Hopefully, you can answer to your question below, or find further information
on it at least. If not, then we are happy to help - please just click
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Please click on the links below to expand and collapse the questions/answers.
Cats can share a run, so long as they get on
and obviously they need to be same "family" members, we also need to
have a sharing run available. However, if we feel one of the cats is being
"bullied", we may then separate them accordingly, for animal welfare/husbandry reasons.
09:00-10:00 & 17:00-18:00, closed Sundays,
Christmas Eve & Bank Holidays for arrivals and departures.
We hope you appreciate that looking after your cat is a 24/7 commitment,
so after our opening hours we like to keep the majority of Sundays and
Bank Holidays for our family, as otherwise we are open to the public all year round.
Sure thing, we would recommend you come and visit
and make sure you're happy with us and our facilities, but you don't have to
and not everyone does, or either has the time, particularly for last minute
bookings, when available time beforehand can be limited.
Your cat is in good hands and will be cared
for very well. To help you, we can place a photo on our
cat gallery
if you like, so long as your cat has had time enough to relax and have it done.
For longer stays, it is possible to arrange streaming video of your cats for a period
of time, if you can get to a suitable broadband connection whilst you're away,
please see Keeping in Touch for details.
It is true to say that cats can take time to settle in, this is not uncommon
and it can range from virtually no time at all, to several days. Also in terms
of cat personalities, you get both ends of the spectrum in terms of either "fighting
their corner", or simply being more accepting of the situation, sometimes
a mixture. We have cats who never let their guard down and yet have been
coming here prior to us being here in 2004, but in actuality they're happy
enough, it is just how they deal with the situation before them and then
there's those cats that do just settle in and get on with it, we have
dealt and will deal with them all.
If your cat is on daily medication, we are
happy to administer this medication - this includes insulin injections,
so long as your cat is reasonably happy to receive it/them. However, we
reserve the right to apply a small fee for administering medications that are,
or prove to be either very time consuming and/or by their very nature
are difficult to administer. The nature of any medication needs to be
discussed at the time of the booking. However please ensure that your
cat does not require ongoing medical supervision and should not actually
be boarded at your veterinary surgeons.
Other medications we have
regularly administered include, but are not limited to, Felimazole
tablets, given to control hyperthyroidism, Metacam to provide pain
relief, Fortekor for kidney disease.
Bringing the diet your cat is completely
happy with is fine with us, we can also supplement and/or augment yours too,
as in our experience they can change their dietary "likes" sometimes whilst here.
We get heavily booked over peak periods, so it
is advisable to try to book as far in advance as you're able to, especially
if you plan to go away during the peak holiday periods. We can accommodate
changes to bookings in line with our T & C's.
The more in advance any changes are, generally, the easier they can be facilitated
- we do also try to accommodate last-minute bookings wherever possible.
No, not really, if the cats are old enough to be
owned/innoculated, then they're old enough to stay with us! Getting cats
used to staying away when they're young makes it a lot easier in the years
to come too - kittens adapt really quickly actually. Conversely, we have
had cats stay as old as 22 yrs - although they tend to not go outside very
much and more often have an internal only run, kittens often likewise.
We cater for most diets, however we can't cater
for absolutely everything, let us know your requirements if obscure and
we can talk it through. Please also see Q.7.
Firstly, all licensed catteries have to
comply with the annual licensing/animal husbandry requirements. Secondly,
particularly in surroundings cats are not fully used to, almost without
exception, cats will tend to find a small corner to "adopt" - if it were
a strange house instead of a boarding cattery, they would probably be
located under a bed or a sofa! In any case cats sleep around 16 hours
a day and so usually just curl up, particularly if unsure of their
position. We feel that satisfying yourself with the
people and the cats environment is
probably more relevant as is security, as distinct from petsitters or
neighbours, who with the best will in the world, may not see the cat(s)
for days at a time if they have outside access, as the cat may be
outside on its' own vacation for extended periods of time.
We are very used to cats of all ages. We
would however advocate older cats have an internal only run, as some with
failing sight, hearing and weaker back legs can find it difficult to get
back inside. Many older cats merely only move to eat, use the facilities
and then return to their bed - great life ain't it!?!
Kittens and younger cats are usually very quick
to adapt to the environment here. Some older cats that have never been to a
cattery may take a little longer and we do our best to help them settle in,
but time to adjust is what is really needed here. Some cats will almost
always keep themeselves to themselves, this is fine, as we always
take our queue from them, you have to! We have many cats who stem from
rescue homes, despite understandable concerns
from owners, about returning their cats to captivity, actually these cats
are very often some of the first to realise that they're actually in a
caring, safe and sound environment, maybe they remember being caged,
well fed and looked after, rather than some of their prior
experiences of abuse. However your cat reacts, it is the surety of
them still being around on you returning from your holiday
which is the bottom line of what you're really buying into with a
boarding cattery such as Cats Country Club.
Certainly, although apart from kittens,
when not actively being played with, grown cats don't really ever
seem to make much use of them whilst here, see Q.11. Some sleeping
materials not freshly laundered and so smelling of
home though, is well worth thinking about bringing however. We
don't provide cat bedding as the norm.
Probably 60% maybe more cats that come here
have been through a re-homing exercise, or have been abused and so re-homed
at some stage. Funnily enough, they're usually the cats that relax quite
quickly - we believe it's because they actually feel quite secure in
a caged/cattery environment - and that they quite literally view it
as being home from "a home" that they once had - caring, safe, warm, fed and no abuse.
Many of the answers in this faq part
address this question, however most cats, particularly if not used to
going to a cattery, tend not to move around very much and just find and
nestle into a corner and this tends to be exacerbated for short stays -
where time to settle is limited. Slightly nervous cats observe and take stock in a way
that only cats can and that cat owners are only really equipped to
imagine..!! Many cats don't eat much for 48 hours, sometimes less,
sometimes more, also, as before, short stays tend to precipitate
this kind of behaviour, as they're just not really sure what's going
on. The general proximity to numerous other cats sounds, smells and
visually may well be unsettling too to start with, rather like taking
a cat to the vet - where they just stay still in their carriers
and "observe". However it is true to say that many also seem to
enjoy "Cat Watch". Youngers cats, particularly those that have been
used to catteries from an early age however, are generally very
versatile and all cats ultimately manage and adapt just fine, it's
just level and degree. Sometimes a cat will ignore its' owner on
their return, or even go outside and be reluctant to return to the
carrier box, by no means is this abnormal, neither will it happen
every time. It may take a while for your cats' behaviour to return
to normal once home again, as it is by then back in another almost
alien/different sounding, smelling environment. It may well be that
your cat fusses you once back home and makes a point of sitting on your
lap and seeks re-assurance and then purrs more loudly than you are
able to previously remember it ever having done before - all these
things can happen and they are typical behaviours - they aren't bad news! :)
Yes - Cats Country Club will administer
insulin injections provided that your cat's levels are under control
and have done for many cats over the years.
However, Cats Country Club takes no responsibility for health issues
arising from insulin injections. We will however ensure your cat sees a
vet immediately, in the unlikley event that it shows signs of being unwell.
Whilst your cat(s) are at our boarding cattery,
they are covered for veterinary care, the details of which can be found under
the section Important Information, here.
Also, all cats are checked daily, paying attention to appetite, amount
of water that is drunk, toilet habits and general behaviour, this allows
us to assess situatons/trends quickly and take any appropriate action necessary.
Therefore, if you have any specific medical concerns or history
relating to your cat(s), it is important that you tell us about it, so
that we can note it on your cat(s) booking record accordingly.
Our chalets are cleaned, disinfected and
sprayed with a feline friendly virucide prior to your cats arrival and
then freshened daily. Litter trays are cleaned morning and evening and/or
as soon as they become soiled if we in the cattery at the time.
Cat behaviour varies, but before they even
get home, we have seen it all! Sometimes a cat will not want to be put
back in its' carrier and will hide/cower at the back of the chalet,
but not necessarily always. This however is not because it doesn't want
to see you or 'has the hump', neither is it because it has had an
absolutely brilliant time here, although clearly it will have had!! It
is because they can be aware that cat-carriers equate to change and this may well
mean 'the Vets', which usually equates to sharp and or memorable things
being done to them!! Of course, they may also not like the travelling
experience, which is also understandable. Once they are home, we have had
reports of cat's typically just giving you more of a range of given
behaviour patterns, but also, after a few moments, they may not
necessarily be any different from normal:
Overly affectionate
Totally ignoring you
Not eating at all
Eating like there is no tomorrow
Being totally as normal as though nothing has happened
Eventually however, normality will be resumed, so there is no real
cause for concern, try and enjoy the moment, as it won't last long!
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