Touring a cattery before you book is the single most useful thing you can do, and most owners spend the visit being shown the nice parts rather than asking the questions that actually predict how the stay will go. A tour takes twenty minutes. Here is how to use it well.
Bring this list. Any facility worth booking will be happy to answer all of it.
Before you arrive
Check the licence first, so the tour is about quality rather than legitimacy. Every cat boarding facility in Singapore must hold a Pet Boarding Licence from AVS, and there is a public register you can search yourself. We have written a short guide to doing that.
Then book the tour properly rather than dropping in. A facility that lets anyone walk in off the street into the cat areas is not managing its biosecurity well, and that should give you pause.
The five questions that matter most
How much time is my cat out of its room, and who is with it? Playtime is not an answer on its own. Ask for a number and ask whether it is supervised one-on-one or a free-for-all. At Catnap it is at least thirty minutes a day with access to the common play area, and cats from different households never share that space at the same time.
What happens if my cat stops eating? This is the question that separates facilities. A cat going off its food is the earliest sign something is wrong, and the useful answer involves noticing on the same day, trying something different, and calling you. Ask specifically how quickly you would hear about it.
Which vet do you work with, and what happens at 2am? You want a named clinic and an actual arrangement, not a vague promise to find a vet. Ask whether they will contact your own vet as well, since your vet knows your cat's history. We work with Pets Avenue for round-the-clock cover and will reach out to your regular vet where we can.
Can I see my cat while I am away? Daily photo and video updates should be standard. Live CCTV access is a bonus — ours is available in the chateaus and six of the suites, subject to availability when you book — but updates from a person who has actually handled your cat tell you more than a camera does.
What are your entry requirements, and why? A facility that asks for vaccination records and a negative FIV/FeLV test is protecting every cat in the building, including yours. A facility that asks for nothing is not. If the answer is vague, that tells you how the rest is run.
What to look at while you walk around
Use your nose first. A cattery should smell of nothing much. Strong disinfectant is as telling as strong ammonia — it usually means something is being covered rather than cleaned.
Then look at the cats who are staying. Are they out and visible, or all pressed into the back corners of their rooms? A few hiding cats is normal, especially new arrivals. Every cat hiding is not.
Look at the rooms with your own cat in mind. Is there vertical space, or just floor? A cat that climbs will use a multi-level room far better than a wide flat one — that is the thinking behind our chateaus, while the suites suit cats who prefer a quiet enclosed space, and interconnecting suites work for pairs.
Check where the litter trays sit relative to the food. Check whether cats from different households can see each other directly. Ask where a sick cat would go, and whether there is a dedicated quarantine area — it is one of the things AVS requires on the layout plans, so there should be a real answer.
Questions about your specific cat
Bring the awkward ones. My cat is on medication twice a day — who gives it and is it recorded? My cat has never boarded before — can we do a day stay first? I have two cats — should they share? My cat only eats one brand — can I bring it? My cat hates the carrier — can you help at check-in?
The answers matter less than the manner. You are assessing whether this is a place that thinks about individual cats or processes them.
Practical things to confirm
Check-in and check-out times, and whether early or late is possible. Ours are both at 12pm, with some flexibility if you ask when booking. Opening hours for collection, including weekends and public holidays, which are often shorter — ours are 9am to 7pm on weekdays and 11am to 5pm at weekends and public holidays. Parking. What you should pack, and what they would rather you did not bring — our packing list covers ours.
Then go and see a second one
The most useful thing about touring two facilities is that it gives you something to compare. The second visit is where you notice what the first one did not have.
Ours are free and take about twenty minutes — you can book a slot online. Come with the list.
