Why school holidays are the pinch point
School holidays compress demand in a way ordinary weekends never do. Families who cannot travel in term time all need care in the same handful of weeks, catteries have a fixed number of units, and the well-run ones with space, hiding spots and attentive staff fill first. That is why there is no safe universal answer like a fixed number of weeks: the right moment to book is the moment your own travel dates are confirmed. Owners who treat the cattery booking as part of booking the trip itself rarely struggle; owners who leave it until the flights feel real often find a short list of leftovers.
A sensible order for the bookings
Confirm your travel dates, then book the cattery before you finalise anything non-refundable that depends on the cat being cared for. While you enquire, ask three practical questions: whether a deposit secures the unit, what the cancellation terms are if your trip changes, and whether the cattery holds a waiting list you can join if your dates are full. If your first choice is fully booked, ask them who they rate locally — good catteries know the other good catteries. Keep a genuine second option rather than a desperate one, because a poor cattery is worse than a changed plan.
The vaccination clock runs alongside
Holiday booking is not only about the unit. Your cat's vaccinations must be current for the stay, and if anything has lapsed, putting it right can take more than one appointment and may need to be completed a set period before boarding. Check the record when you book, not when you pack. The same applies to flea and worming protection if the cattery requires them. Owners are sometimes refused at drop-off over paperwork they assumed was fine, which during school holidays leaves almost no alternative care available at short notice.
What to do if everywhere is full
Join waiting lists — cancellations genuinely happen as family plans change — and widen the search a little beyond your immediate streets, since a slightly longer drive to a good cattery beats a close one you do not trust. Consider a home sitter as a parallel plan rather than a last resort; for some cats, staying in their own territory with daily visits is the better option anyway. What not to do is split the stay awkwardly between two catteries mid-holiday unless there is no alternative, because the extra move lands hardest on the cat.
Build your own early-warning habit
After one holiday scramble, most owners change their system: the cattery goes on the checklist beside passports and tickets, and the booking happens the week the holiday does. Keeping notes on which cattery you used, how your cat settled and what you would change turns next year's booking into a two-minute decision. When you start that search early, the KinsLe Pet Services Directory helps you find and compare trusted local catteries while the best units are still open, rather than after the rush has taken them.