Dear Customer
At Highland Cats Country Retreat our aim is to provide you with complete reassurance that whilst you are away from home your cats will be enjoying a truly relaxing holiday here, with us. Safe and well cared for.
We are a small dedicated team, all cat owners ourselves (past and present) providing a level of care that we would want for our own cats -as well as complying with (and exceeding) industry best practice. From providing the high quality food, litter and bedding, in large bright suites, to making sure the cats enjoy plenty of interaction,if they want it, we do everything in our power to make sure each stay is the best possible. We respect each cat as an individual.
We also keep you informed, providing you with written confirmation of your booking ( to ensure that all details are double checked in advance) followed by a number of reminders in the weeks before arrival / departure. The important changes we have made to respond to Coronavirus are detailed in the information sheet we send you with your booking as well as kept up to date on our website via our latest news section.
We always welcome feedback (and appreciate your reviews) and if you have a question then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The team @ Highland Cats
Dear Cat Guest,
Are you looking for that exclusive, quiet, upmarket holiday destination in the country, with the space and comfort to unwind in true comfort? And with lots to see and do ? Then welcome to Highland Cats. We are a small cattery with spacious apartments in a number of different cosy buildings surrounding our house.
Each apartment is spacious and light, with lots of hidey/ sleeping/ sitting areas as well as places to climb and scratch and a view of the birds in the garden from the window. All are furnished with a choice of beds and lots of comfy, freshly laundered bedding/ rugs. Each also has a mini bar, different types of toys, a massage brush and of course, an en-suite giant tray with luxury quality clumping litter- scooped to order!
We pride ourselves in taking care of your every need and giving you lots of attention … if you want it. And the longer your stay, the more we provide to keep you occupied and happy. Our breakfast and dinner menu offers quality food (though please bring your own if you are on a special diet or want to stick to what you know) and treats.
We can’t think of anything we haven’t got covered for that amazingly relaxing, luxury holiday- so do come and give us a try 🙂
Hope to see you soon.
The team @ Highland Cats
Due to the impact of Coronavirus on our business, and the travel industry in general, please note that we are not currently taking bookings for boarding between 25 November 2020 – 25 February 2021.We will review this in September.
Highland Cats are currently only open for emergency requirements linked to the coronavirus pandemic, but hope to be open again, all being well, from 25 June
However we would like you to know that we are always at the end of the phone for our regular customers who may need our help during these times.
In the meantime we are making changes to our business to respond to the need for social distancing and making even greater efforts than our normal high standards in terms of cleaning and preparations. We are also updating our paperwork and website on a continuing basis to make you aware of any changes.
At Highland Cats we normally have a range of sizes of accommodation for you to choose from. But in the coming months we will be scaling back our occupancy/ availability as part of our response to Coronavirus and we will be allocating our guests their apartments dependent on their need and our availability. We will not be using our smaller suites. The option to upgrade to a larger suite is therefore not needed at the present time
We are a small team that work very closely together to provide the best holiday experience possible to our feline guests and their humans. Gill McDonald – owns and runs the cattery. She is the voice at the end of the phone and makes sure all your booking details are taken care of, ahead of arrival as well as working in the cattery herself. Diane is the person on the team who will be here the most in the coming months. Kat and Belinda will also be assisting.
We have a details up in reception where you can see which of us is on duty when you arrive.
In our experience it is much easier for a cat to settle in to the cattery if they arrive during our morning reception – particularly if they are new or arriving during the winter months. It gives them time to settle and take in their surroundings and meet us throughout the day and so, if possible, we always recommend the use of our morning reception for arrival.
Further, with social distancing requirements in mind we are strongly recommending the use of morning receptions.
Our cancellation policy is straightforward, making it easy to understand and covers what will happen if you have to, unfortunately, cancel, substantially amend or cut short your holiday plans once a booking has been confirmed.
Obviously cancellation policies are not very exciting subjects but our policy is designed to balance a number of factors so making it fair to those cancelling, to those looking for space and to us as a business.
There is no penalty for cancelling a booking 11 days or more ahead of boarding commencing. Monies already paid are refunded
If you cancel 10 days or less ahead you will remain liable for up to £120 or the whole cost of your booking if it is less.
Early departures will be treated as cancellations
Amendments can be made at any time to a booking but, if considered by us as substantial, will be subject to the cancellation policy. Amendments that give rise to extra costs are always liable.
Payment (at least 3 weeks in advance) is preferred by bank transfer.
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Please note that these are new bank details
Regretfully we no longer accept cheques, prefer not to handle cash, and do not have card facilities
If you have any concerns about paying by Bank Transfer then please feel free to contact us to discuss alternative options.
Please remember that cats using catteries MUST have evidence of current annual vaccinations.
These vaccinations must have been given, by the vet, AT LEAST 2 weeks ahead of boarding, if they are due to be renewed. It is your responsibility to let the vet know that your cat will be boarding so that the vet can ensure your cat receives the most appropriate vaccine.
Sadly this morning we got to 5 days before her holiday before one of our new customers discovered her cat’s vaccinations were out of date and she was having to start the programme again. And that means 3 weeks before the cat is wholly vaccinated plus 2 weeks wait after application. We were so sorry not to be able to board her cat for her
It was really hard having to apologise that we were unable to take her cat. But this requirement is part of our (and other catteries) license conditions.
If vaccinations are due to expire once a cat is already boarding then that is acceptable for short stays.
Our website now allows availability to be checked by our customers and, if ready to do so, make a request for a booking.
If for any reason the checker shows “no availability, please do call/ text/ e-mail us to check on availability the old fashioned way. And we continue to welcome enquiries and bookings by phone etc if you prefer not to use the website option.
As part of our many visits a day to our guests we offer them a PURRDATE or two…. our version of “speed dating” for cats or perhaps similar to a 1-2-1 playdate. These “dates” take place in their own suites.
They are all are about chatting to our guests, stroking, gently playing and generally fitting in with their mood. Most cats love it and those that aren’t interested in our company seem to put up with/ grudgingly like us sitting at a distance chatting to them and building their confidence in us.
Our reception hours haven’t been set, by chance as we have analysed the times of arrivals and departures over the past few years and set our times to coincide with the most popular times that people requested. We were keen to find times that suit both our human customers as well as our feline guests and we also need to ensure that there is always someone trained in our reception process and familiar with your cat (especially if they are departing) available to welcome you and settle your cat in to their accommodation.
Coronavirus Update
With the Coronavirus pandemic upon us we are making changes to the way our reception operates – to keep us, you and your cats safe. Our guide times remain the same but, importantly, we will be operating within pre-arranged 10 minute personal appointment times within these hours . Outwith these times reception will be locked and we will not be available, except by pre-arrangement.
Mornings – 7 days a week – between 9 – 10 am.
The mornings are certainly the most popular times, and rightly so. The mornings ensure it is far easier to plan for the cat not doing a vanishing act, forgetting to return home or making you feel like a complete killjoy for keeping them locked in all day pending arrival at the cattery. We are also keen to encourage new customers to book in in the morning so that their cat gets to know us during the day before “lights out” in the evening .
It is now also the best time for the cattery and we are strongly recommending that customers book a morning arrival and departure whenever possible. To make this easier we have increased the discount for morning departure.
Afternoon – 6 days a week – between 4.30 – 5.30 pm (closed Saturday)
We are not open on a Saturday afternoon as this is the time least requested by our customers and therefore the least inconvenient time we can find to have a welcome change of pace for the cattery owner and team :-). This closure applies to appointments as well.
Out of Hours – on rare occassions – excluding Saturday/Sunday.
During the week we will try to assist and accommodate reasonable requests for arrival out of hours. Please always contact us, in advance, to find out what is possible and outwith the reception hours noted above a charge applies.
We ask our customers to respect our hours and not to turn up unannounced or to come to our reception door out of hours without prior agreement. You would put us in a very awkward position.
It has to be said though that our reception hours are not the same as our working hours, by any means, and you will find we are often at the end of a phone, email or text 14 hours a day – ready and willing to help you plan for those all important feline holiday times!
Food is so important when you are staying at an all inclusive holiday venue.
And so we like to offer our guests quality food – and a change of menu – at breakfast and dinner time.
We firstly like to know whether our guests are meat or fish eaters by preference – or whether either option is welcome.
Breakfast is then a choice of either/ or both Sheba foil trays or pouches (wet) and Purina Proplan kibble (dry).
Dinner is a choice of either/ or both of a high end Felix pouch (Doubly Delicious) (wet) and Science Plan kibble (dry).
All in fresh bowls for each meal.
We obviously monitor likes and dislikes and will adapt the menus based accordingly
We are more than happy to serve our guests their own food. Some cats are more creatures of habit than others and a change of food may not be to their liking. And some may be on special diets.
Our choice of food is always high quality and for this reason we never choose to feed coloured kibbles nor offer an open ended menu 9as that can lead to food being stored too long).
Not all cats like to travel on a full tummy so as well as water we always ensure they have a bowl of food available on arrival so that they can skip their breakfast or dinner before travel.
Likewise we prefer to err on the side of not feeding our guests immediately before departure in the afternoon.
We provide a lot of toys for our guests either as part of the furnishings or adding them in and swapping them around (after careful cleaning) as needed. Our aim is to provide constant stimulation/ enrichment. And as we know cats attention spans with some toys can be quite short. It is always good to know when one of our guests has a dislike or a need to avoid a particular type of toy.
Due to coronavirus we are unable to accept toys (or bedding) from home.
At Highland Cats we are always delighted to welcome cats for any length of stay.
However there are a few important aspects of short stay bookings that we would like to share.
Clearly the most stressful part of any cattery visit is the arrival and departure – the journey is not any different in the cat’s mind to being bundled in to the box to head off to the vets. Which obviously may not have very happy associations, no matter how nice the vet is.
So, we always encourage our guests to give themselves the time, if they can, to unwind and relax in to their comfy surroundings before the journey home and or onward destination is contemplated. Based on experience (and reports from other catteries) a minimum stay should normally be at least 3 days, 2 nights, if at all possible.
This minimum stay recommendation relates even more pertinently to cats making their first visit to a cattery. In order to let the cat settle and know that the cattery is a relaxing place and the people they are meeting can be trusted, we always strongly advise new customers against putting their cat in for a very short period of a day or two “to try it out” or “see how they get on”. No cattery could really give honest feedback on how a cat is doing based on only a night. Personally we don’t think it is fair to the cat to put them through the stress of travel for one night for a stay in a strange place, if it can be avoided. Obviously there may be time when there is no choice but a wee stay in a cattery is a good part of learning for a young cat so that emergencies don’t result in extra stress for cat.. or human.
Our minimum charge reflects this thinking. There is no restriction on the cat staying any length of time if circumstances dictate . However there is another reason for this minimum charge. As a business that takes great pride in the quality of the people we employ, the amount of bedding and toys we provide, the quality of litter and size of the tray provided and the amount of time we spend with our guests and the depth of our cleaning regime between guests, our minimum charge must necessarily reflect the economies of keeping the cattery viable.
In line with other small businesses we ensure that we are looking after our data records correctly. This is our current operational policy.
Lights out now signals the arrival of a tasty “fresh morsel”. And the surprise is that our guests never know whether it is going to be a bit of poached chicken, fresh ham, tinned tuna, fresh fish or some Lick-e-Lix.
Nice to have a bit of a treat and a surprise on holiday 🙂
At Highland Cats we are always doing our bit to reduce our impact on the environment. This affects our choice in terms of:
In addition to our commitment to providing the best quality litter (“Worlds Best” biodegradable clumping litter mixed with Siria), and the largest of litter trays (doubled up for extra stability when needed), we also scoop and remove any little offerings many times a day.
We believe it can’t really get much better than that for keeping our guests (and their neighbours) ultra comfortable when it comes to holiday en-suite facilities.
We have had a mouse invasion (of the laser variety) at Highland Cats.
One has taken up residence in each of our suites and they are ready to play 
The cattery has the best of both worlds in terms of location.
We are in lovely countryside, on the banks of the Caledonian canal on the western outskirts of Inverness. And yet we are actually less than 3 miles from the very centre of Inverness.
However using a SatNav to find us comes with problems as our postcode covers a large area and you will normally find yourself in the right area but on the wrong side of the A82.
Our turning is left off the A82 coming from Inverness followed by a gentle descent down the road, passing the hotel and keeping left down to the turning circle.
Comfortable bedding is a must.
And then there all these shelves and chairs to lounge on.
So with that in mind we provide a wide range of bedding (there are at least two types of bed in each suite) and shelf rugs (for the different shelves and chair provided).
Just how much we provide can be illustrated in the photo of a pile of folded rugs and blankets just picked fresh this morning from our linen cupboard and on their way to make up one of our Suites ready for the arrival of a single guest tomorrow. Obviously we provide even more for two cats sharing.
Unfortunately we are unable to accept beds from home at the present time.
Cats can sleep as much as 16 hours a day, and older cats spend even more time at rest — as much as 20 hours a day. That sleeping habit is a result of the cat’s evolution, nutritional habits, and physiology. In the wild, cats have to hunt in 
order to eat, and the stalking, chasing, and killing of prey burns a lot of energy. Sleeping helps cats conserve energy between meals.
Of the time cats spend sleeping, about three quarters of it is snoozing. In that state, cats can get all the rest they need, but they’re still alert enough to awaken at a moment’s notice. You can tell when a cat is in light sleep because their ears will twitch and rotate toward noises and their eyes will be open a tiny bit. Even when they’re sitting upright, cats can slip into that dozing mode. (Source: Catster)
01463 715118 / 07545 241885
