indoor and outdoor area.

6) There must be two beds, a scratcher, climber, toys and two big litter trays.

7) I must be able to bring my own cat bed/toys/blanket etc.

8) The cattery must be in a secluded area away from main roads, and kennels if dogs are on site too.

9) There must be AT LEAST two locked doors to get through before you reach outside.

10) You must be able to view the cattery without notice.

There you go- we couldn't find a suitable cattery!


----------



## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

Yay! I must have found a good one, then, because she has all of the things you mentioned except for #6--she had things available to put into the enclosures but encouraged people to bring whatever their cat slept on at home to make them feel more comfortable. And I dropped by with only a few minutes' notice and everything was awesome! 

The first time we dropped off our cat she also helped me give Atlas an impromptu bath since he had pooped in the carrier and then gotten it all over himself in the 30 minute ride. 

Can I add "ability to deal with anything that walks through the door" to that list?


----------



## Tiikiri (Feb 18, 2011)

I had a great experience this time that I boarded. Two of the things I looked for were NO plastic ID collars, and willingness to feed raw. My cat was in a 3-tierd plexiglass suite away from the kennels and hospital side of the clinic. I was allowed my own beds, and if I would have thought about it I would have brought his litter too. Every cat got independant play time and the staff really cared.
I am not looking for price when it comes to my furry family. I am more interested in quality. We were gone for almost 2 weeks in the UK and my cat came home happy and unscathed. $444.00, but worth it to know he was safe and loved.


----------



## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

Fyreflie said:


> Yay! I must have found a good one, then, because she has all of the things you mentioned except for #6--she had things available to put into the enclosures but encouraged people to bring whatever their cat slept on at home to make them feel more comfortable. And I dropped by with only a few minutes' notice and everything was awesome!
> 
> The first time we dropped off our cat she also helped me give Atlas an impromptu bath since he had pooped in the carrier and then gotten it all over himself in the 30 minute ride.
> 
> Can I add "ability to deal with anything that walks through the door" to that list?


You're so lucky! My Mum has the PERFECT cattery just by her house, it's where my childhood cat, Tammy stays. I suggested taking my two girls there... But my OH was not impressed with my idea of travelling 250 miles for a suitable cattery!


----------



## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

mel2mdl said:


> When I boarded my cat, I look for several things:
> 
> 1. Cost. Sorry, but money is an issue for most people. The vet is $15 a day, so was the facility where the cat ended up. I would pay a bit more for better care, but not too much more.
> 
> ...


A lot of the above holds true for me, too. #1 for me is relative though. I paid about $90/day last year to have my 3 cats boarded in a no cage facility. They also got to stay together during the entire time, which reduced the stress factor. This year I will be paying $60/day for 2 home visits. I want my cats in good hands. The woman who cares for them while we are away has been caring for cats for over 20 years and uses the same vet practice I do. She always feels comfortable communicating any problems to me and genuinely loves cats...has 4 of her own. Her animals are not on-site of the boarding facility though.

As far as diet, it is very important to me since my cats are on 1/2 raw 1/2 canned...no kibble. At the boarders they did provide scratching posts, litter boxes, and kitty condos. I had to provide vaccination certificates for all my cats. My cats had a space with a large window looking outside that was about 6' x 4' with lot of vertical space. They were taken out to be played with daily and I got pictures of them daily.


----------



## KittyKare (Jul 12, 2011)

You guys have been so helpful- thank you, thank you!

So my plan is this, and I'd like your impressions on it. I would turn my guest bedroom into the "cattery," so it would be one cat/family's cats at a time, cage-free. There would be a gate in my hallway preventing my dogs from even getting close to the cattery bedroom door, and a second gate inside the room just for added safety. The guest bedroom has access, via a sliding glass door, to a completely enclosed courtyard/patio, so cats could have supervised access to this if the owner desired. I would follow a daily routine with the cats that's as close to their's at home as possible, including same food/feeding schedule and routine, and same kitty litter as at home. We have 4 veterinarians within 15 mins of our home, including a 24hr emergency room, and one vet literally 2minutes down the street. My goal with pricing is to make it as affordable as possible (I'm a pet owner, I pay for pet-sitters and I know how it feels to want the best for them and still be able to pay for your vacation! Lol). I've priced other cat boarding facilities in the area (there are only two, neither like mine), and have yet to ask the local vets what they charge. 

My advertising would definitely include pictures!  I love the idea of a webcam in there so people can see what their kitties are doing, too, but I'm not tech savvy enough to know how to do that without looking into it first. 

I'm also exploring the idea of sound-proofing the door. The guest room is rather removed from the parts of the house we and the dogs use, but I do want to minimize stress as much as possible for the kitties. 

So tell me what you think. What questions or concerns would you have if you were considering boarding with me? Would you consider boarding with me? Give me all your feedback!


----------



## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I don't know how normal boarding places work, but if you're only doing it one cat/family at a time I see that as very problematic, unless you aren't expecting a lot of success. Example: You've booked someone, they like you, but the next time they need you you've already got another cat booked for some/all of the time they require. They go somewhere else in the future that has a more reliable service. In other words, every time a space clears, you'd have to be advertising and hoping for new clientele. Eventually, you'd probably run out of people willing to book with you.


----------



## KittyKare (Jul 12, 2011)

That's assuming anyone boards their cat frequently. Most clients don't.


----------



## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I would worry about the presence of dogs. We are a cat only home and I would take my cats to a boarder that only has cats in the cattery, because I know even hearing one bark would freak Sinatra out.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

The set up sounds good, but I do think you're going to run into issues as time goes on because your customers won't be able to rely on you being able to take their cats. In general most people leave for vacation on Saturday and come home the following Sat or Sun. Because of the overlap you will generally only have the room booked for 2 weeks per month or just weekends. 

I know that if I were boarding my cats, I'd want to establish a relationship with someone who I could count on as long as they had reasonable notice. If I called you and the room was booked, I might try a second time. If I called again and you didn't have space I wouldn't try a third time. 

So basically, it may work starting off, but you really need have expansion plans for your business to survive.


----------



## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I would board with you, but yes if reliability becomes an issue in the long-run since you can only accommodate such limited quantities, then that would be a big problem. How big is the guestroom. Is there a way to split up the room into smaller sections, perhaps 3?


----------



## KittyKare (Jul 12, 2011)

I could split the room up somehow, I imagine. It's a nice size room, I think around 12x11. I think I would only do that in the event of an overlap, though, as like I said, I'm hoping part of the draw will be an environment that minimizes stress and any chance of illness. I'm planning to offer a pick up/drop off service, as well, so if there is an overlap of a night or something, maybe I could visit the second cat in it's home that day, and then bring it home with me as soon as the other cat gets picked up. Kind of figured I'd have back up plans in mind, and then address that situation on an individual basis when it arises. 

I should mention, too, that this is a hobby business, so I'm not trying to be as lucrative as possible, but focusing on quality instead. I miss having cats, but don't want to add any permanently, so this is a way to have them around and make a little money on the side.


----------

