Peace of Mind While I'm Away (Katz Kastle Cattery)

Member Name: Lucille

Product:	Katz Kastle Cattery
Date:	29/03/01 (1463 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cats were well cared for and as happy as could be

Disadvantages: None

As you can see from the picture on my user profile. I have cats. I have two, Emma Peel who is pictured there and Purdey, who is camera shy! I love my cats dearly, and always try to make sure they are well looked after, particularly when I go on holiday.

Up until now they have either stayed with my brother, or he has come to my house and ?cat sat? them. However he now has a cat of his own, so neither of these were an option any more. So when we decided to go on a week?s holiday this month, I had to find a cattery. I was really worried. My cats are, I freely admit, very pampered and spoiled. I didn?t know how they would react to being put into a cattery. I had also heard a lot of terrible stories about conditions in catteries, and how the cats are treated. So thank goodness I found Katz Kastle. Not only were my cats looked after well for the week we were away, but it also means that when planning any future holidays I will feel more confident about leaving the cats there.

I had first discovered Katz Kastle when looking for another cat, as they also run a cat shelter there. I was really impressed with the shelter, so I guessed that the cattery would also be good. I went for a previsit to check the conditions, and was pleased to find I was right, the cattery was very good. I booked the cats in for their ten-day visit, (although we only went away for a week, with our flight times and the opening hours of Katz Kastle the stay went through ten days.)

When you first arrive at the cattery you might be concerned. The outer buildings are tatty and in need of some maintenance. However you soon find out that the reason for this is that the buildings the cats are kept in are beautifully looked after and clean. The people who work there simply don?t have the time or money to look after the other buildings.

Each cat has it own large pen, (my two shared for company). In each pen there is a small climbing frame for something to do and a cosy box f
or hiding or sleeping in. Each pen has a heater, very important when leaving them in March as we did. A litter tray, food and water are also put in for the cats. When I arranged the stay I was told I could take anything in for the cats to make them feel at home. I took one of their beds with me, but the lady working there said that all manner of things come in-blankets, toys, even pictures of the owners! All the pens were beautifully clean, and despite that the number of cats and their litter trays, there wasn?t any unpleasant odours. Very impressive as sometimes two cats at home can be smelly!

Apart from the conditions, there were two other reasons why I was particularly impressed with Katz Kastle. The first of these was the food the cats were given. My cats eat dry biscuits during the day, with a small amount of meat at night for variety. This is exactly how they were fed at the cattery. However if I had wanted them fed differently they would have followed my wishes. The biscuits the cats are given are Hills Science Diet ones. These are not the cheapest on the market, but the owner of Katz Kastle told me that in her opinion they are the best. I was impressed to hear this. It would be a lot cheaper for them to bulk buy a lower quality food, but may not be in the best interest of the cats, so it?s not done.

The second reason was the way they looked after Emma when she was slightly unwell during her stay. When we picked them up we were told that one morning there was a small amount of blood in the litter tray. As the two cats were in one pen they first separated them for the day to work out who was unwell. When they found it was Emma she was seen by the vet who visits daily, and given some tablets for cystitis. Once they were happy she was better she was put back with Purdey. When we were told this we expecting to be given a small vet bill, even if it was only for the cost of the tablets, but no. They said that this was covered by the price we had p
aid for boarding, and anyway they had the tablets in stock, as it is quite common for cats to suffer from cystitis. Again I was really impressed. If this had happened while she was at home I would have taken Emma to the vets and pay quite a bit for the visit and tablets.

The price of boarding the two cats was £9.50 a day. I don?t know if this is expensive or not, as this is the first cattery I have used. However I was prepared to pay the price to know that my cats were as happy as could be and being well looked after. I still would rather they were in their own home, but if that is not possible I can go on holiday happy in the knowledge that I can trust Katz Kastle with the well being of my cats.



*As I mentioned Katz Kastle also run a cat shelter, which is fully approved by the RSPCA. If you live in Surrey and want to rehome a rescue cat, it?s a great place to find one.
Katz Kastle Redhill Road 01932 864232

*********************Update******************* ******

The cats have just returned from other week stay at Katz Kastle. Once again, they are healthy, well cared for, and as happy as they could be.

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