Going self-employed
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.
Instant digital downloads on currently available products · UK-focused templates and guides · Not a substitute for professional advice.
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.
What to sort first
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.
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.
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.
Decide how you'll take deposits to hold holiday dates and what happens on cancellations, so peak-period bookings are secure.
Get a basic system for tracking what's coming in and going out across the seasons so tax time isn't a scramble.
Boarding other people's pets is a prompt to look into suitable insurance, not insurance advice. Sort what's right for you separately.
Plan how new owners find you and how seasonal regulars re-book, from local search to vet noticeboards and referrals.
Recommended LaunchKit tools
Walks you through the practical first steps of setting up your own cattery so you're not guessing what to sort first, including pointing you to look into the licence and setup side yourself.
See what’s inside Your paperworkReady-to-use booking, intake and invoice templates for the paperwork you hand owners when their cat comes to stay.
See what’s inside Your pricingHelps you work through per-cat per-night, multi-cat, long-stay and peak-period pricing so your rates actually cover your time and costs.
See what’s inside Getting foundContent templates to help you get found locally and stay visible to seasonal regulars so pens fill up before the holidays.
See what’s inside Your wordsHelps you write clear booking confirmations, deposit reminders and local listings without staring at a blank screen.
See what’s inside Money adminA set of forms to help you keep deposits, multi-cat stays and seasonal takings organised across busy and quiet periods.
See what’s insideNot sure where to start? See everything for cattery or browse all LaunchKit products.
Suggested starter stack
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.
Common questions
Get the admin side organised so you can focus on the work. Browse the tools built for cattery businesses.
Related
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