Cattery worries...

Liquorice_Twirls

Hi all,

I take my 2 cats to the same cattery when we go away on holiday and we always ask them to house the cats in separate pens but next to each other if possible as they don't really get on, however we think the younger cat who would like to be friends will feel happier if he can see the other cat.

At home there is plenty room and they go outside via a cat flap so that their paths don't have to cross if they don't want so there is the odd hiss or push and shove but nothing more.

However when my husband went to collect them last week they had been put into a double pen together. Apparently this has been the case for 2-3 days as there had been an "over-booking"! (Not by me)

I was really annoyed about this as I feel that the cats would have been stressed as they are not used to having to share such a small territory, and it appears that normal hostilities have been resumed since they got home! So it hasn't been some great "love-in".

My husband thinks that we shouldn't say too much as we need them looked after for a couple of nights when we go to a wedding at the end of the month and this late in the day we might not be able to get in anywhere else.

Am I strange in asking for my pets to be separated (they were rehomed to me at different times and ages)? What do you all do if your cats go to the cattery? Would you be upset that this had been done when you were away?

I think it is hard to trust the cattery now and to some extent it would be a worry to move to another one in case something similar happened.

Thanks in advance

YorkiePud_3

I would go ballistic with the cattery .... thank God your two didn't have major fisticuffs and really hurt each other ... as you say, you asked for them to be separated for their own wellbeing and although you requested them to be close by so that they knew each other was there, you specifically asked for them to be separate ... they should have realised there was a blooming good reason for you to request that and should NOT have put them in together ....

I would be absolutely fuming about it ... one cat may have bullied the other ... eaten the others food .. you just don't know ... so no, I don't think you are over reacting and I certainly would never trust this cattery again.

While I agree that no one looks after your pets like you do, they should damn well stick to the agreement made with you when you requested the cats were kept apart ... they'd definitely get a strongly worded letter from me, stating how disappointed I was ... and I certainly would never trust my animals to their care again.

Murdina

surely too if you have 2 runs you pay more?
I would go to a different cattery if you can find one, or see if you can find someone who runs a business where they come to your home to care for your pets.

Just in defence slightly of the cattery though, we have 2 cats & from what more than one cattery has said to us over the years their pecking order & behaviour seems to be totally reversed when they go there.

UKTigerlily

I'd never take my Cat back, if they can't be trusted with that then what else are they sloppy on? If you specifically requested & paid for two pens, you get two pens! They shoudn't over book, that's their problem not yours (As in, they shouldn't dump your Cats together to sort their mistakes out)
Personally i'd look for a Feline Advisory Bureau Cattery & also go to look before you leave them & ask for recommendations, they shouldn't have a problem with you speaking to others who use them
Did you say exactly why they were to be apart? Cause if not how do the Cattery know one doesn't have FIV or a disease? It can be stressful enough for some Cats in a Cattery environment let alone to be confined with one they are unsure of or that is funny with them!
If I leave my pets with someone, I expect them to follow my exact instructions, ok if they ask me 'How about I do x/y or z?' but to do something they've been asked not to (In my case the dog sitter has been told my Dog does not ever go off lead) would mean i'd never use them again

Liquorice_Twirls

Thanks for all your helpful comments. I hadn't heard of the Feline Advisory Bureau so I'll have a look if there is an approved cattery nearby so thanks UKTigerlily.

They are both back to their lovely selves with us so that's a relief, but I'm going to have a look round at other catteries. Thing was this cattery used to be owned by a lovely lady who adored cats. She sold it to a couple that she said seemed very cat loving but then they seem to have left the running of it to their daughter in her twenties in more recent times.

I suppose the good thing is (if there is one) is that at least I know what she is prepared to do when I'm not there and I can find somewhere that is "cat friendly".

UKTigerlily

Liquorice_Twirls wrote: »

Thanks for all your helpful comments. I hadn't heard of the Feline Advisory Bureau so I'll have a look if there is an approved cattery nearby so thanks UKTigerlily.

They are both back to their lovely selves with us so that's a relief, but I'm going to have a look round at other catteries. Thing was this cattery used to be owned by a lovely lady who adored cats. She sold it to a couple that she said seemed very cat loving but then they seem to have left the running of it to their daughter in her twenties in more recent times.

I suppose the good thing is (if there is one) is that at least I know what she is prepared to do when I'm not there and I can find somewhere that is "cat friendly".

Yeah, please don't be put off! I've found an FAB one near to me & they only have 8 pens to keep it personal etc & she's lovely, think someone here suggested the FAB to me, definitely worth a look, many can collect & deliver too (But visit first so you can look about!)

picklepick

Yes i think it was me that suggested the FAB. My mother has used one in the Midlands and I would only ever use an accredited cattery now after seeing how lovely and how cared for the animals are. I highly recommend them!

Menolly_2

We no longer take our three to the cattery - all three picked up cat 'flu there six or so years ago despite being vaccinated (like human 'flu, there are various strains and the one they got was not covered by their vaccination). It was a FAB approved one as well .
Instead, we have a pet sitter, who comes in daily to feed and fuss and change their litter. It is a nationwide franchise and their sitters are all security checked. The cats benefit by remaining in their home environment (far less stressful). It costs less than boarding them, given that we have already bought their food and litter, and we get a "school report" on them - a daily diary is completed by the pet sitter and left for us. We usually get the same lady, which is also good for the cats as they have someone that they are familiar with coming in to them. They have the name and number of our vet and we let the vet know that the pet sitter will be looking after the cats while we are away.

Not all catteries are created equal - the previous cattery that we had used was also FAB approved and they were lovely - they gave one of our cats his medication (he had heart disease) regularly and made sure that they calmed down after the journey there. The only reason we stopped taking them to that one was that it was a long car drive from our home and it really stressed out the one with the heart condition.

I would be most concerned that they had not followed your instructions to keep the cats in separate pens - the cattery that we no longer use told us on the morning that we were flying out on holiday that they had had a "few cats with the sniffles, nothing to worry about" and we had no option but to believe that ours would be OK - after all the pens had the sneeze screens etc. One of our girls was seriously ill and she now wheezes, and it was as well that we had insurance as the vets bills were horrendous!!!

nanokitten

Menolly, which sitters do you use I'd be interested to know.

Liquorice Twirls - In my view, your cattery are in breach of contract and I'd want my money back (all of it) at the very least (depending on what you signed) as what you agreed verbally forms part of the contract.
I've never used a cattey since finding the neighbouring cat had forced it's way in to my timid cats run and was standing there when I arrived. Kitten comes with me when I travel if poss and I'm hoping a friend will house sit when its not.

Menolly_2

Hi, nanokitten - we use Petpals. Initially we used a local (independent) lady, but sometimes she couldn't "fit us in" as there was just her and (I think) her husband working in the business...she was really nice though, and we and the cats still get a Christmas card from her every year.
The guy from Petpals came out to visit us after our initial enquiry and he went into great detail with us, wanted to know every little thing about the cats and their likes/dislikes, any medical history etc. All of this was taken down on a Contact Form. Then he met the cats and fussed them, went through the home security system with us and took and registered a spare house key. We felt really confident with the company and arranged for them to come in over a long weekend when we went down to relatives in Devon. We have used Petpals ever since and can highly recommend them.

When we got back, the cats were happy to see us and it was clear that they were well cared-for in our absence. Their "school report" made hilarious reading, as this was the first time that the cat sitter had come across Maine Coons (she said she'd never seen such big cats )

I agree with you re: breach of contract - did you get any kind of refund, Liquorice Twirls?

nanokitten

cheers menolly, sounds better than the horrid cattery I used!