Feline at Home Cat Hotel is fully inspected and licensed by East Cambridge District Council (ECDC) in compliance with the current Defra regulations under Licence number 17/00839/AN_01
In October 2018 the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) introduced new controversial Welfare Regulations for the Boarding of animals. In the main, whilst we support the general intentions of the new Guidelines, there are certain flaws and contradictions with the principles that are not in the interests of the cats in our care.
The Regulations have introduced a new 5 star rating system. There is no 2 star or 4 star, you can either be awarded 1, 3 or 5 stars according to having met certain criteria.
I have met all the 5 star requirements except one, therefore I have been awarded a 3 star rating. As cat welfare is of paramount importance the condition I refused to meet was to make the sneeze windows between the pens opaque. In my experience and having spoken to a large number of customers, the cats like to see each other and interact with each other. In a domestic environment they look through glass windows and see cats beyond.
In October 2018 the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) introduced new controversial Welfare Regulations for the Boarding of animals. In the main, whilst we support the general intentions of the new Guidelines, there are certain flaws and contradictions with the principles that are not in the interests of the cats in our care.
The Regulations have introduced a new 5 star rating system. There is no 2 star or 4 star, you can either be awarded 1, 3 or 5 stars according to having met certain criteria.
I have met all the 5 star requirements except one, therefore I have been awarded a 3 star rating. As cat welfare is of paramount importance the condition I refused to meet was to make the sneeze windows between the pens opaque. In my experience and having spoken to a large number of customers, the cats like to see each other and interact with each other. In a domestic environment they look through glass windows and see cats beyond.
Do these cats look concerned that there are cats the other side of the glass?
Would these pens be as welcoming and inviting if the natural daylight was taken away?
The major objectives of the new legislation is to ensure the welfare and well-being of the cats - if I were to comply with this requirement and darken the pens it would be extremely detrimental to the cats well-being and directly contradicts another DEFRA requirement that cats have access to natural light!
Animal Homing Centres insist on opaque perspex between pens. Homing Centres largely deal with feral, sick, and injured animals and they not being able to see their neighbour makes sense. I foster for Cats Protection and I have seen cats throw themselves at the perspex because they are unnerved seeing something move beyond but not knowing what it is.
Where a cat is not sociable, simple and effective best practice measures such as temporary screens can be put in place, there is also provision within the pen to hideaway and not see the neighbour.
We believe that this part of the legislation, is not in the best interest of the majority of cats and should be removed.
A 5 star rated Cattery will have ‘ticked’ this box, the question is do they have your cats welfare and best interests at heart? We welcome visits and I would encourage you to ignore the star ratings and visit the establishment to find where you would be most happy and confident leaving your precious pet.
We are working alongside Fordham Cattery who are active in trying to get the controversial requirements reviewed that clearly do not contribute to the welfare of the cats. Please click on the link to view these issues in much greater detail. http://fordhamcattery.co.uk/defra.php
Animal Homing Centres insist on opaque perspex between pens. Homing Centres largely deal with feral, sick, and injured animals and they not being able to see their neighbour makes sense. I foster for Cats Protection and I have seen cats throw themselves at the perspex because they are unnerved seeing something move beyond but not knowing what it is.
Where a cat is not sociable, simple and effective best practice measures such as temporary screens can be put in place, there is also provision within the pen to hideaway and not see the neighbour.
We believe that this part of the legislation, is not in the best interest of the majority of cats and should be removed.
A 5 star rated Cattery will have ‘ticked’ this box, the question is do they have your cats welfare and best interests at heart? We welcome visits and I would encourage you to ignore the star ratings and visit the establishment to find where you would be most happy and confident leaving your precious pet.
We are working alongside Fordham Cattery who are active in trying to get the controversial requirements reviewed that clearly do not contribute to the welfare of the cats. Please click on the link to view these issues in much greater detail. http://fordhamcattery.co.uk/defra.php