How far in advance do I need to inquire about boarding my pet?
Our availability is highly dependent on the season, time of the week, and holidays. Spring and summer are our busiest seasons, with most weekends booking up 2-3 months in advance and weekdays 1-2 months in advance. However, sometimes confirmed bookings are altered or cancelled and we are able to accommodate shorter notice boardings. Repeat clients can choose to be added to our waitlist. Most holidays throughout the year book up 2-3 months in advance. We are closed and do not board any pets the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What do I need to bring for my pet?
We can provide everything that your pet needs except for their food and any medications (if applicable). You may also bring a small comfort item for your pet, such as a stuffed animal or shirt that smells like home. We can provide bowls, treats, toys, beds, blankets, and crates. For cats, we can provide a litter box with generic clumping clay litter. If your cat is particular about their litter box, please supply their preferred litter.
Where will my dog sleep?
For safety reasons and in the event of an emergency, we require that all dog guests be comfortable in a crate. We start out all new dog guests in crates for bedtime. Once we have confirmed that your dog can be safely unsupervised with our cats and without causing damage to our home, your dog can sleep in a dog bed gated in our kitchen or on the floor of our bedroom. We cannot allow your dog to free roam our home unsupervised for safety reasons.
Will I receive updates/photos while my pet is boarding?
Yes! I send 1-2 updates per day with a written description of what your pet has been up to and/or a photo.
My dog doesn’t have any experience with cats. Will this be a problem?
All new dog guests will be temperament-tested with our cats (we have 5) during the free trial night. Often times, even dogs who have never lived with a cat show little or no interest in them. Positive interactions that we watch for are sniffing and walking away, watching them without chasing, and completely ignoring them. We do not tolerate lunging and barking, chasing, or any other aggressive behavior towards our cats.
My cat has never lived with other cats. Will this be a problem?
Most of the cats that stay with us are solo cats who aren’t used to being away from home. We start out all new cat guests in an extra-large cat condo (5’x4’) in our home office so that they can settle in to their new environment at their own pace, without being overwhelmed by too many new areas at once and cats they aren’t familiar with (we have 5). If your cat shows interest in exploring more of the house or interacting with our cats, then we can keep the door to the condo open to allow this while also keeping the condo as your cat’s “home base” — the place where they can feel comfortable to return to at any time should they hear a loud noise etc. Some cats are more nervous than others and don’t end up showing interest in leaving the condo because they prefer to have their own space or are more comfortable in a smaller area. Your cat’s comfort level is our top priority so we follow each individual cat’s lead on how much or little they would like to explore our home.