Going self-employed

Going self-employed with your own cattery?

Looking after the cats is the easy bit: get the pricing, bookings and intake paperwork organised before the first cats come to stay over the holidays.

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Instant digital downloads · UK-focused templates and guides · Not a substitute for professional advice.

The work is one thing. The setup is another.

Looking after the cats is the part you're good at; running the cattery as a business is a different job. Once you're boarding for paying owners you're setting per-night and multi-cat rates, taking deposits to hold holiday dates, checking vaccinations at intake, keeping feeding and any medication notes straight, and turning one-off stays into repeat seasonal bookings. LaunchKit is a set of UK-focused, downloadable templates and guides to help you think through that setup side and get organised from day one. You'll need to look into and sort your own local-authority animal-boarding licence and setup requirements separately. It's a practical starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.

  • Working out per-cat per-night, multi-cat and long-stay rates, and what to charge over peak holiday periods, without underpricing
  • Taking deposits to hold dates and dealing with cancellations around school holidays and Christmas
  • Looking into the local-authority animal-boarding licence and setup requirements yourself, and keeping on top of what's involved
  • Keeping intake details, vaccination checks and feeding or medication notes tidy and consistent for every cat that stays
  • Filling pens steadily and turning holiday one-offs into repeat seasonal bookings instead of empty weeks between peaks

What to sort first

Your get-set-up checklist

  1. 1

    Sort how you'll price stays

    Decide your per-cat per-night rate, multi-cat and long-stay pricing, and how peak holiday periods are charged before you take your first booking.

  2. 2

    Look into your licence and setup

    Boarding cats needs a local-authority animal-boarding licence and there are setup requirements. Look into what your council asks for and sort it yourself; templates don't replace any licence or requirement you need.

  3. 3

    Set up your intake and records

    Get a consistent way to capture owner and cat details, vaccination checks and feeding or medication routines at drop-off. This is practical record-keeping, not veterinary advice.

  4. 4

    Plan deposits and booking terms

    Decide how you'll take deposits to hold holiday dates and what happens on cancellations, so peak-period bookings are secure.

  5. 5

    Set up simple money records

    Get a basic system for tracking what's coming in and going out across the seasons so tax time isn't a scramble.

  6. 6

    Look into the right cover

    Boarding other people's pets is a prompt to look into suitable insurance, not insurance advice. Sort what's right for you separately.

  7. 7

    Make yourself easy to find locally

    Plan how new owners find you and how seasonal regulars re-book, from local search to vet noticeboards and referrals.

Suggested starter stack

A sensible order to build up

The same tools, grouped in the order most people pick them up. You don’t need everything at once — start with the essentials, then add the rest as your business grows.

Start with

Best first step
Startup Guide£4.99

Your map for the practical setup steps, including looking into the licence side, before the first cats arrive.

See what’s inside

Add next

Business Documents — Premium£19.99

The booking, intake and invoice paperwork you'll use for every owner and stay.

See what’s inside
Pricing Calculator — Premium£14.99

So your per-night, multi-cat and peak-period rates cover your time and costs.

See what’s inside

Useful later

Financial Forms Bundle — Premium£19.99

To keep deposits, seasonal takings and multi-cat stays tidy as you grow.

See what’s inside
Social Media Content Kit£4.99

To help you get found locally and keep seasonal regulars re-booking.

See what’s inside

Common questions

Before you buy anything

Do I need to buy everything before I start boarding cats?
No. Most cattery owners start with the startup guide to get the basics organised, then add booking and intake templates and a pricing tool as they go. It's designed to help you build up your setup at your own pace. Sorting your local-authority animal-boarding licence is a separate step you handle yourself.
Are these legal or licensing documents?
No. These are downloadable templates and guides to help you get organised and set up practically. They are not a substitute for professional advice and don't replace any licence, registration, insurance or welfare requirement you need to run a cattery, including the local-authority animal-boarding licence you're responsible for sorting yourself.
Can I use these if I'm already boarding cats?
Yes. Plenty of people already running a cattery pick these up to tidy up their bookings, intake records and pricing rather than starting from scratch.
How do I receive the files?
They're instant digital downloads. After purchase you can download the templates and guides straight away and start using them.
Which should I buy first?
A good practical starting point is the startup guide, followed by the business documents for your bookings and intake paperwork and the pricing calculator to set your per-night and peak rates. From there you can add the other tools as you need them.

Start with the right tools

Get the admin side organised so you can focus on the work. Browse the tools built for cattery businesses.

Start with the Startup Guide See all cattery tools

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