Cattery prices UK: what catteries charge per night, and how to set yours

TL;DR: The four UK catteries we checked charge £15.50 to £18 a night for one cat in 2026, and less per cat when two or three from the same home share a unit. A week for one cat at those prices is £108.50 to £126. Your price should come from your own costs and how many units you can realistically fill, not from the cattery down the road.

This is four catteries, not a national survey. Ring or check the websites of five or six near you before you set prices.

What it costs an owner for a week: 7 nights × £15.50 = £108.50 at the cheapest above. 7 × £18 = £126 at the dearest.

Look at the table again. Nearly every cattery does the same things:

1. Price per night (or per day) per unit, not per cat.
2. Discount sharing cats. Two cats from the same home in one unit cost less than two units. You still clean one unit, not two.
3. Charge for extras: larger runs, medication, late collection, peak dates.
4. Take a deposit, at least at peak times.

Sharing prices are for cats from the same home. Check Defra's cat boarding guidance and your council's licence conditions on sharing, and get the owner's agreement in writing on the booking form.

Do this on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Step 1: Count your sellable unit-nights. Number of units × nights you're open in a year. Take off nights you'll close for holidays and deep cleans.

Step 2: Be honest about how full you'll be. Summer, Easter and Christmas fill first. February often doesn't. Write down a realistic percentage for peak months and quiet months separately. In your first year, aim low.

Step 3: Add up your yearly costs.

• licence fee (see below)
• insurance
• heating and electricity (check Defra's guidance and your licence conditions for temperatures, then price a full winter of heating)
• litter, food if you supply it, cleaning products
• vet costs you can't pass on
• website, booking system, card fees
• repairs, and saving for new units
• staff wages
• the wage you need to pay yourself

Step 4: Divide. Total yearly costs ÷ unit-nights you expect to sell = the least you can charge per unit per night.

Step 5: Check against local prices. If you're well above, either your costs are high or your occupancy guess is too low. If you're well below, you're probably undercharging.

Step 6: Set your sharing and extras prices. Price a second cat at what it really adds: food, litter, a bit more time.

There's no reliable published figure for cattery owners' profits. Anyone giving you one number is guessing. What decides your income:

• Units. You can't sell more than you've built. Check unit sizes against Defra's guidance and your licence before you build.
• Occupancy. Empty units in February still cost you heating.
• Staff. Wages grow with the number of cats you board. Check Defra's guidance for staffing levels before you plan capacity.
• Peak pricing. Two of the four catteries above charge differently over Christmas.

For comparison, the National Careers Service says kennel workers (employees, not owners) earn £19,000 to £25,000 a year.

Use the steps above with your own figures. Then work out your monthly income by season, not as one average. Your August and your February will look very different.

Ask your council about licensing before you open. GOV.UK's Defra licensing guidance is the place to start. Councils publish their own fees. Two examples for 2026/27:

• Shropshire: £562 for a new licence for 0 to 10 cats (£354.06 when you apply, £207.94 when granted). Renewal is £487.
• Winchester: £430 for catteries.

Ask your council how long its licences last and how renewals are charged, then spread the cost across the years. Our guide to starting a cattery covers the licence question too.

The Cattery Pricing Calculator — Premium (£14.99) is an Excel workbook with 10 income lines, including per night, long-stay, multi-cat, premium suites, medication, and collection and delivery. It has an expenses tracker and monthly dashboard so you can see your real rate per unit.

The Cattery Business Documents — Premium (£19.99) includes a Client Registration & Cat Details form, Boarding Stay Record and Vaccination & Health Certificate Record, among 17 templates.

The four catteries we checked charge £15.50 to £18 a night for one cat in 2026. Prices vary by area and facilities, so check local catteries.

At £15.50 to £18 a night, a week for one cat is £108.50 to £126, before any booking fee or extras.

Usually, if they're from the same home and share a unit. The catteries we checked charged £25 to £26 for two sharing, or £9 extra for a second cat.

There's no reliable published figure for owners. Work it out from your units, realistic occupancy by season, and your yearly costs.

All accessed 1 October 2026.

• Crowbank, "Rates & FAQs"
• Ranpura Farm Cattery, "Boarding fees" (rates 1 Jan–31 Dec 2026)
• Ryslip, "Cattery"
• RSPCA Isle of Wight, "Bohemia Boarding – Cattery" (2026 and 2027 prices)
• Defra, "Cat boarding licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities"
• Shropshire Council, "Animal licensing fees" (2026/27)
• Winchester City Council, "Boarding animals licence" (2026/27 fees)
• National Careers Service, "Kennel worker"

This article is general information. Check licensing with your council wherever you are in the UK.