Can I see my cat whilst I’m away?
** Cameras are currently NOT functioning due to static IP issues, (we are sorry for this)

Here at Broadlands Cattery, several of our Chalets have “CatCams” in them.

These allow owners to see their animals 24 hours a day for their entire stay. This gives many owners peace of mind that their cat is being cared for and gives them a “connection” with the cat whilst they are either away on holiday or business.

The Camera chalets need booking in advance as they are popular. The images are streamed to an App which we give you details for on your arrival. The camera is password protected and only you and ourselves can view the cameras. When you return from holiday, and collect your cat then camera password is reset and you will no longer be able to view the chalet.

There is a small extra charge for this facility.

If people choose not to have a camera, when we are not too busy we are also able to take a photo or video of your cat and send it to you by email or WeTransfer. If we are extremely busy in the Cattery we will have to limit the amount this is done as we would rather be caring for the cats than filming them.

Can I bring my own Cats food and treats?

When we take a booking from an owner, we ask many questions and one of them is what you cat eats at home. We try and keep the cat on a food that it is normally on as this lessens stress to the cats and reduces the chances of tummy upsets. If your cat is on a food that we don’t have, then we feed the nearest alternative to it. With there being so many brands of food along with flavours and veterinary versions, it would be impossible to keep up with all food types.

We are more than happy for people to bring in food for their cats, which will only be fed to your cat but we regret that we are unable to offer a discount to people doing this as it gets very complicated at feed times. We are also not able to supply Veterinary diets, but if your cat requires such a diet, we will feed as per the instructions. We are also happy to feed raw diets and have cold and freezer facilities for the food.

Treats can also be fed to you cats at your request, or placed in treat toys or puzzle toys in their runs.

Can I bring my own Cats Bedding and toys?

Yes of course, we positively encourage this. Not only is it a familiar smell to the cat but it will help them settle in far more quickly. If however, you forget it or don’t wish to bring any in, that’s also fine as we have plenty of cleaned laundered and disinfected bedding and toys for the cat to have in their chalet.

What we would say is don’t put the bedding in the cat carrier, when you travel your cat in to us as if they vomit, or mess in the carrier, we would obviously clean the bedding for you, but then it defeats the object as it will then smell of our wash powder and disinfectant and not those lovely homely smells.

We cannot guarantee the bedding and toys don’t get damaged whilst they are in here, and certainly we are afraid that we have turned occasionally turned around and stood on a small ball and squashed it. So for these reasons, don’t pack your best jumper for the cat to sleep on.

One tip we recommend is, if your cat is boarding for the first time and they don’t like the gorgeous bed that you bought for them at home, still bring the bed in, as in a more confined place they may well start to use it, but we suggest you either bring in a t-shirt or sweatshirt that the cat’s favourite person has been wearing for a few days, or failing that, sleep with an old towel in your bed for a few days and bring that in separately in a carrier bag. We will then put that in the cat bed and its immediately home from home.

Will my cat be exercised or taken out?

Whilst you cat is here at Broadlands Cattery on holiday, they have a large chalet and run where they can move around all they wish.

We appreciate that many cats whilst in their home environment, go out all day and travel some distances before returning in the evening and staying in a smaller are seems harsh. We have found that very few cats object to being in a smaller are for a period of time, and even those that have stayed for extended periods of over a year, have remained active and healthy as we play with them and do activities with them to stimulate exercise.

We also can’t take any cats out on their owners cat harness’ as firstly the risk of escape is way too high, and also we cannot let them roam up and down the passageway as not only can they “talk” to other cats, and possibly pass or contract disease, but we would then have to disinfect the passageway.

I see some Catteries advertise Penthouse Suites, why don’t you have them?

The most important thing in an animal boarding establishment is the health of the boarders. There is no difference in our Cattery. Every time a cat leaves its chalet, the whole chalet, including contents are scrubbed from top to bottom with medical grade disinfectant and rinsed and dried. No other animal goes into the chalet until your cats arrives, to minimise cross contamination. The same goes for bedding and blankets. If a cat requires more bedding whilst staying, we put in cleanly laundered blankets, bedding, or toys. This ensures that no bacteria, diseases or unwanted friends are passed from one cat to another.

Whilst the idea of carpet, a sofa, armchairs and TV’s in a Penthouse unit sounds like home from home, It is simply totally impossible to disinfect these items to ensure nothing is passed onto the next guests, so for this reason, we do not place such items in a chalet. However, there is nothing stopping you from bringing home comforts in with your cat, and in fact, we absolutely encourage it. If the item fits in the chalet or run, leaving us room to clean and work around then you are welcome to bring it in.

How do I know if my cat will be happy there?

Having been running the Cattery since spring 2002, we can happily say that we leave no stone unturned in making sure that your cat is comfortable, warm, happy and relaxed in the environment.

We encourage owners to bring in home comforts, including blankets, beds, scratch posts, treats and toys to make it a home from home experience.

For an owners added reassurance, several of the chalets have CCTV “CatCams” in them so that if you are concerned, you can watch your cat from your Smart phone 24/7 for a small extra cost.

Reading the list of Recommendation’s and Reviews on Google, Yellow Pages and Facebook should also give you some idea as to what other people thought of their Cat’s stay.

My Cat has medical needs, can you board him/her

We work very closely with our local vets and provide boarding for cats not only post op but also care for injured and sick cats that need special attention that the owners are not able to provide, but are not necessarily required for the cat to be in at the vets.

David, Jill and Maggie are all trained by the vets to be able to inject diabetic cats that board with us. Again, we work alongside the vets if any changes to medication are needed whilst the owner is on holiday and permission is sought from the owner prior to their departure.

Do you board rabbits or birds?

Yes, we have a purpose built 2 storey hutch with adjoining run that can be used for rabbits and guinea pigs and they can also be separated from each other if more than one is in at a time. The whole rabbit area is inside of the Cattery so there is no chance of escape or outside animals getting to your pets.

The run and hutches are filled by us with animal friendly toys and treats whilst they stay. Grooming is provided free of charge.

We also have boarded many pet house birds over the years and they also get the same luxury accommodation as our cats do.

I have a dog too, will you board him/her

Regrettably the answer is no. There are several Kennels in the area when dogs can be boarded, but Broadlands Cattery is a Cats Only establishment. We have found that even though many cats co-reside with dogs at home, many become incredibly stressed hearing dogs barking in the vicinity and for this reason, we have decided to not board dogs here.

Many of our customers choose to leave their cats with us and actually take their dogs to a separate kennels for this reason.