Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think you are being overly sensitive..... sounds like the business is taking off and you are doing well.
As for myself -I don't/wouldn't board my cats. I did board them once at their vet - they seemed a little of of sorts when they came home. My cats are used to run of the house and even though the "cat condos" at the vet were large - they were still cages.
My opinion is that cats are pretty sensitive and mine seem to really dislike changes (like even moving furniture) and disruptions to their schedules.
And yes, it's a lot cheaper to pay a sitter to drop in once a day vs. boarding.....
I guess because all but one of my cats was a rescue from the streets, they are well open to a new cat coming into the home. They too have the run of the house, and are rarely let outside and only under supervision. I'd never board any of them, but then we have built-in cat sitters called "sons"
I am a pet-sitter and love taking care of both cats and dogs (and birds). I've found my cat owners have never asked me to board their kitties in my home...they all want me care for the cats in their own homes--which I'm happy to do.
Cats are territorial and many find a change in living conditions traumatic and upsetting. They often hide, they can have accidents, they often do their best to sneak outside and return to their own homes...for these reasons, I find it best, as do their owners, to care for cats in their own home habitats.
Dogs, however, are very adaptable and though they may eat lightly for the first 24 hours, soon adapt quite happily into our home and love getting our undivided attention, play time in our yard and frequent walks..not to mention our soft beds and couches....
I am a pet-sitter and love taking care of both cats and dogs (and birds). I've found my cat owners have never asked me to board their kitties in my home...they all want me care for the cats in their own homes--which I'm happy to do.
Cats are territorial and many find a change in living conditions traumatic and upsetting. They often hide, they can have accidents, they often do their best to sneak outside and return to their own homes...for these reasons, I find it best, as do their owners, to care for cats in their own home habitats.
Dogs, however, are very adaptable and though they may eat lightly for the first 24 hours, soon adapt quite happily into our home and love getting our undivided attention, play time in our yard and frequent walks..not to mention our soft beds and couches....
Yep, this is why I wouldn't board my cats away from home unless I had no other choice. I have one cat who adapts pretty well to a complete change in the environment, but the other one does not and it would be extremely stressful for him. Car ride, new place, owner gone, different smells, different people, maybe other animals. It's a lot all at once for creatures of habit. There's no reason to put them through the stress of completely shaking up their lives if I can just have someone come over.
I used boarding at the vet once.... when I got home to get her and her dog sister out, they asked me to come back and get her out of the cage. It had soft things and toys and all sorts of comfy things, but when they came close she holed up in the corner and hissed at them. They wisely chose not to try to pick her up. I had to reach in and retrieve her. The next time I gave the neighbor some money to watch she and the dog who just needed walking.
I'm guessing if I'd had my cat at someone else's place she'd have holed up in a corner and done her hissyfit like at the vet.
I think it's because overall cats prefer staying in their own home (territory); whereas dogs are always willing to go "bye bye" (just pick up the car keys, they're at your side).
Yep, this is why I wouldn't board my cats away from home unless I had no other choice. I have one cat who adapts pretty well to a complete change in the environment, but the other one does not and it would be extremely stressful for him. Car ride, new place, owner gone, different smells, different people, maybe other animals. It's a lot all at once for creatures of habit. There's no reason to put them through the stress of completely shaking up their lives if I can just have someone come over.
Although I will say if I just had the one cat who is really, and I mean REALLY laid back, I would have no problem boarding. He is totally fine in car rides, at the vet, etc. He absolutely loves meeting people and likes dogs (not other cats though) and he is just a very "hardy" animal when it comes to new places and things. I think he would actually be a really good therapy cat since he immediately warms up to strangers even outside of his home environment. But as I said, the other one, no way. He is very shy towards strangers, hates being outside his comfort zone, and gets very anxious at any change in the routine. I think that speaks a lot to the wide spectrum of personalities cats have.
Yes, I was frustrated earlier and I'm sorry for letting it bleed over into my response.
The question I was asking is NOT from (or for) the perspective of the cat owner, but one as a service provider.
Most people here are taking on the perspective of a cat owner, which is fine, but not what I'm asking for. I understand that most people will not (and should not) board cats. As I said earlier, I've only boarded my cat twice about 10 years ago and it was horrible for him (and us!).
That said, I understand as a professional animal caregiver that not all cat owners think like me, and not all cats are like mine. I also understand that cats, generally, don't do well out of their home environment... so what I'm doing is taking all of this into consideration and I'm entering (perhaps even creating) a niched market of cat boarding (and to be clear.... cat boarding isn't new and isn't going away) where a cat doesn't have to be in a cage and doesn't have to be in a facility.
Also, maybe I need to make it clear to everyone here that it's NOT my intention to convince cat owners to board their cat with me over leaving the cat at home... if that were the case that would mean I really don't care about the welfare of the cat!
No, I'm just trying to give those that would board their cat anyway the option to do so in some place that is more like home.
My husband just got us a new client... for a reason I hadn't thought of: cat allergies. A woman he knows from work is having guests over, but the guest is allergic to cats so she needs to board hers for the duration of visit... just something else I hadn't thought of but probably ought to be added to my website.
Thanks everyone for your imput. Still hasn't answered my question, but even that's telling for me...
Yes, I was frustrated earlier and I'm sorry for letting it bleed over into my response.
The question I was asking is NOT from (or for) the perspective of the cat owner, but one as a service provider.
Most people here are taking on the perspective of a cat owner, which is fine, but not what I'm asking for. I understand that most people will not (and should not) board cats. As I said earlier, I've only boarded my cat twice about 10 years ago and it was horrible for him (and us!).
That said, I understand as a professional animal caregiver that not all cat owners think like me, and not all cats are like mine. I also understand that cats, generally, don't do well out of their home environment... so what I'm doing is taking all of this into consideration and I'm entering (perhaps even creating) a niched market of cat boarding (and to be clear.... cat boarding isn't new and isn't going away) where a cat doesn't have to be in a cage and doesn't have to be in a facility.
Also, maybe I need to make it clear to everyone here that it's NOT my intention to convince cat owners to board their cat with me over leaving the cat at home... if that were the case that would mean I really don't care about the welfare of the cat!
No, I'm just trying to give those that would board their cat anyway the option to do so in some place that is more like home.
My husband just got us a new client... for a reason I hadn't thought of: cat allergies. A woman he knows from work is having guests over, but the guest is allergic to cats so she needs to board hers for the duration of visit... just something else I hadn't thought of but probably ought to be added to my website.
Thanks everyone for your imput. Still hasn't answered my question, but even that's telling for me...
It seems to me that perhaps you've already answered your own question. The lack of cat boarding services may be due to the supply and demand equation. If there isn't as large of a demand for that service, there will be fewer examples of that service available. Dogs are more adaptable to a boarding situation than most cats probably are, so more dog owners tend to use a service like that more often.
I thinks it's a good thing that you're doing in providing a home-like atmosphere for cat boarding. Just because the volume of clients may not be there, I hope you continue to offer that service for those that really need it if & when it becomes necessary.
Yes, I was frustrated earlier and I'm sorry for letting it bleed over into my response.
The question I was asking is NOT from (or for) the perspective of the cat owner, but one as a service provider.
Most people here are taking on the perspective of a cat owner, which is fine, but not what I'm asking for. I understand that most people will not (and should not) board cats. As I said earlier, I've only boarded my cat twice about 10 years ago and it was horrible for him (and us!).
That said, I understand as a professional animal caregiver that not all cat owners think like me, and not all cats are like mine. I also understand that cats, generally, don't do well out of their home environment... so what I'm doing is taking all of this into consideration and I'm entering (perhaps even creating) a niched market of cat boarding (and to be clear.... cat boarding isn't new and isn't going away) where a cat doesn't have to be in a cage and doesn't have to be in a facility.
Also, maybe I need to make it clear to everyone here that it's NOT my intention to convince cat owners to board their cat with me over leaving the cat at home... if that were the case that would mean I really don't care about the welfare of the cat!
No, I'm just trying to give those that would board their cat anyway the option to do so in some place that is more like home.
My husband just got us a new client... for a reason I hadn't thought of: cat allergies. A woman he knows from work is having guests over, but the guest is allergic to cats so she needs to board hers for the duration of visit... just something else I hadn't thought of but probably ought to be added to my website.
Thanks everyone for your imput. Still hasn't answered my question, but even that's telling for me...
I do understand the info you're looking for, and frankly you are getting it from the customer side -- which every business owner of any kind must listen to in order to judge what is a great business desired by the masses v. a business which, in large part, is not craved and therefore not viable in all places. Perhaps in your location you have remarkably found a niche, a service desired. That's great! But for many considering opening a cattery, customers have spoken, and the decision made was "no".
From a professional side, in general, someone considering opening his/her home to pet boarding realizes that a dog kennel requires less than a cattery -- you've already explained the immense amount of work and money and products that have gone into converting your home for cat boarding. So, one must truly consider customer demand and profitability to decide if opening a cattery is worth it.
As a customer, my threshold for how much I would spend to board my dog and how much I'd spend to board my cat are vastly two different things since my dog requires attention more often than does my cat. If I was considering opening a cattery, I'd take this into account -- how much would a customer be willing to spend, how often would I have repeat customers (a business's life blood), would the business develop and grow or stagnate?
As a customer I'm more willing to board my dog because he is more emotionally adaptable than my cat. Certainly even the best kennels can be stressful for dogs, but most figure out a way to manage. However, even the most loving, caring, and physically wonderful cattery cannot eliminate trauma and stress in a boarded cat throughout its stay, and so I'd rather keep the cat at home with a friend, neighbor, or petsitter coming in to care for him. From a professional point of view, a kennel full of mostly-social dogs v. a cattery of mostly-unsocial cats is not a business I'd care to engage in because, as customers have said, cats are less adaptable.
Lastly, from a professional perspective, and even though I absolutely adore cats, I would much rather clean up dog poop in my backyard or a few mistakes on my floor than to cover a room with pee pads and constantly be washing walls and floors (which without expensive enzymatic products would be a waste of time since cat urine is definitely more permanent than dog pee.)
So, from a virtual professional opinion, a cattery is too expensive, too much time-consuming work, and in general not so in demand that it would be profitable. Does that answer your question?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
