cattery survey

[Gillian Harvey]

Going back to the discussion on beds, I know you like the idea of the soft beds, but they are quite bulky to wash, whereas plastic beds are easy to clean and disinfect, and can be lined with vetbed fleece, which is less bulky to go in the machine. You could maybe find some funky coloured plastic beds and use matching vetbed which you can also get in really funky colours too now! Then that could be your themed idea too - so you could have the 'Blue Suite', 'Green Suite', 'Pink Suite' etc - just a thought. It was looking at the Mann Cat Sanctuary website made me think about that - they've got a bit of a 'purple' theme going on! http://www.manncat.com/photos.html - there's a slide that shows the main cat room with all the cat's chairs covered with purple vetbed - think ebay sells all the different colour vetbeds. 

[rebalsi]

I can see that whether people want extras like a blog/photos is a matter of choice so I am going to do it a way that doesn't necessarily affect the pricing as it something people can pay for as an 'add-on' if they want it. I have deliberately kept the cattery small at 10 units so I can spend more time with each of the cats and have bigger units. I am going to keep the base rate comparable with other catteries but ultimately I think it is important to offer extras as every business has to have its unique selling points in order to be competitive.

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

To be honest, I think you will find you won't have the time to do a blog !
Why not settle for photo's given to the owner if you want to do something ....Although I don't feel any of it is necessary and as an owner I'd actually perfer you to spend more time with my cats rather than taking pics and writing blogs ! xx

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

The blog is a good idea, as long as not too complicated.  The more stuff like that you do the more time it will take up and the more your costs will be.  That means I, the customer, will be paying more.  I don't want to pay for blogs and pictures etc. I just want to feel confident that my cats are being looked after 

[rebalsi]

Hi

I just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful advice! It has certainly given me lots to think about. The comments on the webcams are particularly interesting. As suggested by some of you, I think I might change it slightly to a photographic blog of each cat's holiday and put up photos. To be honest the webcams are quite expensive to install so it might make more sense for me to trial it with a photographic diary.

I will let you all know the full results of the survey and keep you updated!

Rebecca

[weesilvie]

I have a found a great place where my guinea pigs stay for their holidays.  They don't have a webcam, but they do have a blog.  They post photos and wee stories about their guests and residents every few days.  This seems like an excellent compromise to the webcam.  Also, when they were there last, I wasn't really on holiday, just staying at a friends - so it really kept me company to be able to see pics of the pigs and read about what they'd been up to.  I was even enjoying the stories of everybody else's rabbits and pigs who were staying there too!  This way you can try and make sure you get pics when they're not looking too depressed or scared, like when they're having their tea or something.

An alternative to this - someone else mentioned it - was getting text messages, possibly with pictures.  I'd really like either of these ideas.

And of course, as everyone else has said - space, safety and hygiene have to be top of the list.  Most diligent cat owners will bring their own beds and blankets, toys and even scratching posts for their cats if its suggested.  This will save you washing and bleaching etc.

For me, the type of food Silvie would get is not important.  But she is on quite a strict diet (arthritis and a bit porky) so I'd need to be sure that if I specify 25g of wet food, that that's what you'll give her, and no more.  And no treats!  Sounds harsh, but I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.

Good luck with your new venture - look forward to hearing about it when you get going!

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Hi, Now I've got some more time I've thought of a few things

FIV+ cats
There's no reason why you can't board them. The virus is only past on by a deep bite to another cat.

Its a good idea for each pen to have its own cleaning equipment and use a good cleaner like Trigene.
.
A day form on each pen that is filled in everyday (eaten, pooh, urine, vomited, diarrhea)

Get each client to fill in forms
1) Clients name address etc ...All info about cat, vets, food, last time flea and worm treatment used
I would also have a section to ask if the cat or any cats in the household has ever had Flu, Calici, FIV, FeLV, FIP.
2)Get the client to sigh for authorisation for veternary treatment

Webcam
Personally I don't think it is a good idea as it could upset the clients. Alot of cats don't do well in a cattery, what are you going to do then ? You can't really have a webcam pointed on a cat that is hiding under its blanket or sulking in the corner.

Hope some of this has been helpful xxx

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Re : the food.

Cats should be kept on their usual diet in a cattery.
Going into a cattery is stressful enough, changing their food can tip the balance and lead to upset tummies

[Ellen2010]

Hi I have not filled in the questionnaire due to the fact is that I was due to go on holiday to my brothers for a week last summer and the catteries in my area was not willing to cater medically for my older cat.

Basically she is only allowed certain flavours of cat meat and has to have her medications given with an hours gap between.  Yes it had been pre-booked before I found out her medical condition and when I went to see them to say that she had been recently diagnosed with Renal failure and lower urinary tract disease and to explain the contraindications of her medications and that she was only allowed certain flavours of food, I was greeted with she will get the medications at the same time as we don't have time to cater to the owners whim and unless on a specialist diet she will be given what flavour we give her.  Tried to explain this was veterinary advised and got told by them we have told you what will happen.  These had been recommended by my veterinary surgeon so asked if they could put it in writing what they were telling me and they did this so immediately took it to my vets who and still no longer recommend this cattery to clients whose animals have medical conditions or special requirements with diet.

Obviously I cancelled all bookings with them but came up against it with all the catteries in the area where I live or they did not cater for nervous cats so would not be able to take 2 of my 7 cats as they are cats that have been tamed down from feral by myself and are nervous of people they do not know.  Yes so my holiday was cancelled and I just went over for the day to see my brother which involved 8 hours travelling to get there and back in the same day.

That doesn't sound like a very good cattery.  I can understand a cattery saying they can't take cats requiring complicated medication or with certain health problems as it's better they refuse them than accept them but not be able to care for them properly.  But the attitude you encountered is not what I would expect from a cattery.  The cattery I use will feed whatever I want them fed on, I get asked whether they want turkey or tuna on xmas day (if I leave them over xmas) and it's clear that they will do whatever the cats need.  Not catering for nervous cats sounds a bit odd too as a lot of cats will be nervous in a cattery even if they aren't at home.  Jaffa is a timid cat and he gets really scared going to the cattery but they are very good with him and he gradually gets used to them.  I remember that the last time I collected them, one of the assistants had a huge smile on her face as she told me that that morning he had purred whilst she stroked him.

Her medication is not that hard or her diet either basically she is allowed chicken, turkey, cod or whitefish flavours of cat meat.  Her kidney medication is added to her food and then as long as there is an hours gap either between her medication for her lower urinary tract disease and her morning or evening meal then that is fine.  To me it just seemed that they could not be bothered to deal with her requirements and the other catteries were more concerned with the fact that 2 of the cats were born feral and more concerned about having cuddly cats.  I had only had two days to get used to her medication at this time and was managing fine with it.

[rebalsi]

Hi

it will be semi-outdoor. It is an unusual design. Basically its circular and the inner part of the circle is the reception and storage area and the next 'ring' of the circle is the sleeping areas. Both these areas are fully enclosed, insulated, roofed and underfloor heating in sleeping areas. The next ring of the circle is the exercise areas and the outer ring is the safety corridor. These bits are both roofed but the safety corridor walls are lined with mesh, not solid walls, so it is sort of semi-outdoor. As the exercise areas are separated from the outside by the safety corridor and are roofed I think they will feel semi-outdoor. I am going to get pull down panels to put on the safety corridor in winter to block out heavy rain/high winds

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Hi I have not filled in the questionnaire due to the fact is that I was due to go on holiday to my brothers for a week last summer and the catteries in my area was not willing to cater medically for my older cat.

Basically she is only allowed certain flavours of cat meat and has to have her medications given with an hours gap between.  Yes it had been pre-booked before I found out her medical condition and when I went to see them to say that she had been recently diagnosed with Renal failure and lower urinary tract disease and to explain the contraindications of her medications and that she was only allowed certain flavours of food, I was greeted with she will get the medications at the same time as we don't have time to cater to the owners whim and unless on a specialist diet she will be given what flavour we give her.  Tried to explain this was veterinary advised and got told by them we have told you what will happen.  These had been recommended by my veterinary surgeon so asked if they could put it in writing what they were telling me and they did this so immediately took it to my vets who and still no longer recommend this cattery to clients whose animals have medical conditions or special requirements with diet.

Obviously I cancelled all bookings with them but came up against it with all the catteries in the area where I live or they did not cater for nervous cats so would not be able to take 2 of my 7 cats as they are cats that have been tamed down from feral by myself and are nervous of people they do not know.  Yes so my holiday was cancelled and I just went over for the day to see my brother which involved 8 hours travelling to get there and back in the same day.

That doesn't sound like a very good cattery.  I can understand a cattery saying they can't take cats requiring complicated medication or with certain health problems as it's better they refuse them than accept them but not be able to care for them properly.  But the attitude you encountered is not what I would expect from a cattery.  The cattery I use will feed whatever I want them fed on, I get asked whether they want turkey or tuna on xmas day (if I leave them over xmas) and it's clear that they will do whatever the cats need.  Not catering for nervous cats sounds a bit odd too as a lot of cats will be nervous in a cattery even if they aren't at home.  Jaffa is a timid cat and he gets really scared going to the cattery but they are very good with him and he gradually gets used to them.  I remember that the last time I collected them, one of the assistants had a huge smile on her face as she told me that that morning he had purred whilst she stroked him.

I think the most important aspect of a cattery for me is that I feel the staff know and understand cats and are prepared to spend time observing them and getting to know them.  The first time I took Jaffa with his brother Magpie, they actually separated them as Magpie was hissing at cats in neighbouring pens and that was stressing out Jaffa.  The first time Jaffa and Mosi went together I booked 2 pens but asked them to put them together for some time each day and just see how they went.  Mosi was only just turning 1 and I wasn't suer how Jaffa would cope with being in a confined space with him.  When I got back they were together and staff said they had been together the whole time and really got on, curling up together to sleep.  They felt that Mosi's chilled out attitude rubbed off on Jaffa.  Every time I go they can tell me how they've been as soon as I walk into the reception area - there's no difficulty trying to remember who Jaffa and Mosi are.  Obviously hygiene and cleanliness is paramount, but the next most imporant factor is having confidence in the people looking after them and that was something I picked up on the very fist time I visited.  I just know that they will pick up on any behavioural problems and act appropriately and do whatever is needed to make them feel relaxed.  Plus they were happy to have Magpie back after he bit the owner one time!!

ETA - sorrry if it's already been mention - is it going to be an indoor or outdoor cattery?  (by outdoor I mean with an outside exercise area).  Or a mixture?  As someone who has indoor cats, I would not want my cats to have an outdoor space as I dont' want them getting used to something they can't have at home.  But I obviously wouldn't want them to have less room because they are not accessing part of the accommodation.

[rebalsi]

Hi I have not filled in the questionnaire due to the fact is that I was due to go on holiday to my brothers for a week last summer and the catteries in my area was not willing to cater medically for my older cat.

Basically she is only allowed certain flavours of cat meat and has to have her medications given with an hours gap between.  Yes it had been pre-booked before I found out her medical condition and when I went to see them to say that she had been recently diagnosed with Renal failure and lower urinary tract disease and to explain the contraindications of her medications and that she was only allowed certain flavours of food, I was greeted with she will get the medications at the same time as we don't have time to cater to the owners whim and unless on a specialist diet she will be given what flavour we give her.  Tried to explain this was veterinary advised and got told by them we have told you what will happen.  These had been recommended by my veterinary surgeon so asked if they could put it in writing what they were telling me and they did this so immediately took it to my vets who and still no longer recommend this cattery to clients whose animals have medical conditions or special requirements with diet.

Obviously I cancelled all bookings with them but came up against it with all the catteries in the area where I live or they did not cater for nervous cats so would not be able to take 2 of my 7 cats as they are cats that have been tamed down from feral by myself and are nervous of people they do not know.  Yes so my holiday was cancelled and I just went over for the day to see my brother which involved 8 hours travelling to get there and back in the same day.

Hi

I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. I certainly wouldn't have a problem with giving a cat a particular diet. I guess if it was a prescription diet I would probably ask the owner to provide it and reduce the price. Does she have to have medication every hour or with one hour's gap after food? If it is one hour's gap after food I wouldn't see a problem with doing that. I need to learn how to do injections but in principle I am going to be willing to take cats with medication. Someone has to be on the premises all the time anyway, so adhering to a medication regime shoudln't be a problem for a cattery.

Are you in Shropshire? I am not open yet but I do know of a very good cattery and the owner there is very knowledgeable and experienced at handling nervous cats and giving medications - if you want the details let me know.

Rebecca

[Ellen2010]

Hi I have not filled in the questionnaire due to the fact is that I was due to go on holiday to my brothers for a week last summer and the catteries in my area was not willing to cater medically for my older cat.

Basically she is only allowed certain flavours of cat meat and has to have her medications given with an hours gap between.  Yes it had been pre-booked before I found out her medical condition and when I went to see them to say that she had been recently diagnosed with Renal failure and lower urinary tract disease and to explain the contraindications of her medications and that she was only allowed certain flavours of food, I was greeted with she will get the medications at the same time as we don't have time to cater to the owners whim and unless on a specialist diet she will be given what flavour we give her.  Tried to explain this was veterinary advised and got told by them we have told you what will happen.  These had been recommended by my veterinary surgeon so asked if they could put it in writing what they were telling me and they did this so immediately took it to my vets who and still no longer recommend this cattery to clients whose animals have medical conditions or special requirements with diet.

Obviously I cancelled all bookings with them but came up against it with all the catteries in the area where I live or they did not cater for nervous cats so would not be able to take 2 of my 7 cats as they are cats that have been tamed down from feral by myself and are nervous of people they do not know.  Yes so my holiday was cancelled and I just went over for the day to see my brother which involved 8 hours travelling to get there and back in the same day.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I filled in the survey which you may find strange as I dont use a cattery.

I used on e once and that was enought to put me off them for life and it caused my semi-feral to hate me for 5 years and still going!

However I agree with all the stuff that the others have said and the hygeine aspect is one of the most important things. I can see that you have answered my questions about food cos so many cats are faddy eaters.

I think its important also that who ever is dealing with the cats can handle them well and be able to give medications and also injections and leading on from that to have access to a good cat friendly vets or possibly two, that understand that you are running a cattery and if one needs urgent medical attention you can get it without a lot of hassle.

Most owners worry so much about their cats in a cattery and they need to feel thaqt their cat will get cuddles and be looked after properly. We and those on Cat Chat are real cat lovers and possibly have higher standards than the ordinary cat owner out there cos Purrs and CC have made us so aware.

I dont think that decor is that important but to have there usual food and things about them is.

Have to say my cats dont like music or noise cos they are not used to it and having come from bad backgrounds they scare easily and wonder if it maybe a nice idea to get from each owner a little resume about their cats for your info.

I think you have to make the cost high enough to cover your costs and make some money but not so high that it puts people off and think that £7 is a very good price, possible a little low?

I wish you every success cos a new high quality cattery is to be welcomed 

[Rosella moggy]

I am going on hols soon and have 7 cats.  3 are staying at home with a family member moving in and 4 going into Cramar cattery. 

The profits from the cattery go to fund Cramar cat rescue and feral enclosure next door so I will be bringing most (prob all) of their food to reduce their costs.  I chose Cramar as I know for certain that the people running the cattery really care and are very experienced looking after cats.  Cleanliness is a very high priority as is a calm environment.  There is also a vet surgery on site.  Another high priority for me are the staff and how they interact with the cats.

I will be taking their bedding and toys; esp for the 4 month old baby Groucho (I am so not happy about leaving such a young un but he is an unplanned recent rescue).  Amongst other health problems, Freddie has very bad peeing ishoos but I'm assured this is no problem.  I have booked a double (£12.50 a night) and a family pen (£15.50 a night) for 9 nights.  I will ask the ladies to move Groucho between the two pens coz he's a typical 4 month old kitten and quite a handful for any of the cats to have to put up with 24/7 in an enclosure.

I wouldn't want a grooming service as most of mine would stress out being handled by people they don't know.  The main reason 3 of them are going into cattery is that, being wary, I would be worried they wouldn't come when my brother called them if they stayed at home.

Initially I loved idea of a webcam but, thinking about it, if they looked really happy, I'd prob worry they were being drugged    I can't tell you how stressed I am about going on hols due to the effect on the cats and think even photos would disturb me.  I think I'd rather like soothing texts though saying how they were all fine and eating OK

I like the Feliway spraying idea and think I'll bring some to Cramar.  I'm already bringing lots of Zylkene capsules. 

You sound like you are going to have a fabulous cattery at some point  .  Just thought I'd give you a feel for some of the nutters you'll encounter     

[Tiggy's Mum]

Out of interest, how would you feel about getting photos of your cat on holiday rather than a webcam?

Photos would be fine by me (I was 'sold' on your cattery due to the webcam) but it would be best if you could offer different delivery methods. I've never taken a laptop on holiday but always take my phone so to have picture messages texted to me would be fine, if you only emailed them then the service wouldn't appeal.

[rebalsi]

I really do appreciate all the advice on here. I have met with the Council's Licensing Officer too and showed him the plans and he has said they were really good  .

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Hmm... Definitely not offended, hun, just don't want you to think FAB are the bench mark. FAB are very useful and helpful for a number of reasons on a number of issues.  But they don't actually set the cattery licensing standards though. That's done by your local council and without council approval and planning permission you can't operate. There is not just the cat based aspects to concider, you see, and you will have to comply with other rules and regulations outside of FAB's standards... so I'd make the local council your first point of reference when planning your cattery. If you want to excede those standards, then that's fine. 

[rebalsi]

I wasn't meaning to imply catteries that aren't members of FAB aren't good quality so sorry if I offended you. The FAB guidance is useful though even if catteries don't actually join I'm sure a lot of them would follow the guidelines set by FAB. Personally I have found the FAB cattery lady very useful as she has patiently answered my endless questions even though I am not yet a member!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Actually I know a lady who runs a very good cattery and she (and a lot of other very good catteries) refuses to pay FAB's very high membership rates. She says it offers poor value for money concidering the volume of clients FAB brings in, which in her friend's case was just 3 clients in a 12 month period. So not all good catteries are on FAB's database. 

[rebalsi]

  We had a thread on an 'upmarket cat hotel' quite recently, might be worth searching for as some of us were a little brutal with our comments! Edited to add linky: http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,33419

[/quote]

I did have a look at this thread. I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with what the cattery is doing and in some ways I think it is quite nice.But having done the survey I can see that people value cleanliness and care and size of units over the decor. That said, I don't think there is any harm in putting in some homely decorative touches as well as giving the high standards of care etc that people priortise. I may rethink how I do things like the beds though to make sure they are as hygienic as possible. I probably am going to keep the decor more simple now and maybe put a cat related picture in each pen to make it more homely but that can be done hygienically by having a photo printed on to perspex which is fully disinfectable.

I have always wondered how catteries clean scratching posts effectively - hopefully I will find out on my cattery management course!

I thnk being in Welwyn Garden City that cattery can possibly charge a premium - certainly no one would pay £15 per night in Shropshire - £7 is average here. I remember reading the sound system was about £5k and I definitely couldn't afford that but I have read that cats find music calming

[rebalsi]

Out of interest, how would you feel about getting photos of your cat on holiday rather than a webcam?

I am definitely going for larger units - they are about 20% larger than the FAB standard requires for 2 cats and it is uncommon to find that as a lot of catteries are built by specialist manufacturers. Whilst they are very good units one of the restrictions is that they are made to a standard size so there is limited scope to enlarge them. I am also putting in extra windows than standard so the cats have more to look at and features like adjustable height shelves to cater for more elderly/disabled cats.

I have no problem with people bringing their own bedding etc and food I will be very flexible on, within reason - i.e if it is very difficult to find, the owner would have to bring it.

Feliway spray is a good idea - I have had to use it with my own cats in the past as one of them used to soil in the house

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Completed 

I actually said no to the webcam because a) if I was going away I wouldn't want the temptation to spend all my time looking at it and b) it would just upset me if I felt they didn't look happy and I know that Jaffa doesn't exactly love going to the cattery.  He copes and is ok, but I know it takes him a while to settle and be ok with people he doesn't know.  It would be more important to me to have confidence in the people that are looking after him and to feel that they will understand that he's timid and needs gentle coaxing.  If I have confidence in the cattery, I don't need to see it on webcam.

What I think would be good would be if catteries sprayed feliway in units to help cats settle.  I always take some and ask staff to spray it every day but it would be nice if the cattery did that automatically.

re food - the cattery I use will feed anything you ask but if it is something unusual or difficult to get hold of they would expect you to bring the food with you.

The other thing I expect is to be able to take as much stuff from home as I want.  I have even taken my own litter tray in the past!  I always end up with too much stuff to fit in the pen, but I think it's important they are surrounded by as much from home as possible even if it does make cleaning the pen out a bit difficult!  My cats feeling comfortable and at home is more important than making life easy for the staff.

The one thing I would be prepared to pay more for would be larger pens.  My boys have a double pen but they're not very big and I would be prepared to pay more for a bigger space.  That's more important than decor imo.  Plus lots of multi levels with shelves, scratching posts etc.  These would need to be made from easy clean materials with the comfort factor being provided by owners as most like to bring beds and blankets from home anyway.

[Mark]

people like me who request that their cat has no heating on

Just to point out on Lottie's behalf that she isn't evil catmom - just that her cats are NFCs 

[rebalsi]

Wow, lots to think about it! But that is why I posted on here as now is the time I can do that before I build it.

You are right that the bedding needs to get a balance between hygiene and looking soft. I am doing a lot of research into it at the moment as I want to make sure I get it right. Its interesting that most of you would prefer plastic beds or your own beds as I had thought people would prefer soft beds. One cattery owner has suggested steam cleaning things in the pens as well as washing down and using disinfectant on them so I am going to look into how effective that is too. I have looked at things like disposable food dishes but I will be dishwashing the bowls  at a high temperature and I will use china or stainless steel as it won't scratch as much as plastic so there is less potential for it to harbour germs.

I am open to taking cats with medical conditions.  I will look into taking FIV+ cats but I 'd need to find out more about that. I need to learn how to inject a diabetic cats I have never done that before.

ETA: All the heating will be individual to each unit and individually thermostatically controlled and I'm also having plug sockets so I can use heat pads or panel heaters as well if we get a really cold snap like last winter.

I will be doing an FAB cattery management course so I can find out more about all of these things!

Interesting comments about food too.. I will look into some of the brands you suggest but yes whichever of the menus, the cats chose off it would be a complete diet and I will look at including raw meat. The way I see it is that the most important thing is for the cats to have their usual diet and so long as I knew in advance in most cases that would possible

[Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's)]

When I could still use catteries I once used one that provided scratchposts in the units, I saw this on their website and asked them to remove it before my cats arrived as they cannot disinfect these between cats. The cattery were very good and didn't mind this (or me giving them an interrogation about what their hygience practices were ) They did provide a couple of toys for the cats but these were brand new for each cat and the cats took them home with them afterwards.

They also used disposable food bowls for hygiene so that might be something to look into.

Will the heating be individual to each pen or would all pens have to have the heating on or off? Individual heating is an advantage as if you only have 2 pens in use then havign to heat every single pen will be expensive and a waste of money plus you may get people like me who request that their cat has no heating on which you cannot do if the heating is across all pens.

[Tiggy's Mum]

I know what you mean about some catteries feeling 'sparse' or 'cold',  I guess owners that are in the crazy cat lady status and are bothered by this would take their own home comforts such as squidgy beds.  I count myself in that category and whilst I want my boys to have nice comfy things in there I think I'd be put off by repeatedly used squidgy beds as no matter how much they're washed they're bound to have other cats hairs on them and also the potential for cross-infection.

If you bought fleece blankets in bulk you could probably get them super cheap, you can buy massive ones in cheapo shops for just a few pounds  so in bulk they'd be even cheaper and you could cut them to size to line plastic beds and then dispose of them after each guest!

[Liz]

Would you be catering for specific types ie FIV+ Cats or cats like Diabetics who have a very strict injection schedule only asking as we have had FIV+ here at the Clan and are currently on our second diabetic

Also we have ferals and domestics living together and have in the past managed to find wonderful kennels - prior to now requiring a house sitter due to our numbers and understood instructins with regard to the ferals you would have got with our nice domestics

Will fill in the survey but we always took in their own bedding and bowls - our ferals were very set in wha they needed to be happy - a domestic and their own bed!

[Fire Fox]

I haven't quite worked it out in detail but the standard menu would basically be the usual cat foods like Whiskas, Felix but it would include some of the more premium brands like Iams, Jameswellbeloved at no extra cost. The luxury menu would be more about foods such as fresh cooked fish, chicken, treats. I would cater for special diets too at no extra charge, for example if a cat had a specialist food but if the diet was a prescription diet for medical reasons, I would have to ask the owner to bring it and reduce the daily rate as it wouldn't be viable to buy in prescription diets. I think the main thing is that cats need to eat similarly to at home so I would let owners choose what they wanted to have off each of the menus.

  We had a thread on an 'upmarket cat hotel' quite recently, might be worth searching for as some of us were a little brutal with our comments! Edited to add linky: http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,33419

There are many cat slaves that don't consider IAMS or JWB to be premium, they have fairly low meat content for an obligate carnivore and both have parent companies that are boycotted for unethical practices. Rather than just going for big brands, I'd like to see a slightly more adventurous range offered as standard - Bozita for example is widely used on both Purrs and Moneysavingexpert forums due to its high meat content, reasonable price and palatability.

Will your luxury meals be complete or complementary and would you consider offering a raw option? I probably sound rather 'alternative' raising ethics and nutrition, but these issues ARE discussed regularly on pet forums. Many Bengal and other pedigree owners raw feed, I assume this would be part of your target market for a more holistic facility?

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Well, that's a big undertaking and I wish you luck. 

A couple of tips from me... make your units out of UPVC, no wood etc. Ringworm spores can live in wood for up to two years. Wood is also next to impossible to sterilise after accidental exposure to an infectious disease. Some people I know how have wooden pens have ended up having to burn them. 

I would prefer my cats NOT to have soft toys/bedding that had previously been used by other residents. Some viruses can survive all but the highest and most rigorous wash cycles and detergents necessary to cleanse properly can often be toxic if they are the wrong types. Vaccination does not guarantee a cat will be protected against ALL strains of ALL diseases and viruses and some of your future clients will certainly be dorment carriers of strains my cats have no immunity to. I may just be over cautious coming from the rescue world were we come across diseases many regular cat owners may never come across, but risk management is the key when dealing with cats converging in one place coming from a variety of different backgrounds. Increase the transient feline population in a static location and the risk of cross infection rises dramatically, therefore the precautions must match the risk. So there's a reason why most catteries look sparce and only offer plastic beds and ask clients to bring their own bedding - plastic beds can be steilised a lot easier and the less soft furnishing, the less the risk of infection. 

[snarf]

i know what you mean about feeling cold but i think the reason is that hard surfaces are easier to clean properly. i could be wrong though.
my cats would lurve under floor heating 

They are easier in some ways. I mean underfloor heating in the sleeping area but then it would be overlaid with a rubberised sort of covering. Its difficult to describe, its made of the same stuff as they put in things like floors of horse lorries so it is very cleanable. The exercise areas are semi-outdoor but they are roofed. I am using a thicker roofing than standard to make it warmer.

I guess I also mean cold in the sense that the units in some catteries are a bit sparse - they have the basics like a bed and litter trays but often not much in the way of toys or soft beds.
[/quote]

Sorry i also meant cold in terms of clinical and sparse and that i wouldnt know how/if to clean any of the soft beds i have properly. i use towels for the fosters so i can boil wash them and throw them away if and when i need to. well in theory anyway.

[rebalsi]

i know what you mean about feeling cold but i think the reason is that hard surfaces are easier to clean properly. i could be wrong though.
my cats would lurve under floor heating 
[/quote]

They are easier in some ways. I mean underfloor heating in the sleeping area but then it would be overlaid with a rubberised sort of covering. Its difficult to describe, its made of the same stuff as they put in things like floors of horse lorries so it is very cleanable. The exercise areas are semi-outdoor but they are roofed. I am using a thicker roofing than standard to make it warmer.

I guess I also mean cold in the sense that the units in some catteries are a bit sparse - they have the basics like a bed and litter trays but often not much in the way of toys or soft beds.

[snarf]

The idea behind the decor is basically to make it homely with stimulating toys etc for the cats. The idea basically came about because my cats live indoors and sometimes I have found catteries to be a bit cold and I don't particularly like the plastic beds a lot of catteries use. So I want to go for things like soft beds

i know what you mean about feeling cold but i think the reason is that hard surfaces are easier to clean properly. i could be wrong though.
my cats would lurve under floor heating 

[Gillian Harvey]

The idea behind the decor is basically to make it homely with stimulating toys etc for the cats. The idea basically came about because my cats live indoors and sometimes I have found catteries to be a bit cold and I don't particularly like the plastic beds a lot of catteries use. So I want to go for things like soft beds

Plastic beds are hygienic, easy to clean etc, I use them in my pens for my foster cats, lined with vetbed or other fleecey type blankets. My family of 3 actually prefer to take the blankets out of their plastic bed and sleep in just the plastic lol! 

[rebalsi]

Hi

I totally agree about the care, hygiene being important and  those things would naturally be key to what the cattery offers. I also realise that people often want their cat to have things from home too and that would be fine too.The other ideas are things to make the cattery a bit different and special but the way I see it working is that people would pay a standard rate close to the local average and the other things would be optional extras.

A lot of the standard things would be of a higher standard than the regulations require. I have designed the cattery myself rather than using a manufacturer which has had the advantage that I can make the rooms larger than standard and I am also adding removable panels between each pen so each pen takes two cats but you can interconnect them for people with 3 or more cats. The pricing would work so that there is a reduced rate for any cats sharing a pen. I also want to include things like underfloor heating which is not usually found at catteries but it makes the heat in the sleeping area more even across the room. The exercise area is covered from the weather with a double layer polycarbonate which is a good quality material as it keeps out cold in winter and doesn't overheat in winter. Each unit has two windows so the cats can look inwards to the inner reception area and outwards to the exercise area from the sleeping area. The cats would get groomed, played with etc as standard. What I mean by extra grooming is the equivalent of what you would find in a dog grooming parlour like shampooing etc.

I haven't quite worked it out in detail but the standard menu would basically be the usual cat foods like Whiskas, Felix but it would include some of the more premium brands like Iams, Jameswellbeloved at no extra cost. The luxury menu would be more about foods such as fresh cooked fish, chicken, treats. I would cater for special diets too at no extra charge, for example if a cat had a specialist food but if the diet was a prescription diet for medical reasons, I would have to ask the owner to bring it and reduce the daily rate as it wouldn't be viable to buy in prescription diets. I think the main thing is that cats need to eat similarly to at home so I would let owners choose what they wanted to have off each of the menus.

The idea behind the decor is basically to make it homely with stimulating toys etc for the cats. The idea basically came about because my cats live indoors and sometimes I have found catteries to be a bit cold and I don't particularly like the plastic beds a lot of catteries use. So I want to go for things like soft beds and I thought it would be nice to add some personal touches, like a picture in each pen with slightly different decor in each pen although I won't charge for that as an extra in itself as most people seem to like the idea but not enough to pay a supplement for it.

Its great to have so much feedback, I think the webcams are something I will do but I might modify the idea slightly so that people get texted or emailed photos rather than a continuous webcam. I am going to look at collection and delivery but it is a bit more complex to organise. I just need to build the cattery now!

[Guest]

I think the main concerns for most informed owners using a cattery are A) hygene and B) security. My cats don't give a fig for the colour of the walls or fancy trimmings, although a blanket from home would help them settle.  Theming???  Webcam is a good idea... although how many of us would just spend our entire holiday staring at a laptop screen making sure pud was okay? 

Ooops missed this! See my previous post 

[Guest]

I've completed the survey  The webcam idea is an ace one and would definitely be a clincher for me.

I said yes to that but I do fear i would miss my holiday as I would be sat in front of a computer at the hotel crying for two weeks!
 

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I think the main concerns for most informed owners using a cattery are A) hygene and B) security. My cats don't give a fig for the colour of the walls or fancy trimmings, although a blanket from home would help them settle.  Theming???  Webcam is a good idea... although how many of us would just spend our entire holiday staring at a laptop screen making sure pud was okay? 

[snarf]

 web cam type option deff a good idea. would the premium menu be 'premium' catfood brands or do you see it as cooked/raw meats and fish?
although i dont think much of decor in general, i did once see photos from a cattery where theyd designed the pens as miniture living rooms with armchairs and a window to look out of which although irrelevant to the cat, i did like. cant for the life of me remember where i saw it though. they also had the option of shared pens so if you were booking in 6 cats theyd just go in a big one (with a settee!  ) which was cheaper than 6 individual pens and less stressful for the kits

[Tiggy's Mum]

I've completed the survey  The webcam idea is an ace one and would definitely be a clincher for me.