A first visit tells you most of what a brochure cannot, provided you inspect deliberately instead of being shown a tidy reception area and one showcase pen. Ask to see where your cat would actually sleep, arrive unannounced if the cattery allows it, and work through cleanliness, space, staff and calm as separate judgments, because a cattery can be spotless yet chaotic, or spacious yet poorly run.
Cleanliness You Can Verify With Eyes and Nose
Your nose is the first instrument: a well-run cattery smells faintly of cleaning product or of nothing much, never strongly of urine or stale litter, because trays are scooped promptly and pens are fully washed and disinfected between occupants. Look at details brochures skip — tray edges, water bowl rims, bedding in occupied pens, drains, and the corners behind doors. Ask how often trays are checked, what happens after a cat is sick in a pen, and whether each unit is cleaned while its occupant stays inside or is moved. Ask, too, whether a cleaning rota or log exists that you may see; a cattery that records its cleans can usually show you the habit in action. Watch the cats already boarding too: dull, dirty coats and overflowing trays in several pens describe the daily standard better than one freshly prepared empty unit.
Space, Layout and Enrichment in the Pen
Judge the pen from a cat's priorities rather than a human's. Each cat needs enough floor space to move between distinct zones: a raised sleeping shelf or bed, somewhere to hide completely, a scratching surface, and food and water placed at the opposite end of the unit from the litter tray. Check whether cats from different households share any contact, whether neighbouring cats stare at each other all day through facing glass, and whether there is a view, a window ledge or anything to watch. Ask about vertical space for climbers, how much human contact each cat gets daily, and whether you may bring familiar bedding and a scratch post from home.
Staff Questions and the Paperwork Behind Them
Good staff interview you. They should ask about feeding amounts and times, litter habits, temperament, handling tolerance, health conditions and vet details, and write the answers down while you watch. Ask direct questions in return: who feeds and cleans, is anyone on site overnight, which vet do they use, what is the isolation procedure for a cat who develops sneezing or diarrhoea, and what happens after an escape attempt. Also ask how many cats each staff member cares for on a shift, and whether dogs board anywhere on the same site, since barking through a shared wall undermines the calm you are paying for. Licensing and insurance requirements vary by jurisdiction, so ask to see whatever licence and insurance documents apply locally and note whether the answers come easily. Vague reassurance, reluctance to show occupied areas, or pressure to pay a deposit on the spot are all information.
Calm as a Measurable Quality
Some calling between cats is normal, especially at feeding time, but judge the overall register: cats lounging in view, eating, or sleeping suggest a settled building, while constant yowling, cats pressed into hiding boxes in every pen, and rushed staff moving noisily point the other way. Notice whether staff speak quietly, handle doors gently and move at a pace cats tolerate. Trust the pattern across the whole visit rather than a single moment, and book a short trial stay before a long trip if you remain unsure. Before the first overnight stay, load her routine, quirks and emergency contacts into KinsLe and release them via Care Pass only for the booked dates.