My partner and I are going away to Canada for two weeks this summer and whilst discussing this we started thinking about what the options were for Tilly whilst we are away. As we don’t really have any family that live near us; getting them to come in and feed her/play with her everyday would be a big commitment for them and I don’t want to impose. I had also thought of getting a cat sitter to come in everyday but after looking into it we could put her in catteries for the same amount of money and then she will have the company of other cats and people who can spend more time with her; the thought of her being alone in the house for 23 hours a day scares me, we don’t have another cat and we don’t have a cat flap so it would be very lonely for her.

Does anybody know any good catteries in the Derby / Derbyshire area that you would recommend? Also, how often in advance do you usually have to book? I’m thinking as it will be summertime it will be very busy with people going away and I don’t want to lose her a place – we’re not exactly sure on our dates yet though.

Gosh, it makes me worried just thinking about leaving her for that long!

hi hun, my vet recommended going for a FAB registered cattery? there is a list on their website, and user commendations, heres the link

fabcats : feline advisory bureau - the website dedicated to feline wellbeing

hope that helps!

have booked ours for our summer hols already and dont have the cats yet! but generally the really good ones book up reasonably early so am told

I know its easy to say, but its like a holiday for them - my dog went to kennels when we went away and always loved it, even tho they may feel unsettled initially, but for example to lady at our cattery was feeding when we went over there and she was chatting and cuddling the cats and they all clearly loved it, so if you can find somewhere that you can see they genuinely love the animals, and get to see them with them, you will get a gut feel about them I think, which will help you feel better.

There are some that have catcam and give you a pin number so you can log on while you are away and see what your cats and doing and know they are ok!! but most will encourage you to phone and check to have peace of mind.

Let me know what you find!

I left cookie last year for a week when she was only about 4/5 months old at a cattery near the stenson bubble in derby. it was called cats whiskers. Nice enough place purpose built on the owners farm.

Cats Whiskers in Derby - Pet Services in Derby - Touch Derby DE73

01283 703250

It's a good idea to phone the potential cattery well in advance and ask if it's possible to have a quick look round. During your visit you can look at the other cats staying there and decide for yourself whether they are being well cared for or not. I've looked round some good catteries and some not so good ones; you can't tell from the outside what they're really like , that is why it is important to go and visit personally. Also, by chatting to the cattery owner it soon becomes obvious how cat-friendly they are; for example I have encountered some who refuse to groom the cat, but others who are happy to do so.

I can second that, I looked at cats whiskers and about 2 others and decided this one was for me. AT 1 that I looked at had a lovely website but wasnt as I expected.... they had loads of dogs in residence and the noise would have scared cookie at 4 months..

Little update - we went to view a place in Ilkeston, Derbyshire the other night called 'Just Cats' and it was lovely; it's a very strong contender so far and they have the dates available which was proving difficult as it's the summer holidays we're after. Realli nice big pens with sleeping area with a ramp leading down from it into an 'exercise area' which the owner fills with plenty of toys, things to scratch etc - each cat even gets it's own chair and home-made cushion which i thought was very sweet. I think Tilly would really like it and it's the first place we've seen that i would feel happy leaving her; i know i just wouldn't be able to enjoy my holiday if i didn't think she was happy where she was.

Looks like it might all be sorted!

__________________

.... Hello.

I dont know the area too well, but here are a couple of resources that might help you in your search!

List of catteries in Derbyshire

List of catteries in Derby

There is an article about choosing boarding kennels (which I guess will be the same for catteries) to help you choose if you don't get any recommendations.

Hope this helps,

J.