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Old 11-25-2007, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,905,126 times
Reputation: 3393

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My husband and I are planning to relocate to NH in the next couple of years. We are strongly considering the White Mountain area, nothern Grafton County or southern Coos County. We've been investigating townships in that area and think that's a perfect fit for us. We currently work in high-tech computing (him FT and me freelance) but we are sooo tired of that and would really only want to continue as a secondary income if necessary.

After a recent health issue with our cat, we've become very interested in starting our own home-based boarding cattery that offers premium, holistic boarding care for cats (and possibly dogs with cat families). I've done some internet research in NH and have noticed that the majority of boarding options are either only for dogs or have cramped containment cages for cats (with the exception of the Cats Pajamas in Littleton). Getting accurate pet statistics has been rather difficult, so I thought I'd post some questions here in hopes that you all can provide me with better info. We would appreciate any help you give us... hopefully we can make the move earlier and provide optimum service if we can get a great business plan together!

1. Do you have a cat in your household? Are there a large amount of cat parents in the area, or are dogs still the majority household pet?

2. If you have a cat, do you have more than one? Would you say that most cat households have more than one?

3. Does your household have both cats & dogs? Do most pet households have both dogs and cats?

4. Are the majority of cats indoor, outdoor, or both?

5. Do you, or anyone you know, have a cat with health problems (diabetes, arthritis, kidney issues)? Are you having a difficult time finding resources and boarding option for your special needs cat?

6. Do you, or anyone you know, not go on vacation or worry about being absent because they don't feel comfortable boarding their cat in "standard" kennels?

7. Would you, or a cat parent you know, be relieved/happy to board their cat(s) in a high-quality, loving cat hotel that emphasizes proper environment, nutrition, and activities for all cats and is capable of administering required medications and medical treatments (such as SubQ fluids) for a special needs cat?

8. Have you, or anyone you know, had a bad experience boarding your cat? If so, would you be comfortable giving me details?

9. Have you, or anyone you know, had a great experience boarding your cat? If so, would you be comfortable giving me details?

10. Do you know of a kennel/cattery that boards cat and is consistently overbooked or underbooked? Would a new premium facility be beneficial?

11. What services and factors do you consider most important when considering a caregiver for your cat? Would you travel farther to take your cat to an excellent facility that offered all or most of those? If so, how far would be willing to travel?

Thanks in advance for sharing your information, I'm sure it will help us provide the best care possible for the cats that come under our care. Please feel free to post any links or contact information for boarding kennels in the area, whether they be good or less than good.

Thanks,
Jennine
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Old 11-25-2007, 04:16 PM
 
Location: Back in NYS
2,489 posts, read 8,153,763 times
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Hello Missing - We have a dog and a cat and we use Littleton Pet Center and Kennel for our dog when we go away. We haven't gone for any lengthy periods and our cat is fine at home. We're very happy with the kennel for our dog - they've taken good care of her and when we take her there, there's never any anxiety evident in her at all. We were used to boarding our dog with our vet, so when we first used the kennel we were a little anxious about it and were very relieved to have such a great experience.

I've seen quite a few outdoor cats in the area and what are either indoor cats or indoor/outdoor cats. Ours is an indoor cat.

I hope you get more replies that will be more helpful to you! Our main concern is that our animals are "happy" and "relaxed" when they aren't with us and we've been lucky in that we've had no bad experiences......
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Old 11-25-2007, 07:50 PM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,894,319 times
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Hi Jennine
I can no longer have cats due to allergies, but once upon a time I was a vet tech and head of a multi-cat household. The animal hospitals that I've worked at all boarded dogs and cats, and my main issue with that is that boarders were in the same general area as sick or recovering pets. Originally I was concerned that dogs and cats were in the same area, but to be honest, after a day or two, cats really became very nonchalant about the whole affair. They were always kept in the top cages, and they loved looking down on all of us

I love the fact that you want to go holistic--hopefully you'll find that people are happy to have an alternative, especially if they have ever had a cat with vaccine-associated sarcoma, or other health issues. Will you accept titers instead of proof of vaccines? My dog has an auto-immune disorder, so we don't vaccinate except for rabies. We are unable to board in a traditional kennel, and rely on family or pet sitters. You might want to consider day-care as well as long/short term boarding?

One of the very best cat-boarding places I know of is at Muddy Creek Animal Hospital in Rowley MA. They have a regular cat boarding area: InTown Veterinary Group - Muddy Creek Animal Care Center - The Cat Tail Inn and elder/special needs: InTown Veterinary Group - Muddy Creek Animal Care Center - Notch Above the Nest.
As an animal hospital first, I believe the boarding is traditional and not holistic.

I'll try to answer some of your questions:
1) no cat, 1 dog (seems to be the majority)
2) n/a
3) we always had dogs as well as cats
4) indoor seems to finally be catching on
5) most people I know who has a cat with health issues would chose to board with a vet for obvious reasons. Most traditional kennels won't have the knowledge to deal with medical issues, administering insulin, etc
6) Nobody that I know of at this time, but I can see where this would be very true.
7) Absolutely!
8) n/a
9) n/a
10) I have no knowledge of boarding facilities in the area you're considering...
11) Experienced and knowledgeable staff. Not just the people at the front desk checking in the pets, but the people who will be doing the bulk of the work. Access to 24 emergency care. Ability for owner to "check in" via web cam!



Quote:
Originally Posted by MissingAll4Seasons View Post
1. Do you have a cat in your household? Are there a large amount of cat parents in the area, or are dogs still the majority household pet?

2. If you have a cat, do you have more than one? Would you say that most cat households have more than one?

3. Does your household have both cats & dogs? Do most pet households have both dogs and cats?

4. Are the majority of cats indoor, outdoor, or both?

5. Do you, or anyone you know, have a cat with health problems (diabetes, arthritis, kidney issues)? Are you having a difficult time finding resources and boarding option for your special needs cat?

6. Do you, or anyone you know, not go on vacation or worry about being absent because they don't feel comfortable boarding their cat in "standard" kennels?

7. Would you, or a cat parent you know, be relieved/happy to board their cat(s) in a high-quality, loving cat hotel that emphasizes proper environment, nutrition, and activities for all cats and is capable of administering required medications and medical treatments (such as SubQ fluids) for a special needs cat?

8. Have you, or anyone you know, had a bad experience boarding your cat? If so, would you be comfortable giving me details?

9. Have you, or anyone you know, had a great experience boarding your cat? If so, would you be comfortable giving me details?

10. Do you know of a kennel/cattery that boards cat and is consistently overbooked or underbooked? Would a new premium facility be beneficial?

11. What services and factors do you consider most important when considering a caregiver for your cat? Would you travel farther to take your cat to an excellent facility that offered all or most of those? If so, how far would be willing to travel?

Thanks in advance for sharing your information, I'm sure it will help us provide the best care possible for the cats that come under our care. Please feel free to post any links or contact information for boarding kennels in the area, whether they be good or less than good.

Thanks,
Jennine
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Old 11-25-2007, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,905,126 times
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Thanks Windchime and Valerie!

Valerie - it seems that there is a general lack of boarding options for special needs pets other than at the vets, which is sad really. Do you feel that people would consider boarding at a facility that was equipped and trained montior special needs animals and to administer maintenance medications as ordered/as necessary?

Because of obvious issues with vaccinations, I believe I would accept a letter of good health, or vaccination excuse, from their primary vet; but, at least for cats, I might have to stipulate "indoor only" for that exception.

I definitely want to have critter cams in each suite and play areas
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Old 11-25-2007, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,894,319 times
Reputation: 4626
It is sad, because many of these issues are maintenance, and a tech does the majority of the work necessary (running labs, subQ fluids, calculating insulin, etc). I'd bet there *could* be a market for this, as a very good alternative to boarding at the vets (with the possibility of being in the same area as sick pets). Would love to hear more about this as it gets closer to reality!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MissingAll4Seasons View Post
Thanks Windchime and Valerie!

Valerie - it seems that there is a general lack of boarding options for special needs pets other than at the vets, which is sad really. Do you feel that people would consider boarding at a facility that was equipped and trained montior special needs animals and to administer maintenance medications as ordered/as necessary?

Because of obvious issues with vaccinations, I believe I would accept a letter of good health, or vaccination excuse, from their primary vet; but, at least for cats, I might have to stipulate "indoor only" for that exception.

I definitely want to have critter cams in each suite and play areas
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Old 11-26-2007, 09:33 AM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,540,014 times
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Missing AFS -

Sounds like an interesting business. I wonder how it could be affordable considering the labor-intensive nature of the care. We have had only three cats in the last 40 or so years. I think one of them died of kidney failure due to food poisoning. We still miss her.

Given the population of coyotes, bobcats and free roaming domestic dogs, I would highly recommend keeping cats indoors. As you are considering the North Country add bears to the preditor list.
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Old 11-26-2007, 10:34 AM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,894,319 times
Reputation: 4626
Add fisher cats to the list...
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Old 11-26-2007, 03:21 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,905,126 times
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Greg, I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is becoming more and more common with tainted foods and household chemical ingestion. It can happen to indoor pets, but at least one would hope that they aren't being intentionally or accidentally poisoned by neighbors like outdoor cats can be. The risk of predation and car accidents has always scared me enough to keep my kitties indoor, even when I lived in the country. One of my kitties got outside when my mother was watching her and she was never seen again
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Old 11-26-2007, 10:08 PM
 
639 posts, read 3,518,925 times
Reputation: 539
I'll answer your questions the best I can for you...

1. Yes, Two cats. A 15 year old gray persian that's an indoor cat and a 17 year old 1/2 siamese that's an indoor/garage lady! Several of my neighbors have 1 and 2 cats. Others have dogs and some have the same dog sitter a couple of times a week walking their dogs while they're at work.

2. I'll always have at least 2 cats in my home, especially after having these two all these years.

3. Just the cats. Most households that I know of have either or. My sister is an exception, she has 2 cats and 2 dogs, that's rare though.

4. Are the majority of cats indoor, outdoor, or both, I would say INDOOR.

5. My 2 cats now have arthritis. My persian meows in the middle of the night out in the family room some times and I know it's due to the pain she's in. I turn the heat up earlier in the morning just for her and she goes right back to sleep. She cuddles up on the back of the couch out there because the heat comes up from the floor vent right there. My friend in SC has 2 cats and one of them has health issues like you wouldn't believe AND they're both from the same mother that my 1/2 siamese is from, I don't get it. Mine are fine as far as their appetites, they're still frisky at their ages and now of course they sleep more, but they still race around the house at least once a day even with their arthritis. No, I don't board mine. We don't leave that long, the longest we have left them is 3 days. My sister comes over to make sure they're alright and they're fine. They love our windows out in the family room and as long as the shades are up in a few of the windows out there they're as happy as a lark.
6. I'm fortunate that my mother is in her 80's and hates to leave these two cats for very long. She won't travel but I'm always going some where. If anything happens to my mother down the road, I'd have to start boarding them and at their age I'm not looking forward to it because they rule the roost right now after all these years with us!

7. YES, down the road, I wouldn't hesitate as long as it was set up like this particular idea here.

8. Sorry, no we never had to consider boarding ours at all.

9. My friend in SC used a boarder once and loved it, her cats were just fine and very calm when she picked them up, they didn't want to leave in fact, that's what she got a kick out of!!!!!

10. No, there aren't too many on the seacoast that I know of.

11. I use the Vet Hospital in Exeter, they're OUT of this world good with animals. I absolutely love the way they are with God's creatures! In all my years on this earth I never saw any place quite like this wonderful facility. They saved my sisters cat and ever since then my mother and I have been bringing our cats to them and we won't go any where else. They're terrific with animals and they're not on this planet to rip any one off. They're genuinely fair, trusting and upfront with their services and care they provide. If I ever moved further from this area, and if these two cats we have are still with us, I'd drive up to this facility in a heart beat, that's how fantastic they are with them, an hours drive would be no problem for me.

Jennine, Good luck with your future plans, it sounds like a great idea. If you ever get the chance go to the SPCA in Stratham, NH to give you an idea of how they have it set up. It's a fairly new complex, well a few years old now, but it's just wonderful for animals, you have to see how they have it set up for cats, it's GREAT for them!
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Old 11-26-2007, 10:54 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,905,126 times
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CityGirl - thanks for sharing! I'll definitely look into the Exeter Vet Hospital and the Stratham SPCA.
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