Years ago I had to find a cattery urgently for my 3 cats and, (with the benefit of hindsight and a few more years' experience under my belt), I now know I didn't check it out enough beforehand. I'm convinced they picked up quite a serious infection there, and I eventually lost all 3 because of it. It closed down/was closed down not long afterwards.
Fast forward a few years, (of avoiding catteries at all costs), and with great trepidation, I found an absolutely fantastic small local independent cattery. Run by a true cat lover, and with excellent hygiene standards. We tried our boy for very short weekend stays, and built him up to longer. Unfortunately he would never settle, stayed stressed, very noisy and lost weight each time. This was despite the cattery's very best efforts, I hasten to add. All the other guests seemed perfectly content.
The reasons?
Being in close proximity to other cats, (likes dogs, doesn't like other cats)
Limited human company, (he's a people person. The cattery owner said he was fine whenever staff were with him, but they couldn't be with him all the time, obviously!)
Past experiences, (he thought he was being abandoned again).
For various reasons we can't have a pet sitter, so our solution since has been to take him on holiday with us! We stay in the UK in a pet-friendly holiday cottage. Usually he's the only cat they've ever had - always dogs, once a parrot! Apart from the car journey the first couple of times, he now absolutely loves it. The car is a bit more packed with scratching pole, litter tray, bed and bowls etc however - not much room for us humans and our stuff! As soon as he's been fed, had a scratch, a wee, and a thorough sniff/zoom around he's settled in.
I know this wouldn't suit many cats, but it suits him. He just wants to be where his family are, I think - we've been a long time coming, poor chap. His other joy is watching seagulls and horses from his new vantage points! It is a bit of a hassle in some ways to be perfectly frank, but on balance it works for us.