What Is Classed As A Cattery?
There are two types of cattery used for different purposes:
- Boarding cattery – these catteries are designed to board cats while not at home. Owners may use a cattery if they are travelling abroad, having renovation works completed at home, or if they are between house moves. Catteries provide a safe, warm and hygienic space for cats away from home. All cats in catteries can expect to have their five freedoms met – to be housed in a suitable environment, to eat a suitable diet, to have the space and objects required for normal behaviours, to be housed with/apart from other animals and to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
- Breeding cattery – some catteries may be built to breed cats before they are then sold to owners.
Since The Grange Retreat is a boarding cattery, we will be looking at the first type of cattery in this article.
Why Use A Cattery?
As explained above there are a variety of reasons why a person may need care for their cat and it may not simply be because they will not be home. However, the majority of the time catteries are considered when owners leave the house as an alternative to leaving enough food and water at home in case of a short stay away or asking a neighbour to check in on a pet at regular intervals.
Booking a stay in a cattery may be the best option for a number of reasons. The first is that if a neighbour checks in on your cat, your cat may hide or simply be out gallivanting, knowing that your cat is safe in a secured area will avoid the potentially panic stricken phone calls if your cat decides to go AWOL for a while! Booking a cattery also means that your cat will get far more attention than they would at home alone and we all know how much some cats love a fuss. Choosing a professional to care for your cat means you have reassurance of security, safety and care.
How To Choose The Best Cattery For You and Your Cat
In the UK all catteries should be licensed; the licence should be on public display and the number of the licence should appear on the company website, do check to ensure that you are using a licensed facility as a license means that animal care regulations have been met.
Before agreeing to board in any cattery we always recommend viewing the facilities, that way you have a chance to assess whether the premises are suitably clean, light and spacious. It also gives you a chance to meet the team that would be caring for your pet. A viewing is a great chance to ask any questions you have about care and welfare as well. Seeing a few catteries will give you a good chance to compare.
What Is A Typical Cattery Price?
The cost of boarding at a cattery in the UK can vary dramatically. There are some obvious differences between the charging structures of catteries.
- Some catteries charge per suite, others charge per cat.
- Catteries may charge by the night, while others charge by the day.
- Some catteries simply offer more and this may of course be reflected in prices. If you expect your cat to have a lot of interaction and stimulation during their time away of course prices will have to be increased to accommodate this as more staff will be needed.
- Location may also affect price, rural locations may be cheaper due to being less accessible, but there are some great benefits of boarding at a rural cattery, such as increased wildlife for your cat to watch and enjoy and reduced noise affecting their peaceful slumber.
It is always worth looking into the price, but perhaps more importantly you may want to look into exactly what services a cattery offers and is charging for.
For more information about The Grange Retreat Cattery services and prices, check out our cattery page.