FAQ

Q. I’ve never boarded my cat before — will he/she be OK?

A. Yes, almost certainly. The vast majority of our guests start to relax within a day of arriving. Even shy kitties seem to realize that they’re in a safe place, not at the vet’s office, and will eat and interact with us with a little coaxing. Most of our clients report that their cats readjust easily when they get back home, which suggests that they weren’t seriously upset by their experience here.

Q. How long have you been open?

A. Catnip Hill has been providing the Madison area’s best cat boarding since May 2005.

Q. Did you build Catnip Hill especially for cat boarding?

A. Yes, the building was designed and constructed specifically for this purpose. We chose the octagon shape so that every room has a window and all rooms look out on the central kitchen (no cat ever ends up out of sight at the end of a hallway).

Q. What experience do you have with cats?

A. Christine, the owner and primary cat-pamperer, has had 12 cats of her own over the past four decades, and provided foster care for over 75 cats and kittens for various humane societies and animal rescue groups since 2002. Add in the many hundreds of guest cats she’s cared for at Catnip Hill, and there’s not much in the way of cat behavior and health that she hasn’t seen.

Q. How many cats can you board?

A. We have twelve guest rooms, and each room can accommodate up to three cats from the same family (we never mix cats from different households).

Q. Do you have a minimum age for boarding?

A. No, but if your cat is under six months old, please call us to discuss your plans. We usually prefer not to board very young kittens (under three months) by themselves for more than a week at a time (if you have a pair of kittens to keep each other company, longer stays are less of a problem).

Q. Do you give medications/insulin injections/subcutaneous fluids?

A. Please see the Special Needs page for information.

Q. What happens if my cat needs veterinary care?

A. We’ll first try to reach you to find out how you’d like us to proceed. If we can’t contact you, we’ll call your veterinarian for advice and instructions, and take your cat in for treatment if asked to do so. For potentially life-threatening problems outside of office hours, we will take your cat to the Veterinary Emergency Service east clinic in Monona.

Q. Do you take deposits?

A. No, but if your plans change and you need to cancel or shorten your reservation, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer the room to another customer.

Q. Should I bring food for my cat?

A. Yes. A sudden change of diet can upset your cat, physically and emotionally, and it’s not practical for us to keep all brands and flavors of food available. We strongly encourage you to bring canned food for your cat — this is what we prefer to feed, because it helps keep the cats well hydrated.

Q. Should I bring food and water bowls?

A. We prefer that you not bring any dishes, bowls, utensils, can lids, and so on, since it’s very tricky to keep track of these things in the kitchen.

Q. Should I bring a litter box or cat litter?

A. We normally provide litter boxes and unscented clumping litter, though you’re welcome to bring your own if your cat is very picky or has had litter-box “issues.”

Q. Can I bring a scratching post or cat tree?

A. Yes, as long as there are no protruding nails or screws on the bottom.

Q. Can I drop off or pick up my cat outside of your designated office hours?

A. Generally not. Catnip Hill is a family-run business, located on the same property as our house, and Christine personally provides care for our guest cats seven days a week. The trade-off for this consistent, attentive care is that we limit our office hours so we can schedule our own appointments, do our shopping and errands, and enjoy our family activities. By keeping the disruption of arrivals and departures confined to certain hours, we also reduce stress for our guests. If you have a genuine emergency — for example, you need to travel at very short notice because of an illness in the family, or you’re stuck in traffic with your cat en route to Catnip Hill — we’ll make every effort to accommodate you. Otherwise, we ask that you plan to drop off and pick up your cat during the designated check-in/check-out times.