Visit a cattery before booking and inspect how it controls escapes, separates unfamiliar cats, cleans accommodation and handles health needs. Ask to see its licence and written requirements. A polished website cannot answer what the pens, safety corridor and daily routine are actually like.
Book the inspection early
Cats Protection recommends visiting and checking a cattery before deciding. Popular dates may fill well ahead, but availability should not replace the inspection.
- Is the cattery licensed, and can you see the licence?
- Do double doors or a safety corridor reduce escape risk?
- Are cats from different households kept without direct contact?
- Can pens be cleaned effectively, and are bowls clean?
- How are temperature, ventilation and noise managed?
- What vaccinations are required, and when must evidence be supplied?
Describe your individual cat
Give the cattery accurate information about diet, medication, mobility, handling, usual litter and behaviour. Ask whether staff can follow the written plan and what happens if your cat refuses food or needs veterinary care.
For a large cat, inspect usable space rather than relying on the word “large”. Ask how the cat moves between resting, litter and feeding areas. If two cats from your household will share, explain their relationship and ask what alternatives exist if sharing becomes uncomfortable.
Agree the emergency process
Confirm which vet the cattery uses, how you will be contacted, who can authorise treatment when you are unavailable and how transport and costs are handled. Leave your own vet’s details and insurance information where relevant.
Check what you may bring
Some catteries accept familiar bedding; others limit items for hygiene or safety. Our guide to taking a cat bed to a cattery explains what to ask. The pictured Velvet Nest should only travel if the cattery accepts it and the selected size fits the pen without obstructing access.
Get booking dates, arrival times, cancellation terms and supplied-food arrangements in writing. Before leaving, make sure the vaccination record, medication and emergency contacts match what was agreed.
Direct answer: choose the cattery whose real facilities and written procedures suit your cat—not the one with the most luxurious description.
Guidance checked 12 September 2026.
