Boarding Information

From 1st January 2025

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday • 9.00am  to 5pm (by appointment only)

Bank Holidays • Closed for admissions and collections

Boarding Tariff

Our charges include heating, treats and lots of cuddles:

1 cat £16 per day
2 cats sharing a lodge(from the same household) £28 per day
3 cats sharing - 2 lodges opened into a family lodge (from the same household) £38 per day
4 cats sharing  - 2 lodges opened into a family lodge (from the same household) £48 per day

A full day’s board is charged for the days of arrival and departure.

Boarding fees in excess of three months will be subject to separate negotiation.

A separate payment schedule will be required for long term bookings.

There is a minimum charge of three days.

There is a minimum stay of seven days at Easter, Christmas and New Year.

Drop off and Collection

To ensure smooth drop-offs and collections, and to avoid overlap with other bookings, I kindly ask all owners to arrive promptly at their agreed time. Arriving early or late may result in a wait, as I may be attending to other scheduled appointments. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Deposits and Cancellation Policy

A 50% deposit is required at the time of booking. If you cancel or amend your booking with at least 30 days notice, the deposit is fully refundable/transferable to your next booking.

Deposits are non refundable with less than 30 day notice.

In the event of you having to cancel your booking, the following charges will apply;
Days prior to arrival          Cancellation Fee
30 days or more              No Charge
15 – 29 days                       50%
Less than 15 days               100%

We appreciate that due to unavoidable circumstances; there may be a delay in collecting your cat. Notification of any delay is required as early as possible to ensure the continued availability of a lodge.

Payment for boarding must be made at the time of your cat(s) drop off. We accept cash, bank transfer and most major Debit and Credit Cards.

Accommodation

All units are built to the new The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, approved and regularly inspected by Wealden District Council (Licence number: 33489). 

The accommodation consists of 10 luxury lodges set in our beautiful garden, which is overlooked by our home.

All the lodges are insulated and have thermostatically controlled heating in the sleeping area and an exercise run with scratching post and shelving where the cats can relax and watch the birds outside on the bird feeders or the squirrels in the trees.

Our lodges provide a clean and hygienic environment for your cats stay and the full height opaque sneeze barriers between each lodge ensures there is no contact between the cats thus reducing any risk of cross infection. All lodges are fully cleaned and disinfected between occupancies. Scratch posts, beds, bedding and toys are provided but owners are more than welcome to bring their cats favourite blanket or toy with them to remind them of home and help them settle in.

For added security there is a safety corridor between the lodges and the outside world and we operate a 2-door system (one door is closed before another is opened) so the cats cannot escape. In addition, the cattery has CCTV cameras, lights and the doors are secured at all times. Fire safety is also very important to us: the cattery has heat & smoke detectors throughout and the alarms are linked to our house and we have fire extinguishers throughout the cattery. The premises are occupied 24/7.

Catcam

We will make every effort to provide you with 24-hour access to the camera, allowing you to check in on your cat(s) throughout their stay. However, there may be times when access is temporarily unavailable due to routine cleaning, system maintenance, or technical issues. We will do our best to keep any disruptions to a minimum.

Health

Vaccinations
Only cats that have a current vaccination certificate against Feline Infectious Enteritis and upper respiratory infections (Cat Flu) can be accepted for boarding and owners must produce an up to date inoculation certificate on arrival. Cats without proof of the appropriate up to date certificate will not be accepted for boarding. 

Neutered cats
Unfortunately male cats over the age of 6 months that have not been neutered cannot be boarded with us, due to their habit of spraying, and this can present an infection hazard.

Flea and Worm Treatments
For the health and wellbeing of all our boarders, we require all cats to be up to date with their worm and flea treatments before boarding with us.

If any evidence of internal/external parasites are found when your cat is boarding with us a charge of £75.00 will be made for the additional time taken for your cats’ grooming and the special cleansing of your cats chalet, exercise area and bedding to ensure that no parasites remain.

Illness
1. No cat suffering from, or suspected to be suffering from any infectious or contagious disease can be accepted for boarding. The proprietor reserves the right to refuse admission to any cat showing any signs of ill health. Owners will appreciate that this is essential in order to safeguard the health & wellbeing of all cats boarded.

Any pre existing conditions must be advised at the time of booking.

If your cat requires special care or medication this should be discussed with us at the time of booking. In most cases we will be happy to continue with any medication or treatment prescribed during your cats stay with us, providing full instructions are given. All medication must be in the original packaging.

2. Although it is very unusual for a boarding cat to become unwell, the following steps will be taken should this occur.
i) If illness is suspected, your cat will be placed in the isolation unit while veterinary advice is sought and where practical; your own vet will be contacted. Dependent on the level of treatment required we reserve the right to take your cat to the catteries nearest vet, Knotts Yard in Watton.
ii) Should owners insist on their cat being taken to their own vet, a mileage charge of £1.50 per mile will apply.
iii) We are happy to administer medication, but if the illness warrants, in consultation with yourself, your cat will be hospitalised with our Vet until your return.
iv) Poppie's Cattery will endeavor to keep you (or your appointed emergency contact) fully informed, and we will take the very best care of your cat.
v) All veterinary treatment will be carried out at the owner’s expense. Veterinary treatment invoices will be produced for payment on collection of your cat.

Elderly Cats
If an elderly cat should pass away whilst boarding with us they will be placed in the care of our Vet for your collection upon your return from holiday.

Collars
All collars will be removed while your cat(s) are boarding with us. This recommendation comes from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Model License Conditions and Guidance for Cat Boarding Establishments and reduces the risk of injury.

Diet

We offer an option of two dry and wet food options; however, owners are welcome to supply their own food if preferred. For cats on a specialist diet, we kindly ask 

that owners provide the necessary food. If allowed, we can give them treats including fresh fish or chicken, Like-e-Lik, Dreamies and meat sticks.