The boarding licence is the foundation
Boarding cats for paying customers is a regulated activity in many areas, and a cattery should hold the licence its local authority requires, granted after inspection of the premises. Licensing looks at the substance of care: unit size and construction, temperature and ventilation, hygiene routines, feeding and record-keeping, disease control and what happens in an emergency. A licensed cattery should be able to show you the licence or tell you plainly where to verify it. Treat reluctance as an answer in itself — a business meeting the standard has no reason to be vague about the document that proves it.
Ratings, renewals and what inspection really means
Some licensing systems grade premises, with higher ratings reflecting better standards and earning longer between inspections. Ask what rating the cattery holds and when it was last inspected, and notice whether the answer is specific. A licence is a floor, not a guarantee of warmth or attentiveness, so read it alongside what you see on a visit: clean units, cats with hiding places, staff who know individual animals by name and habit. Paperwork plus observation is the real test; either one alone can mislead you.
The cattery's insurance, and yours
The business should carry insurance appropriate to running premises open to the public and caring for other people's animals — typically covering public liability and aspects of care, custody and control of the animals boarded. Ask what theirs covers in plain terms, including what happens if a cat is injured or becomes ill during a stay. Understand the boundary clearly: the cattery's policy protects the business and certain accidents in its care, but it is not a substitute for your own pet insurance, which is what covers your cat's veterinary treatment in most circumstances. Owners who assume the cattery is insured for everything discover the gap at the worst moment.
Other credentials worth asking about
Licences and insurance are the formal layer; the human layer matters just as much. Ask how many staff care for how many cats, what training or qualifications the team holds in animal care, whether someone is on site overnight, and which veterinary practice they use. A smaller paperwork point with practical weight: their booking terms should state, in writing, the arrangements for veterinary consent, emergency contacts and fees if a cat needs treatment. A cattery that puts those terms in front of you before you ask is showing you its culture as clearly as any certificate.
Walking away well
If a cattery cannot produce its licence, brushes off the insurance question or discourages a visit before booking, choose a different one, however convenient the location is. The market has plenty of careful operators, and your cat cannot report back on the ones who cut corners. When you are building that shortlist, the KinsLe Pet Services Directory lets you find local catteries and compare them on the questions that matter, so the licence and insurance checks happen before your cat's stay depends on them.