To start my own cattery

[CatteryMe]

I bought a house last year and it came with a purpose built cattery down the far end of the garden. The previous owners used to run a successful cattery business but were retiring and they wanted to downsize, hence why they sold. The business was affected by COVID because people weren't going on holiday and had no need for a cattery to look after their cats. When they sold the house, the business side was disbanded and so it wasn't sold as an ongoing concern.

I've lived here 18 months now. The cattery needs some repairs. The boiler broke and there's currently no heating. The ceilings also need a little repair work where there was a leak and the kitchen area could probably be updated. But other than that, there are seven rooms for cats, each with their own radiator and window.

I've started teaching this year and due to finish my training in July but I don't think teaching is for me. I'm seriously considering opening the place back up as a cattery (once repairs are sorted) and starting up a business.

I've owned cats in the past and currently own a dog. Would I be silly to consider this as a possible job/income stream? I've researched my local area and there are about 3 established catteries in the area but they are quite full most of the time so there would be interest I'm sure. Not sure where I'm going with this but I hope someone who has ventured on their own could give me some advice and things to think about.

I have enough money to get the building repaired and established initially.

Thanks in advance.

Yes of course, why not?! Go for it, and good luck!

Good, caring catteries are in short supply so I'd definitely go for it!!

I think you need to do a feline first aid course now, find out about insurance costs and licensing requirements from the council.

Also find out what the going rate is for boarding a cat is locally where you are, get some idea of your overheads, and see what sort of occupancy you're going to need to make a profit.

You'll never be able to take a holiday in the Summer, Christmas or Easter.

@JobMatch3000 of course OP can, just not take bookings for the duration of her holiday, if she is a teacher, she will need to travel in school hols and accept the loss of cattery income.

I would speak to the council first. They have a department who come round and inspect before you can have your licence. Rules etc change..like size of pens etc..have a chat first to make sure your update with their requirements.

Which could be an advantage as these are the most expensive periods either.

OP, in our area it's really hard to find catsitters (and I'd include pet visits in the business as well) and boarding and how much ahead you need to book, I'd do it.

Think about security, cameras etc as well.

I think with it being small it could be a really caring cattery which people -I would love

Presumably o/p won’t be teaching and running the Cattery. It’s not doable unless she employs someone to do the day to day.

speak to your council o/p. I looked into it a while back, depending on how old the set up was and whether they consider your business “new” rather than an extension of the old one, there may be issues such as needing new isolation pens- this is what scuppered us, plenty of room for the cat pens, but we couldn’t quite fit a new iso pen at the distance to fit new rules.

technically as well there should be someone on site 24/7. Not always possible, and nipping to the shops/school runs etc will be overlooked, but you won’t be able to leave for more than a few hours if you have residents on site.

it’s a big commitment. If you like spontaneous getaways it’s probably not for you, but if you’re a homebody or a planner, or you know a few trustworthy teens/students you can pay hourly, it’s definitely worth a go.

i always thought I’d take small pets as well. Rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, reptiles etc. sure there’s a market for that.

i found the council planning dept very knowledgeable and helpful though :)

I would - our dog boarding place charges £95 a day - I’m sure cats are cheaper but you could position yourself as a luxury cattery and charge a premium. If you have the set up there in your garden it almost seems meant to be!!

Oh my god definitely go for it op!!!!

I think there is always a need for a good cattery but bear in mind, as a cat owner, I have used a number of catteries and would always pick one where the owner is a batty old cat woman over those where the owner has a pet dog. That might just be me though.

Go for it! I really struggled to get mine in somewhere for our upcoming holiday.

You definitely need to look at the council licensing rules as your first action.

My parents ran a kennels and cattery, there needed to be staff onsite 24/7, the individual chalets needed to be a specific size at minimum and there needed to be outdoor enclosed spaces, there were regular inspections, people needed to have completed certain courses, you need to maintain records of vaccinations and so on

You need to bear in mind that not all cats and not all owners are nice.

Over the years we were all scratched and bit, we had owners who dropped their cats off and never came back, who deliberately bought in their pets knowing they were dying and left them to die with us, we had people just show up and bang on the door at 2am because they had an emergency trip and needed us to take their pet, insistence that you must give them only freshly cooked salmon at exactly 7am and provide hourly photos, one crazy woman who wanted her chihuahuas nails painted red every day, a person who booked their cat for 4 weeks and didn't tell us it was pregnant so we had to deal with birthing cat and kittens which the owner then rejected. We got calls on several occasions from social services because they had someone who had been sectioned or had died who had eleventy billion feral cats making homes in the walls and needed help from every cattery in the county to take the cats in temporarily.

You'll also need to be able to do things like give insulin injections and other medications.

A typical day of looking after 20ish cats included

• litter box clean
• removing all food and water bowls and washing them up
• hoover/brush all pens
• clean bedding
• distribute food and water (including any special diets)
• medication
• getting them in/out of outdoor pens
• brushing long haired cats
• socialising with cats
• repeat any of the above that needs doing more than once a day
• intake/outgoing paperwork

Also, I don't think you mentioned your age or whether you were planning for more children, but you do need to be extra careful if pregnant and caring for cats due to enhanced toxoplasmosis risk.

Some friends of ours run one. It is quite a millstone, and you do need really reliable back-up people to run it when you're not there. I've had cats all my life (currently have 4) and have helped them out from time to time over the years, and it's not easy.

And to point out, all of those things need doing on Xmas day, Boxing Day, days you're not feeling well, days it's icy rain or deep snow...

You don't have to have bookings on Christmas / Boxing Day if you don't want to.

A lot of people take a week's holiday over Xmas (we are taking 10 days), so if you are not open for two in the middle of that period, you are going to lose a lot of business.

Hey - thank you all for your replies. Food for thought.

To answer some questions and clarify a few points:

• The cattery conforms to current regulations (sleep and exercise dimensions.)
• There is space for an isolation area should a cat become sick. Previous owners had this located in a second outbuilding further up the garden. It is currently my outdoor office, but I could easily install the necessary equipment if I were serious about making it into a cattery again.
• I currently have one child and don't want any more so there is no risk of toxoplasmosis.
• Being available 24/7 when I have "visitors" staying at the cattery is a big ask, actually. However, I would only take bookings when I have no big plans. I love my own company but obviously, as a family, we do like to go out at the weekends, mostly local but sometimes further afield which could be a problem.
• I would likely need to employ some extra help to enable me more free time, but I'd be unlikely to do this until a good income has built up.
• If I were to run the cattery full-time, I would not go into teaching. However, in quiet periods, I may start tutoring. So it's a flexible income.
• I am aware about needing a license and what is involved with that. I am confident I could pass providing I showed evidence of taking/completed an animal management qualification.
• Local boarding rates for 1 cat in the local vicinity is between £15-25 a day depending on the quality of the apartment. I'd probably price myself at £19-£20 (this might change once I find out how much business insurance costs!)
• I'd also need to consider PLAN B in case there is an issue with the cattery and I require them to be rehoused until their owners could pick them up. Could be tricky. Our main house would not be big enough for 7-10 cats, plus a dog and a family of three.

@CyberCritical Over the years we were all scratched and bit, we had owners who dropped their cats off and never came back, who deliberately bought in their pets knowing they were dying and left them to die with us, we had people just show up and bang on the door at 2am because they had an emergency trip and needed us to take their pet, insistence that you must give them only freshly cooked salmon at exactly 7am and provide hourly photos, one crazy woman who wanted her chihuahuas nails painted red every day, a person who booked their cat for 4 weeks and didn't tell us it was pregnant so we had to deal with birthing cat and kittens which the owner then rejected. We got calls on several occasions from social services because they had someone who had been sectioned or had died who had eleventy billion feral cats making homes in the walls and needed help from every cattery in the county to take the cats in temporarily.

WHAT THE ACTUAL? This is bonkers. I hope I never experience this but you never know...

I won't make any rash decisions, but you have all helped me to think about things rationally, so thank you.

@CatteryMe did you go through with the cattery business in the end?

I did not. For my sins, I'm still a teacher and am enjoying and hating it in equal measures. (That's for another thread).

We ended up getting it converted into an entertainment area. The living area is my son's playroom, there's a fully fitted 3 piece bathroom, and the kitchen area is for entertaining guests for dinner/parties.

It's worked out well for now and I can use the entertainment space as a space to tutor in future should I wish to forgo teaching full time once I've completed my two induction years.

Are you thinking of doing something similar?

What put me off in the end was working for myself and not having a full time regular income every month. I'd like to build up a business alongside my teaching which I have been doing already and hope to grow it over the next few years.