Terms & Conditions of Boarding for Cats and Small Animals
Here at The Firs Cattery, we have terms and conditions that we ask all of our customers to take notice of. This is to ensure we are able to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all of our guests and staff and we thank you in advance for adhering to our terms and conditions.
These terms and conditions will be considered as agreed with each booking.
Visit Us
You are more than welcome to come and visit us, here at The Firs Cattery, at any time during our opening hours, no appointment is necessary.
Opening Hours
On Monday to Friday we are open from 9.30am to 12 noon and then again at 4.00pm until 6.00pm. Saturdays we open between 10.00am and 12 noon.
Please note that arrivals and departures on Sundays are accepted by appointment only between 10am and 12noon. Any requests outside of this, there will be an out of hours charge of £20 and must be discussed prior to confirming the booking.
Bank holidays we open between 10.00am and 12 noon.
Whilst we are happy to board your cat or small animals over the festive holidays, we are CLOSED for arrivals and departures on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
No pets arrival or departure are allowed out of normal hours unless in extenuating circumstances and agreed with the Cattery owner, prior to their cat boarding with us. Otherwise, an out of hours fee of £20 may be applied to your booking invoice.
Collection
If pets are not collected within 14 days of the day which they were due to depart, and there has been no communication received from the owner of said pet, a decision will be made to rehome the pet at the cattery owner’s discretion.
Health
All cats must be up to date with their vaccinations and must be vaccinated against Feline Infectious Enteritis and Upper Respiratory Infections (cat flu). Owners must produce their pet’s vaccination card on arrival, and this will be retained by us, during your pets stay.
All rabbits must also be fully vaccinated and must be vaccinated against Myxomatosis and RHD-1 (Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease 1) in order to stay at The Firs. Owners must produce their pet’s vaccination card on arrival, and this will be retained by us, during your pets stay.
No cat or small animal suffering from, or suspected to be suffering from, any infectious or contagious disease can be accepted. We reserve the right to refuse admission to any animal showing signs of ill health pending advice from a Veterinary Surgeon. Owners should appreciate that this is essential in order to safeguard the health of all other animals that are boarding at The Firs and complies with our boarding license.
We take a great deal of care to ensure that our cattery remains a safe haven from fleas and worms, so your animal does not contract them here. Therefore, please ensure your cat has been wormed and had flea treatment prior to their stay. If we find that a cat boarding with us has arrived with fleas and/or worms, we will administer an appropriate treatment, the cost of which will be added to your final invoice.
We do not accept un-neutered male cats over 9 months of age. If there is a specific reason why an older cat is not neutered/spayed, please discuss this with the cattery owner prior to making a booking.
Medication and Veterinary Care
We are happy to administer medication to your pet whilst in our care, and we do not charge for this service. However, we do not take any animals that require injections, and this includes cats with diabetes. Any medication brought with your pet must be clearly labelled with their name and dosage. In accepting these terms and conditions you are giving your authority for us to call your vets if required, so please ensure you inform your vet to accept any calls that we may have to make to them. Should your cat require specialist medical care, please discuss this with the Cattery owner, at the time of booking, and an appropriate fee will be agreed and added to the final booking invoice.
Should your cat require veterinary treatment we will, where possible, take your pet to your own veterinary surgery. In the event of an emergency, we will take them to our own veterinary surgery who is Park Hall in Mansfield Woodhouse.
Boarding Fees
Please note that we do not give credit for early returns, you will be charged for the period that was originally booked.
We charge for the day of arrival and departure. Even if you were to arrive just prior to closing or to collect as we open, you still are required to pay for this full day, this is because we are unable to book this pen out to another cat and to ensure that a full deep and sanitised clean has taken place.
Boarding fees will be reviewed on 1 January each year, but we reserve the right to revise our charges at any given time.
All boarding fees are payable on arrival. Payment is by card, cash, or bank transfer. A full list of our prices can be found on our website.
All fees are inclusive of VAT.
Cancellation Fees
If a booking is cancelled within 7 days or less notice of the booking start date, the total amount payable will be charged.
If a booking is cancelled with 14 days or less notice of the booking start date, a cancellation fee of 50% of the total amount payable will be charged.
Any cancellations 15 days or longer of the booking start date, a cancellation fee will NOT be payable.
Accommodation
In order for cats to share accommodation, they must be from the same family unit and live together at home. By accepting the booking confirmation you also agree to us splitting the cats up if required for health or safety reasons. If you think you may need to split your cats for their holiday with us, please discuss this at the time of booking.
Personal Cat Items
We pride ourselves on having a varied range of toys for both cats and small animals. No matter what age your cat is, they all get a toy basket in their pen which has balls, soft mice and other soft small toys in it. We also provide age-appropriate toys for young cats. There are several pens that have cat trees in and the ones that do not have a cat tree, we are able to provide scratching boxes. If, however, you wish to bring a favourite toy, that is okay too. For rabbits and guinea pigs we offer a range of chewy sticks, treat balls and other suitable toys.
We also provide plenty of beds and bedding depending on the climate, so there is no need to bring your own.
If you do decide to bring in your cat’s personal items, as much as we will do our very best to keep them in the condition they came in and not be lost in our large washing system, we are unable to guarantee that these items will be returned at the end of your pet’s stay.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
On 25 May 2018 GDPR came into force in the UK. This section explains the data we keep and why.
I am required to take and maintain information on my customers and their cats or small animals. This includes name, address, email, telephone numbers, emergency contact, details of the cats or small animals and their medical conditions (if they have any) along with vaccination details and expiry dates. I also ask for your vet details in case of an emergency.
This data is provided by yourselves either by email, telephone or in person before being transferred onto our secure cloud-based information system (Revelation Pets). I then maintain this information. I do not process this information in any way other than to prepare records for your pet’s stay. I do not use the data for any other purpose unless I am required to contact you during your cat or small animals stay.
I do not share your information with anyone. However, I am inspected annually and at any other time during the year by Newark & Sherwood District Council and they have the right to see completed boarding documents in order to confirm that I am complying with the terms of my boarding license.
Printed copies of any invoices are kept for six years as required for any business by HMRC. Any documentation that is used within the cattery for boarding purposes are kept securely for three years in line with my licensing conditions, after which they are disposed of by the owner using a shredding machine.
Finally, a reminder that boarding your cat or small animal at The Firs Cattery is accepting our Terms and Conditions.
Nicola Quadling
Owner The Firs Cattery, Walesby
Last Updated January 2024