KEY POINTS:
- Boutique catteries or "hotels" have check-in, check-out times, and some offer orthopedic mattresses; electric blankets; radio and TV; pyjamas; daily brushing; video "chats" with owners. And at Christmas, a visit from Santa.
Private air-conditioned units, rural views and daily grooming - it's a wonder cats want to head home after a stay at a cat hotel.
With accommodation fit for the most discerning four-footed feline, our furry friends have never been so pampered.
Kiwis own 1.2 million cats, according to Companion Animals NZ, and many animals, feted as full members of the household, stay in luxury accommodation when their owners head away.
Boutique catteries or "hotels" have check-in, check-out times, and some offer orthopaedic mattresses, electric blankets, pyjamas, daily brushing, and the chance to video "chat" their owners.
Others provide radio and television while one cattery in Te Puke flies Santa up from Wellington on Christmas Day, where every animal receives a gift.
What's more, pet minding in your own home is also a growing business and there are many former vet nurses who promise the best care for your fur child.
An in-demand industry
Lisa Lyons treats each of her tiny holidaymakers like she would any discerning guest.
"When we say we're a boutique, we are," she says, referring to Tauranga's only cat "hotel".
Lyons cares for a maximum of 20 cats in seven individual rooms and a communal room for 10 cats.
All of the hotel rooms are double-glazed, air-conditioned or heated, depending on the season.
All guests receive daily brushing and cuddles.
She will supply laundered bedding and toys, as well as vet-recommended dry food, but if felines want to bring luggage from home they can.
One cat bought a tree branch from their backyard to scratch.
The communal room, complete with a climbing frame and floor area for playtime, is designed as neutral territory.
Individual rooms are $25 a day, or $45 for two cats, and the communal room is $20 a day, or $36 for two cats. They, like many other catteries, can administer your cat's medicine for a fee.
As a cat lover, with three of her own cats, Mittens, Mackintosh and Flora, Lyons says she gives each of her guests her full attention and gets to know them individually.
She says she would never leave her cat at home as experience tells her cats can go missing.
"I know they're taken care of (here) and I know they are happy, and I can go away on my holiday and I can enjoy it."
With a background in medical administration, she is also caring, knowing that sometimes you have to leave a cat for unforeseen circumstances.
"It's not always a happy holiday. There's a lot of trust involved. I'm really lucky to have a job that I really love."
Paid pet sitting
Before her beloved Siamese cat, Dolores, passed away earlier this year, her "mum", Misha Gildenberger, wouldn't go away on holiday without hiring a nanny.
Dolores, a super-affectionate but needy cat, would get upset if she had to sleep alone, and so for 12 years she had a nanny whenever Gildenberger went away overnight.
"Some cats care a lot, some a little bit less, but they all care if you are there," says Gildenberger, who is a former vet nurse, worked in animal welfare and owns Roma Pet Minding.
"Even independent cats usually come and check on you every couple of hours."
Gildenberger offers a 24/7 nannying and housesitting service for fur parents who realise their fur child is "absolutely needy".
"Those cats are lap cats. You're watching a movie and they're on top of you; you're working and they're next to you."
She says removing them from their environment causes "extreme stress" that can be avoided.
"Leaving them at home without outdoor access to prevent external dangers (like getting lost) is the best option for me, with a qualified nanny that will spend quality time with them daily or, better, all day."
If you don't want that level of service, you can leave your pussycat alone, and Gildenberger or one of her team members will visit for an hour or two each day ($45 per visit).
This service includes cuddling and playing with the cat with toys, treats, an update "report" on WhatsApp, including any unusual behaviour or toileting observed. You can also live chat with your pet.
Depending on a cat's personality, they can feel disorientated when a house is empty, and quiet in the evenings.
She has another cat, Alma, who is "absolutely independent" and not cuddly at all, but whenever Gildenberger leaves the house Alma hides in the bushes at the front of their property and waits for her to return.
How Alma copes when she is away matters a lot, she says.
"In my case, I don't have kids and my pets are my kids. My cat for 12 years was my daughter.
"They (including dog Roma) came with me to New Zealand from Argentina and I have tattoo art of them on my arm, so they are really important to me.
"There are people who think their cats are everything to them. You arrive at a house full of toys and cat towers, and they have cat mousse, cat milk and cream cheese. They have a whole routine."
Do your homework
World-renowned animal behaviourist Mark Vette says it's safer to leave your cat in the care of others than home alone, despite the fact that they're a solitary animal by nature, love routine and are territorial.
Vette advises placing your cat in catteries from when they're kittens so they're used to it.
"Older cats will sometimes socially close down in that environment," Vette says.
"They'll hunker down and you'll hardly hear from them. It's not their preference.
"They want to be at home if they possibly can, but it's safer to be at the cattery as a general rule unless you've got a reliable person that you really know will keep an eye on them."
He prefers catteries over organising a neighbour to put out food.
"They'll last longer by themselves if they're in their own home, but there's the risk that after a day or two they will start looking for you and start worrying. And you can see them get into the wrong kind of behaviour.
"They might go for a wander; predatory behaviour like killing birds can also increase," he says.
"In those situations, you really need someone to supervise them. And, of course, if they get ill and no one is monitoring them, it's not smart to leave them alone."
Vette says paying a knowledgeable pet sitter to visit your home is also a good option because you can teach the minder your routines.
In terms of hiring an overnight nanny, he says it's not "absolutely necessary" but if you want to do that, there's nothing wrong with it.
If you're going to use a cattery, he cautions you to do your homework.
"There are social catteries and independent catteries and they have pros and cons both ways.
"If your cat is a naturally social cat, they'll do fine in a social group. A social cattery does increase the risk of disease slightly, so most catteries should require vaccinations for your cat.
"As long as they understand infectious cat issues and what to be careful of, then cats can go socially, otherwise they're quite normally happy to be independent as well. But they do like to have visual stimulation."
It's also important that kennels are not too close to the cattery (cats get upset by barking) but they will adjust if reasonably well designed and separated.
Likewise, if your cat needs to be in a cattery long term they'll likely be managed differently with some special treatment - a bigger space, favours or caged outdoor area.
"They become a little bit institutionalised in there so you've got to have more environmental and social stimulation."
According to Consumer NZ, basic requirements for standards of care are set in a code of welfare, developed under the Animal Welfare Act.
However, there's no requirement for pet-care facilities to be routinely audited to check that they're complying with the code. They're usually only visited if there's a complaint.
Vette says to check with your vet that you're going to a reputable cat facility and inquire about the background of the person running it.
"Most of those people are pretty dedicated. They are animal lovers or you wouldn't be doing it, generally."
Over and above
Phil Hogg, who owns Bimlers Kennel and Cattery with his wife, Carolyn, in Rotorua ($12 a night), says while proof of vaccination is non-negotiable, trust is given that a cat is dewormed, deflea-ed, and microchipped. Also security is tight to prevent runners.
He says good management shows in a clean facility, longtime staff, and addressing a cat's individual needs, which is easily done when cattery numbers are kept small.
And cats are king at Te Puke's Rainbow Boarding Kennels and Cattery ($18 a night), where a highlight of the calendar year is Christmas.
Owners Jan Quinn and Karen Pimm fly Santa up from Wellington on Christmas Day, where pussycats sleeping in igloos resembling Christmas puddings - and playing in tunnels resembling "Santa's pants" - receive a gift left for them by their fur parents.
Quinn and Pimm won't dress up as Santa because their guests know what they smell like.
"If they smelt us, they wouldn't believe in Santa any more," quips Quinn.
Calling themselves "a wee bit different to a normal cattery" they also allow cats to hunt at night for their food (food is hidden for their entertainment) and they offer seven spacious "calming rooms" for when cats first arrive.
The cats listen to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB and to Coast FM. There are electric blankets, orthopaedic mattresses and pyjamas for elderly cats or cats with medical conditions and those who just need a bit of help staying at the "purrfect" temperature.
Pampered animals is what it's all about, says Quinn, humorously sharing that some canine guests refuse to leave and have to be carried out to the car when it's home time.
Star treatment is also given at The Cat's Whiskers in Tauranga ($17 per night).
Owner Lisa Swain purpose-built the cattery eight years ago with 36 rooms which she likens to "spacious walk-in wardrobes".
Each cat has its own sun-drenched patio or "catio", scratch pole, high ledge, hidey box, and litter tray.
They're let out of their rooms individually, taking turns to explore the sprawling garden or "enrichment area", before padding back to their private quarters.
Unlike some catteries, there is no chance for them to "touch noses".
Swain, who has her own cat, Tana, 17, says she decided on no communal area because she had witnessed her own cat find them uncomfortable.
"The cats are not stressed (here). They can't see each other; there's no dogs barking; they've got space; fresh air; they can sit in the sun. They've got everything they need. We brush the animals, it's peaceful.
The saying "dogs have masters, cats have staff" isn't too far from the truth, she says.
"They're just great company and they're sweet, smoochy, and lazy. I mean who wouldn't want to sleep 18 hours a day?
"I like them when they're kittens and they're mad psychos, and I love my cat now because he's old and jibbery," she jokes fondly. "They give you a lot of love."
