What are catteries like?

SnowyOwl_2

Oh dear...that cattery sounds more like a pigsty. I had a bad experience with a "cattery"...stupid me didn't visit to inspect before I went away. My poor babies were put into a cage about 2ft x 2ft x 2ft, with their food and water and litter tray. I was horrified. When I went back to get them (I was only away 2 nights) the woman couldn't get them out of the cages because they kept spitting at her. I learnt my lesson the hard way... Now my darlings stay in the lap of luxury...lots of space, all pens have indoor and outdoor sections, central heating in the indoor bit... I made sure I visited it before I booked another stay away. I'd sacrifice a holiday rather than let my kitties stay in a horrible place again.

Spoke...that Windmill place looks utterly fantastic...what a shame it's so far away from Newry.

Edited to add: Spoke? LOL I meant to say Spike!! That was an 'Ello 'Ello moment...

eamon

If at all possible visit the cattery before you book. As others have said there are some horrors out there which really drag down the reputations of all the good ones. Some years ago my preferred cattery let me down and at short notice I had to use an emergency cattery. Anyway I arrived with Cat1 on the Friday afternoon and it didn't seem too bad, small holder type farm, but the owner seemed fine and I wasn't alarmed and as there wasn't time I didn't check the accommodation. Come the following Saturday and I go too collect Cat1. The owner directs me to the "rooms" and low and behold they are inside a big ramshackle shed. The shed is partly furnished with old farm machinery and the floor is covered with loads of dog turds. The smell is dreadful as the turds are fresh! Cat1 is perched on a bit of old furniture inches away from the roof of the cage. I could tell immediately that Cat1 is silent with rage & fury and not silent due to contentment. I couldn't get him out of there quick enough. I can only imagine the terror that Cat1 endured. For what its worth the preferred cattery had a heated room with a couple of landings and a huge secure run with a view to die for. That was the last time Cat1 stayed in an unchecked cattery.

spike7451

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Oh dear...that cattery sounds more like a pigsty. I had a bad experience with a "cattery"...stupid me didn't visit to inspect before I went away. My poor babies were put into a cage about 2ft x 2ft x 2ft, with their food and water and litter tray. I was horrified. When I went back to get them (I was only away 2 nights) the woman couldn't get them out of the cages because they kept spitting at her. I learnt my lesson the hard way... Now my darlings stay in the lap of luxury...lots of space, all pens have indoor and outdoor sections, central heating in the indoor bit... I made sure I visited it before I booked another stay away. I'd sacrifice a holiday rather than let my kitties stay in a horrible place again.

Spoke...that Windmill place looks utterly fantastic...what a shame it's so far away from Newry.

Thanks,It's best ones I've used to date.The back 'room' of each pen is where they sleep & toilet & the are individual heaters per pen,the sides of each pen are covered by perspex sheeting.As for food,they will provide whatever your cat eats,the's also a vet less than 1/2 mile down the road.
If you're going away on hols & say flying from Belfast,it'd be worth the trip there for the cats,you could come off at Saintfield & go Comber-Newtownards way.

This is Orbit settled in;

Fire_Fox

I would suggest you raise your concerns with the RPSCA, the facility itself and possibly the local council if the place is licensed by them, but formal complaints should always be in writing. Verbal complaints are very easily buried. Just because the owner claims to be shocked and claims to have never received complaints means nothing, that may be genuine or show that she is a reasonable actress/ con artist. If she has nothing to hide a visit from the RSPCA will be a breeze.

A newbie didn't design the tiny pens nor book two cats into a pen designed for one. Why would a new member of staff use too little cat litter and too little food? Why would they allow customers to see and smell the results of their laziness in their first couple of weeks on the job? That means more hassle for themselves and only saves the business money. Just does not add up: either the person has no training or experience OR they have been trained to care for the cats on the cheap OR they are not being supervised or most likely a combination. All points to mis-management IMO.

Drea

I am furious! I just phoned the cattery after having heard nothing and her telling me yesterday they were going out at 6pm so it would be before then.

She has sat and argued with me for the past 20 minutes basically calling me a liar. She says that she remembers one of my cats had done the toilet in the box on her way there, which is true. Apparently therefore that could have happened on the way home. She says that her employee has told her there were no smells. She said that because I didn't complain straight away and ask to speak to the owner at the time then it is a bit strange.

Anyway, we have agreed that I will go there tomorrow at 12pm for a refund. I was happy not to take it any further but I'm now thinking that reporting them is a good idea if that is how they handle people who knows how they handle the cats. For being the first complaint in 28 years she put up a good fight!

Absolutely fuming! She said she found it strange that we didn't say hello to her husband who was half way up a scaffolding doing some work to the house (we did notice two people up there but thought they were just doing some work to the house - we had never met her husband) and her husband told her that my OH drove out of the drive quickly "breaking the law". Completely ridiculous!

rising_from_the_ashes

Well, I'd go tomorrow, get your refund and then come home and report them to the council, RSPCA etc.

Drea

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Well, I'd go tomorrow, get your refund and then come home and report them to the council, RSPCA etc.

Oh I will. I've got a feeling I'll have more crap thrown at me when I get there tomorrow. I would have been happy with a partial refund to be honest but she mentioned a refund yesterday and so I jumped on it today. No chance I'm putting up with that after paying someone to look after my cats then getting spoken to like trash.

Fridaycat

For someone to offer a full refund that quickly must mean that she knows that things aren't right :mad: she is also bringing loads of red herrings into it by the sound of it - I.e her husband - to no doubt divert attention away from the real issue.

Good luck tomorrow and I would definitely report her to the council who has to licence these places.

slscarborough

This is definately not the norm!!

The cattery I use charges £15.00 a day for two sharing cats. The chalet was about 2m by 2m with a raised area for sitting in the sun. It was definately not dirty or smelly. They are groomed twice a day and petted for at least an hour a day.

Fire_Fox

Drea wrote: »

Oh I will. I've got a feeling I'll have more crap thrown at me when I get there tomorrow. I would have been happy with a partial refund to be honest but she mentioned a refund yesterday and so I jumped on it today. No chance I'm putting up with that after paying someone to look after my cats then getting spoken to like trash.

:grouphug: You know the truth in your own mind now and you can help protect other cats from the same experience. Take notes of exactly what you have been told, try to avoid another pointless row tomorrow as you don't want to be painted as an awkward customer. Think of a couple of neutral things to say and use the 'broken record' technique "I don't see any point in going over that again" or suchlike.