Our cattery has a full capacity of around 75-80 cats. There are of course several other catteries throughout the country of similar size or larger; some have staff, some don’t.

When voicing despair over the sum of my annual wage bill, (a sizeable slice of our income goes in wages), I have received or overheard comments like:

“I can’t understand why you need so many staff, we don’t”, or, “I can house that many cats and I do all the work myself”.

I find these comments interesting and somewhat perplexing as I try to imagine myself operating this cattery solely on my own. Yes, I’d save lots of money, nevertheless we have set the bar high and I would not be able to maintain those standards alone.

Although we are not often running at full capacity, I would not attempt to care for even 40 cats on my own and I have to be prepared to pay the price for that.

The procedures and staffing considerations we have in place at Ashley Boarding Cattery are there for a reason. So that we can provide your cat with the absolute best care possible.  I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, I am not a machine; I cannot possibly give every cat the care and attention they deserve; and more importantly what our customers are paying for and expect for their cat, solely on my own. So it goes without saying that good quality staff are invaluable to me.

Depending on the number of cats in residence, I will have at least one staff member with me each day; sometimes two staff depending on cat numbers and work load.

Along with feeding rounds, keeping litter trays clean at all times takes effort. On top of this, each cats unit receives a full service every day. Cleanliness is not the only or main reason we carry out this task; we are also spending time with the cat, making a fuss of them, observing their behaviour, checking for parasites, any signs of stress or illness; are they eating and drinking normally; toileting normally; are they happy and relaxed?

Easy to miss signs if you’re in a hurry or on your own; here we pride ourselves on caring for every cat as if they were a member of our very own family. Every unit and every cat is checked several times a day. Perhaps a brushing is required, medication, heat pad, special meal; and of course there is answering the phone and greeting our customers, the list goes on.

Cat welfare is paramount and I know that without the help of my staff, performing all these duties on my own would be detrimental not only to the animals in my care, but also to me.

The photo is of our Vet Nurse Stacey with one of our much loved guests Freddie, a handsome Burmese.