TERMS & CONDITIONS

 

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Please take a moment to read our Terms & Conditions before making a booking. They are designed to make sure you know what to expect from your cat’s stay and to help us provide the best possible care for every guest.

By making a booking with Lodge Farm Cattery, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

 

1. Food

Our boarding rates do not include food.

We have chosen not to include food within our standard boarding rate because an increasing number of cats require specific diets, prescription foods or particular brands and flavours. Providing one standard food for every cat is therefore no longer practical and, more importantly, may not be suitable for your individual cat.

We believe your cat’s usual diet should be maintained wherever possible, so you are welcome to provide their own food for their stay. This allows us to continue their normal routine and helps avoid unnecessary changes to their diet while they are away from home.

We can also supply food for £1.80 per cat, per day if requested. We do not hold a large range of food in stock, but we will do our best to accommodate your cat’s needs.

If your cat refuses their owner-supplied food during their stay, we may substitute this with food from our available supply at £1.80 per cat, per day.

If your cat requires a prescription or specialist diet, please provide sufficient food for their entire stay.

 

2. Vaccinations

To protect all of our guests, cats must have current core vaccinations against:

• Feline Panleukopenia

• Feline Herpesvirus (Rhinotracheitis)

• Feline Calicivirus

A valid vaccination certificate must be presented on arrival or on booking.

Cats must have received their required booster within the previous 12 months, with no break in vaccination cover.

If vaccinations have lapsed and your cat has had to restart their vaccination course, they must wait 14 days after their second vaccination before boarding. This also applies to kittens completing their primary vaccination course.

If a valid vaccination certificate cannot be provided, or vaccinations are not up to date, we may be unable to accept your cat for boarding. Unvaccinated cats are not covered by our insurance and boarding them would not comply with our licensing requirements.

If we have to refuse boarding because vaccination requirements have not been met, the full booking remains payable.

Kittens

Kittens must be fully vaccinated before boarding and have completed their two primary vaccine courses.

All kittens/cats over 6 months of age must be spayed or neutered.

 

3. Flea & Worm Treatment

We ask that all cats are kept up to date with appropriate veterinary flea and worm treatment.

We reserve the right to refuse boarding if your cat arrives with a flea or parasite problem requiring treatment.

If your cat’s routine treatment is due while they are staying with us, please provide the treatment for us to administer.

If fleas are found on your cat during their stay and treatment is required, we will obtain appropriate treatment from your registered veterinary practice where possible.

The following charges will apply:

• £20 administration charge

• Cost of veterinary flea treatment

• £20 deep-cleaning charge

The deep-cleaning charge is necessary to treat the chalet your cat has stayed in and help prevent further spread of fleas to other pets.

 

4. Medication

If your cat requires medication, it is the owner’s responsibility to provide enough medication for their entire stay plus one additional week.

This additional supply is important in case of travel disruption or other unforeseen circumstances which may delay your return.

Medication must be clearly labelled and supplied with clear instructions.

If medication runs out during your cat’s stay, we can contact your veterinary practice to arrange a replacement where possible.

A £20 administration charge plus mileage will apply for collecting medication from the veterinary practice.

The cost of the replacement medication must be paid directly to your veterinary practice by the owner.

 

5. Veterinary Care & Emergencies

Your cat’s health and welfare are always our priority.

If your cat becomes unwell or requires veterinary attention during their stay, we will make every reasonable effort to contact you or your nominated emergency contact before attending the vet.

However, if we cannot contact you in time, particularly in an emergency, we reserve the right to make decisions regarding veterinary treatment based on your cat’s condition and welfare.

We will always act in what we believe to be your cat’s best interests.

Veterinary costs

Any existing or new medical conditions which are not caused by Lodge Farm Cattery are not covered by our cattery insurance.

Where veterinary treatment is required, all veterinary fees are the owner’s responsibility and must be paid directly to the veterinary practice by the owner.

If we need to take your cat to the vet

If we need to take your cat to the veterinary practice, our time and travel charges are:

• £35 for up to 2 hours

• 65p per mile for travel

• £25 per hour for any additional time beyond 2 hours

Our charges are separate from any fees charged by the veterinary practice.

 

6. Diabetic & Epileptic Cats

We are happy to care for diabetic and epileptic cats where we are satisfied that their condition is stable and that we have the appropriate information, medication and facilities required.

All new diabetic and epileptic guests are required to complete a trial boarding stay before we can accept a booking where their owners will be away.

This allows us to assess your cat’s suitability, temperament and individual care requirements in the cattery environment, and to make sure that we are confident we can safely and comfortably provide the level of care they require.

A trial stay is particularly important for cats requiring injections, blood glucose monitoring or medication at specific times, as we need to understand how they respond to handling and the cattery environment before their owners are away.

Completion of a trial stay does not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your cat for future bookings. Their suitability will be assessed on an individual basis, with their health, welfare and the safety of our staff being our priority.

Additional care charge

A £5 per day diabetic/epileptic care supplement applies for all trial boards. Any boards after their trial the supplement is £3 per day. 

This covers the additional time and care involved in observations, injections and/or medication, including medication which may need to be administered outside normal hours.

If we have concerns that your diabetic cat may have high or low blood sugar, we reserve the right to carry out a blood glucose test.

Glucose testing is charged at £3 per test.

Diabetic and epileptic cats must normally be boarded individually unless they have previously stayed with us together, are stable and have a calm nature.

For new diabetic or epileptic guests, we require an up-to-date veterinary profile before a trial stay can be arranged.

 

7. Opening Times & Arrivals/Collections

The cattery is closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

There are no arrivals or collections on these days.

All arrivals and collections must take place by appointment during our advertised opening times.

We cannot accommodate arrivals or collections outside of these times.

 

8. Bookings & Deposits

Bookings must be secured within 48 hours of receiving your booking confirmation by payment of the required deposit.

If the deposit is not received within this time, we reserve the right to release the accommodation for another customer to book.

 

9. Cancellation & Changes

We understand that plans can sometimes change, so our cancellation terms are set out clearly below.

29 days or more before arrival:

Your deposit will be refunded, less a £20 administration charge.

Alternatively, you can transfer your deposit to a new booking date once.

8–28 days before arrival:

The deposit is non-refundable.

7 days or less before arrival:

The full booking balance remains payable.

Any period originally booked is chargeable. There is no deduction for early collection or late arrival.

Changes to bookings

Changes to dates or the length of a booking may affect the amount payable. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to make a change.

Christmas bookings

Christmas bookings require full payment at the time of booking and are non-refundable and non-transferable.

 

10. Prices & Price Changes

Our prices are based on the boarding dates, rather than the date on which a booking is made.

This means that bookings made well in advance are subject to the boarding rates applicable when the stay actually takes place.

Our prices may be reviewed and amended from time to time to reflect changes in:

• Inflation

• Operating costs

• Staffing costs

• Utilities

• Taxation

• Other costs associated with running the cattery

We will notify customers of any price increase affecting an existing booking as soon as reasonably practicable and, wherever possible, before the booking commences.

Where a price increase affects an existing booking, the revised rate will apply to the relevant boarding dates.

Any deposit already paid will remain credited towards the booking and will be deducted from the final balance.

By making a booking, you acknowledge that the price applicable to your stay may change between the date the booking is made and the date your cat boards with us.

Final payment

The remaining balance is due on the day of arrival and can be paid by bank transfer or card payment.

 

11. VAT

Lodge Farm Cattery is in the process of becoming VAT registered and we are currently awaiting confirmation of our VAT registration number.

Our prices are subject to VAT where applicable.

Where VAT is applicable, the VAT element will be charged at the rate required by HMRC and will be shown on your invoice.

Once our VAT registration number has been confirmed, we will update our website and invoices accordingly.

 

12. Safe Arrival & Departure

Cats must arrive and leave in a secure pet carrier.

Lodge Farm Cattery accepts responsibility for your cat once they have been safely handed over to us inside the cattery.

We cannot accept responsibility for your pet outside the cattery building.

 

13. Electrical Items

For the safety of our cats, staff and premises, and in accordance with our insurance and fire-safety requirements, electrical items brought from home are not permitted.

We can only use electrical equipment which is owned, approved and safety-tested by Lodge Farm Cattery.

This applies regardless of whether an item is new or advertised as safety tested.

 

14. Pen Allocation

We will always do our best to accommodate requests for a particular pen.

However, during busy periods this may not always be possible.

Pens are allocated based on a combination of:

• Your cat’s individual needs

• The number of cats in your household

• The length of your stay

• The most suitable accommodation available

 

15. Photographs & Social Media

We may occasionally take photographs of your cat during their stay and use them on our website or social media for promotional purposes.

If you do not want photographs of your cat to be used, please let us know when making your booking.

 

16. Updates During Your Cat’s Stay

We are very happy to provide owners with updates about their cat while they are staying with us.

Updates are currently provided free of charge.

Please understand that updates will normally be sent during daytime hours and when we have time to do so.

The care, comfort and wellbeing of your cat will always come first, so there may be occasions when we are unable to send an update immediately.

 

17. Our Commitment to Your Cat(s)

We are a small, family-run cattery and believe that being small allows us to provide a more personal level of care. Our 5 star licence means we take twice daily observations of your cat(s) behaviour and will report anything of concern to you. 

We take the time to get to know each cat — their personality, routine, likes, dislikes and individual needs.

Every cat is different, and we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Our aim is to provide a safe, comfortable and homely environment where your cat can settle in and enjoy their stay while you are away.

Small enough to know every cat, experienced enough to understand that every cat is different, and dedicated enough to give them the individual care they deserve.

Thank you for choosing Lodge Farm Cattery. ❤️