What to look for in a Cattery

roratone

Me and OH are about to put our cat in a cattery for the first time - he's 3 and previously went to stay with family when we were away.

I plan to visit a few local ones but am unsure what to look for / ask about.

Any advice would be most welcome

Tortieshell

I was always told that a reputable cattery would insist on seeing your vacination documents before accepting the cat, at least you know they care about the cats welfare.

I have never left my cats before but I would make sure they had a nice roomie place to stay that looked clean and check the other cats there to see they are being looked after and what condition their living quarters were in.

Good Luck.

FBThree

You could ask at your local vets if they have a recommendation. One of our vet nurses actually tops up her income by visiting animals in their home to feed them.

If you do need to put him in a cattery, check it has a couple of levels for the cat to sit, food away from litter tray, litter trays look clean, and that the cat has a view, e.g of outside. Some places might have tv's etc to keep the cats company. See if the other cats already there look like they've been groomed. If you can check the bedding of the other cats isn't smelly or damp. We had to put our dog in a strange kennels one day due to an emergency - his bedding smelt horrible when we got back.

Good luck.

mountainofdebt

Where in the world are you - perhaps some local MSE could recommend one for you .

tigs78

Look for one that is registered with FAB (Feline Advisory Bureau)

Here's a link... http://www.fabcats.org/catteries/index.php It includes info on how to choose a good boarding cattery and lets you search for a FAB registered one in your area.

Another thing I would say is go for one that is purely a cattery, some are catteries and kennels - I know my two wouldn't appreciate barking dogs all day.

SnowyOwl_2

Don't be afraid to go and visit a few before you book! I made the mistake of booking my kitties into one without having seen it before and was totally horrified when I turned up on the day of my flight with the cats to find that it was a pile of crates in someone's garage. They put all three cats into one crate, along with their food, water and litter tray. Absolutely awful!!

The place I settled on for later holidays has the following, and I'd suggest the below as a checklist for you (IMHO):

Individual pens with an enclosed area with shelves for high up sleeping etc. The run part outdoors and fully covered, ie walls and ceilings, with chicken wire to prevent escapees.
Pens are a couple of feet apart to prevent cross infection between cats from different homes
The area the pens are in is enclosed with chicken wire so that if cats did happen to get out of their individual runs then they wouldn't be able to escape further than the perimeter of the area all the pens are in
Very clean and tidy, no unnecessary frills eg scratching posts as these can lead to infection between visitors - ask if you can bring your own from home
Disposable pads provided for sleeping on if you don't bring your own beds from home
All surfaces washable, and sparkling clean
Good quality food supplied to residents
When walking around have a peek to see if residents' bowls have water in them - none should be empty ever. Also check to see if litter trays are fresh, and that the place isn't smelly
If necessary ask if the cattery staff are able/prepared to give your cat any injections, tablets or other regular medicine

Gosh, this is OTT but if you saw the awful dreadful place my cats first stayed in compared to the clean, secure and safe surroundings of the second place you would fully understand each of my points above. There are some terrible places around and there are some absolutely fantastic places - incredibly the two places I have used charged the same fees!!

loobs40

I have booked with a local service where they come to the house twice a day to look after the cat. They have very good references and the owner has come around to meet the cat and taken all sorts of details. She also offered to water plants, open/shut curtains etc

eira

Agree totally with Tigs and Snowy Owl. Another tip is to look at the behaviour of the cats in the cattery and negotiate a pen for your cats. It is easier to find a good cattery than dog kennels. I did look at one cattery in which there were corner pens with no views and little light.There was a solitary Siamese cat going ballistic in the corner-obviously in distress. In a good cattery the staff know the cats' names and a lot of the cats will come to the door of the pen for a fuss and a stroke.

Is there a vet on call ? Is the security good? Look at the state of the building-I saw one where the sockets were hanging off the walls.

The best catteries tend to be small cat only places run by cat enthusiasts. I did once leave our adored dog in a place that had been runner up for Kennel of the Year. I had checked it out and it looked good. Mercifully he was only there for two nights. When I dropped him off it was obvious that the dogs were just cash on legs. The staff hauled him off without talking to him -he is a very big dog granted but as soft as a brush.
Another place that was less glossy treated him like royalty-and that place also has pens for multi-cat households with seperate bedrooms in the same pen because they know that not all cats sharing a household like to share sleeping arrangements !

Another big give away is people that talk to the animal first and then to you.

roratone

Thank you for all this wonderful advice - makes me feel not so evil for leaving him!!

We're in Southampton by the way if anyone has any recommendations

scat

Heck I feel traumatised after reading this!

We rescued a kitten a few weeks ago. Advertised her and registered her with the CPL and RSPCA etc but no one came forward to claim her. Of course we've ended up giving her a home.

We go on holiday 1st September. We have two 15 year old cats which are quite happy left at home with someone popping in to feed them. Obviously we can't do this with a young kitten! I emailed a few places and only two of them still had places. I went with the one, for no better reason, that referred to her as 'my new baby girl!' It's been such a rush to get her spayed and vaccinated ( she'll have just managed her 7 days after her final vaccination ) that I didn't even think to visit the place before booking!

site is here http://www.purradise.org.uk/index.html it doesn't appear to be listed with FAB. The owner sounded lovely via email and sent me a leaflet and pen when I booked. I almost daren't visit now because I'm totally stuffed for getting her in anywhere else at such short notice.

asea

do you have any friends who live nearby that might be willing to pop in to feed & love your cats every day?