Hi, I wonder if I can get some feedback on what might be a hair brained scheme or a niche market!

We run a guest house in the Highlands but saw a programme the other night (Compare Your Life) where one of the options considered was running a luxury cat hotel. Rather than just marketing ourselves as a cattery, we wonder if there would be a market for people to come on holiday and bring their cats to their own mini-hotel which we could build in the garden?

Would you do it? Are there enough crazy cat people who can't bear to leave their babies at home (like me )

I probably wouldnt as I wouldnt really want to take my cat in the car for hours on end. Its different for a dog, you can take it out at motorway services to do its business, but not for a cat.

I'm not knocking your idea, Im sure some people would like to take their cat with them, it is just the logistics, especially with you being in the Highlands, you would expect a long drive to get there. Dog friendly hotels would probably be a better idea.

However, I would be more than happy visiting a guest house that had cats in it, would remind me of being at home.
Last edited by Missus Bobby : 05-07-2013 at 23:02

I would be more inclined to offer cat accommodation within the guestrooms so the owners can have direct contact with their cat during the stay. The cat could have it's own 'butler' (i.e. cattery staff!) with their own menus and spa/grooming treatments. Think of all the upselling you can do to pamper cats and their owners!

My cat moans and yowls like she's being tortured just on the 15 minute trip to the local cat prison, I can't imagine the mental torture of a 4-5 hour trip to Scotland for her
Missus bobby also points out the impracticality even if your cat is ok in the car.
I think its something the owners might like, but the cat will hate and be scared for no good reason I'm afraid.

They have cat cafes in Tokyo

I agree with others I'm afraid - I can't really see how it would work. If people live further away, their cats would need to travel quite a way, which most cats don't like, and if people live nearby, then they'd presumably be unlikely to want to stay in a hotel. And then the cats would have to either stay in traditional cattery-style pens, which kind of defeats the object of taking your cat with you anyway, or they'd be in the rooms with people - but that then causes cleaning problems, because cats are usually timid in new surroundings, and like to mark their territory. So if the idea is that cats are in the rooms with their humans, then presumably the room would be scented by previous cats, which would be potentially distressing for the cats.

What I think would be much much nicer would be a hotel with cats, like Missus Bobby suggests - so your own cats, who are in their own home and happy, relaxed and comfortable, and able to roam about and sit on laps, be cuddled etc. I know that my cat loves visitors and new people, so a few friendly cats in a guest house, who can wander around and be made a fuss off, would be lovely.

people do travel with their cats, especially people who show cats,so i think it could work but personally one of my cats is a scardy cat so i wouldnt put her though the travelling or staying in a strange place...saying that, i wont go on holiday because theres no one to look after my cats so a cat hotel would be ideal for me .

Oh, well - maybe it's not a goer then. I imagined that people from, say, Edinburgh or Glasgow may like to pop away for a weekend and bring their cats with them, rather than put them in a cattery. My rationale was that you never quite know how they are in a cattery - if they were staying on site you could keep an eye on them and have a wee cuddle when you wanted.

I'm trying to think of ways to expand my business, so I don't think going down a niche route of having cats in the rooms would work (too much smell, cleaning, etc.) and would exclude the non-cat market. I don't even allow my 2 cats into the business side of the guest house because - can you believe it? - some people don't like cats!

Maybe I'll just do away with human guests and let the rooms out to felines?!

We never put our cat in the cattery for just a weekend. It has a catflap and enough food for 3 days. There is still food left when we get back. Much nicer for the cat than a cattery however posh.

We do use catteries but for 3+ days.