Cat Sitter Vs Cattery: Which One Should You Choose?
Leaving our cats behind when we’re away from home is never fun, but sometimes it has to be done. It’s natural to want to find the best care for them while you’re gone. After all, they’re part of the family.
But should you choose a cat sitter or a cattery? What will make your cat happier? It can feel like an overwhelming choice. Don’t worry, we’re here to walk you through it. In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make the best decision for your pet.
What is Cat Sitting?
A cat sitting means paying someone to come into your home to take care of your kitty while you’re not there. They may do one or two ‘pop-in’ visits a day or may stay overnight in your home. Sometimes, cat sitters may take your cat to their own home, but this is far less common.
So, what do cat sitters do to take care of your cat? They will provide a range of services, such as feeding your cat, giving them water, cleaning their litter, giving medication where needed, and offering them attention. Some sitters will provide additional services such as watering your plants and collecting your post. You’ll have an initial meeting to agree on how often they will be at your home and the services they will provide.
Cat Sitting Pros and Cons
There are plenty of pros to choosing a cat sitter to take care of your furry friend:
- Staying at home: Most of the time cat sitters take care of your pet in their own home. This is a lot less stressful for your cat, as they are in a familiar environment where they feel safe.
- Routine: A sitter is more flexible and able to personalise their services, so your cat can stick to their usual routine. Cats are creatures of habit, so this helps to keep them happier and calmer.
- No travel: You won’t need to try to get your cat into a carrier and put them through the stress of a journey to a cattery.
- One-to-one attention: In a cattery, employees have to care for multiple cats and are often on a strict schedule. On the other hand, cat sitters have time to offer your kitty more personal attention, giving them plenty of affection and playtime.
- One person: Your cat will see the same person every day and learn to trust them (especially if you use the same sitter each time you go away).
- Updates: Sitters often provide regular updates such as pictures, texts, and even videos. This means you can worry less and enjoy your time away more.
- Reduced illness risk: Since your cat won’t be in contact with other new cats, you don’t need to worry about contagious illnesses.
- Home security: Having someone regularly going into your home can help make it look ‘lived in’ which adds extra security.
- Extra services: Many cat sitters offer extra services which can be handy.
However, as with any service, there are some cons to hiring a cat sitter including:
- Cost: Paying for a cat sitter can be costly depending on how often they visit your home and their individual pricing.
- Finding a sitter: Depending on where you live, you may not be able to find a sitter who covers your area. Sites like Cat Minder make this easier because you can simply enter your postcode to see the sitters near you.
- Not on the premises: Cat sitters won’t be at your house all day, so there isn’t someone around on the property like there is at a cattery. Although this isn’t usually a problem, some owners may prefer knowing their cat is around people most of the day.
- Fewer regulations: Cat sitters don’t have to go through as many professional checks and stick to regulations strictly the same way catteries do. So, it’s important you check their qualifications and experience yourself carefully.
Entering your home: Of course, you have to give a cat sitter a key so they can enter your home. This can feel worrying, which is why it’s important to choose a trustworthy sitter.
What is a Cattery?
A cattery is a boarding facility where you take your cat to stay while you’re away. You drop them off before you leave, and pick them up when you return. Your cat will stay in an enclosure or ‘room’. If you have more than one cat, they can usually stay in the same room together.
Catteries take care of lots of cats at once, so there will be other cats in rooms near your cat. Employees will come in multiple times a day to feed, water, clean, and check on your cat. You might also hear catteries referred to as ‘cat hotels’ or ‘cat boarding facilities’, but they’re essentially the same thing.
Each cattery will vary in size, how many cats they take, what services they offer, and their standard of care. Since catteries vary greatly, it’s crucial you visit the facility and check out what’s on offer before you choose one to ensure it’s right for your kitty.
Cattery Pros and Cons
Choosing a cattery has quite a few pros including:
- Regulations and laws: All catteries have to meet specific regulations and laws to ensure the cats have a good standard of care.
- Insurance: Catteries will have insurance in case of accident or injury, while this isn’t always the case for cat sitters
- Experience: Cattery owners usually have a lot of experience taking care of cats. Many have animal care qualifications and may have pet first aid training, which can be reassuring for owners. Although cat sitters may have similar qualifications, it’s more common in a cattery setting.
- People on the property: In most cases, someone will be on the cattery property throughout the day and night. Some owners prefer knowing someone is always nearby.
Unfortunately, there are also quite a few cons to catteries:
- Travel stress: Of course, to get the cattery you will need to put your cat in a carrier and travel there. The majority of cats find this process very stressful.
- Unfamiliar environment: A cattery environment can be quite worrying for cats, with lots of new smells and sounds that can be overwhelming. All catteries care for multiple cats, usually in quite close quarters. Since cats can be territorial, this can be distressing for them. In addition, not having their usual routine can be unsettling for your kitty.
- Lack of personal care: Unlike with a cat sitter, cattery employees don’t tend to have a lot of time to sit and play with each cat. However, this does vary depending on the cattery. The cattery I previously worked at prioritised time for us to sit with each cat, giving them attention and playing with them.
- No one-to-one care: Rather than learning to trust one person, there may be several different employees your cat will interact with, which might make them unsettled.
- Risk of illness: The risk of contagious illnesses is high. Cat welfare charity International Cat Care explains that upper respiratory infections are the most common health issue in close quarters. These infections are often referred to as ‘cat flu’.
- Restricted environment: In a cattery setting, cats are confined to one enclosure. They won’t be able to wander around much as they do at home. If they usually go outdoors at home, they will need to be kept indoors in a cattery for their safety.
- Lack of updates: Catteries don’t provide updates to the owners as standard, but some places will offer this as a service. If it’s important to you, you can ask the cattery owner when you go for a tour.
- Expense: Catteries can be quite costly. They charge per cat, so if you have more than one cat it can get very expensive. Some catteries charge for additional services, such as administering medication.
Cost of a Cat Sitter Vs Cattery
Generally, if you have more than one cat, cat sitting is more affordable. Sitters tend to charge per household while catteries charge per cat.
For drop-in visits from a sitter you could expect to pay around £10 to £15. For an overnight or longer visit, you may pay up to £50. This tends to include all of the sitter’s services. In contrast, catteries can charge between £15 and £30 per cat per day. They will often charge extra for giving medication, playtime, grooming, taking the cat to the vet, heaters, etc.
The truth is that the cost depends on the sitter and the cattery. Prices can vary greatly depending on a number of factors.
Is a Cattery Bad for Your Cat?
Taking your cat to a cattery doesn’t make you a bad pet parent. Most catteries run professional, clean, and caring facilities. Most cattery owners and employees are cat lovers who do their best to care for your kitty while you’re not there. A cattery isn’t bad for your cat, especially if you don’t have another option.
Which is Best?
The choice between employing a cat sitter or taking your kitty to a boarding facility is a personal one. Overall, cat sitting is typically a better option to reduce your cat’s stress and ensure they are as comfortable as possible while you’re away. However, every cat is different and you know your pet better than anyone else. Only you can decide what’s right for them.
If you do choose cat sitting, Cat Minder provides a simple, easy way to find a sitter near you. Our sitters are all verified and are cat lovers. Plus, you can check out reviews from other pet parents to make sure your cat is getting the best care.
References
International Cat Care, (2018), “Upper respiratory infections (URIs, Cat flu)”.
