We have had a lot of people comment on how wonderful it would be to run a cattery and it is, but also very hard work and costly.. Your local cattery has a lot of over heads just to have the doors open and there is much more cost involved than first meets the eye. There will be some differences in running costs between a cattery in Melbourne, Geelong and a Torquay cattery for example. In Melbourne rental costs are much higher and this reflects in the boarding prices.
Federal government take a fee for running a business, local council take a fee for licensing, rates and planning applications, there is building and liability insurance and then there is the cost of rent, wages, power, gas and food supplies.
Our little fur guests can also at times damage furniture and toys such as scratching posts, tunnels, bedding etc. which means your local cattery is constantly replacing items, as well as dietary requirements. All of which is built into the cost of boarding.
Why are cattery owners in the business then? Because we love what we do. It doesn’t mater if the cattery is in Melbourne or Torquay, one thing we all have in common is a love for cats, all cats.