Our Address and Location:
Stay Kitty Stay is located on private property in Mahwah, NJ. We keep our address private to the public to keep the cats that are with us safe and secure. A few days prior to your arrival (once we receive full payment for your booking) you will receive a welcome email. This will include our address with directions along with our recommendations of what to pack for your kitty to make their stay better with us. You will also have our director’s personal cell phone during your cat’s stay.
Vaccinations:
Rabies MUST be current and up to date at the time of check in, and proof of vaccination must be provided to Stay Kitty Stay-NO EXCEPTIONS will be made. We also prefer that the FVRCP (distemper) vaccination be given 7 days prior to the cat’s stay so that immunity is at 100%. This vaccination protects your cat against common feline viral infections that can/may be found in catteries or shelters. No cat will come in contact with any other cat during their stay, however, a majority of the viral infections are airborne that is why vaccinations are required.
Blood and Fecal Tests:
*A Feline Leukemia (FLeV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and a negative FECAL Test must be provided by you ONLY if your cat will be free roaming within the catter due to a long term stay (greater than 30 days). If your cat is positive for any of these viral infections they can still stay with us but they will NOT be able to intermingle with the other cats in our cattery. If your cat(s) are staying long term, you must also agree to flea/tick treatment that we will apply monthly if your cat is free roaming and has access to our outdoor cattery.
Medications:
We are able to accommodate guests who need oral medications, inhalers, nasal, or topical medications. We no longer administer injectable medications, i.e. insulin. The additional fee for medicine administration is $5 per day, per medication that is administered. We must be provided the exact dose in a form of a pill or capsule and/or liquid medication in the exact dose (pre-cut if a tablet/pill) with the prescribing veterinarian's label indicating the name of the guest cat name of the medication, and its dosage, or any special instructions. Instructions regarding how to prepare your cat's medication will be sent to you in advance of your check-in.
Cancellation Policy:
Stay Kitty Stay understands that travel plans can change easily. Therefore, we have instituted a flexible cancellation policy. Your payment for boarding is due ~5 days prior to your reservation and payments are made using a simple online payment system. However, if you have booked during a major holiday and/or during the summer season, we may ask for full payment in advance of the 5 days. This is due to there being multiple requests for reservations coming in during that time.
If you cancel your paid reservation within 3 days or less prior to the start of your booking we will not be able offer a refund.
If you have changes to your travel or you need to remove your cat before the end of your paid reservation we cannot refund you. Please understand that once you have paid in full, and checked in with your cat, we have turned away other reservations making it difficult to refund early check outs.
Feedings:
We provide your cat(s) with all they need including feedings (2 x per day) consisting of wet and dry food. We highly recommend that you include the food they are used to eating at home as cats can be very picky or get upset stomachs when they change their diet. If you want us to feed them our brands of food, you should provide us with a few days of their current food to transition them to the change in diet. Without the proper transition to the new food, your cat is likely to develop GI issues during their stay! We cannot guarantee the brand of kind of food we provide. **important for cats with food allergies**
Supplies:
We provide beds, blankets, towels, and bowls for our guests' comfort, but you are welcome to bring your own bedding, toys, etc. from home. Please understand that while your cat may never soil or destroy things at home, in a new environment they may feel the need to do so. SKS staff does its absolute best in preventing this but cannot guarantee or replace items that have been destroyed or lost
Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures:
Our Director, Kate Lawrence, will request an arrival window from you prior to your reservation date. Our drop off and pick up hours are listed below. Please notify us at least 24 hours in advance if your arrival window should change to insure someone is available to greet you at the cattery.
Check-in and Check-out appointments are made Monday - Saturday:
Check-in appointments can be scheduled 3 PM - 6 PM
Check-out appointments can be scheduled 9 AM - 12 PM
*Alternative times and Sundays may be accommodated if requested in advance, please contact us for special requests.
We are closed on ALL major holidays, if your booking falls during a holiday your check-out date will be the day following the holiday.
**If you are due to drop off/pick up at the end of our day and you are running late, we will wait for up to one hour after our closing time. If you do not arrive within that hour, we will have to extend your cat’s stay.
Payment:
Full payment is due for the entire boarding time frame 5 days prior to the start of your booking. Payment can be made via credit card (Stripe Payment Processing) by using a payment link that you will receive in the confirmation email. In some cases we will accept paypal or venmo, please contact us if you need to make payment with these options. We do not ask for full payment until 5 days prior to your reservation. However, if it is high season and we are booked, we will ask for payment in advance to hold your suite.
Cat’s Health Condition:
Please ensure that your cat is healthy on the day of arrival (no nasal or eye discharge, cough, sneezing or diarrhea, etc). If you see any change in your cat's health on or before boarding, please notify the Stay Kitty Stay staff. Boarding can be a stressful experience for some cats and pre-existing problems may worsen with stress. While your cat is staying with us, our staff will observe appetite, water intake, stools & urine output, and attitude. Any changes or concerns are reported to you and/or to a veterinarian. If your cat(s) should begin to show signs of any condition that requires treatment, your cat will be isolated to prevent potential contagions within the cattery. This is policy to protect all cats within our care. You will be notified immediately if we believe your cat may be developing any condition that requires isolation.
Parasites, Fleas & Ticks:
We keep Stay Kitty Stay a flea/tick free facility. To do this all cat's must be 100% free of these little buggers! Please insure that your cat is free of all parasites and/or has been treated for fleas/ticks prior to arrival. Each cat will receive a flea comb test on their arrival to insure that they do not carry any fleas. If we do find any parasites on your cat, we will apply a topical product for a charge. If your cat will be staying long term, and possibly free roaming in our cattery, you must also provide us with a negative fecal test.
Veterinary Care:
We take the care of your cat(s) seriously while they are with us. Our highly trained staff will take note daily of any changes to your cat including; lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting (without hairball), fever, rash, eye/nasal discharge, or anything that is of concern. We will contact you immediately or your emergency contacts which we ask for two that are NOT with you. If your cat(s) illness requires a vet visit we have our house vet less than 2 miles from our cattery, and two emergency centers open 24/7 within 10 miles. You will be financially responsible for any care provided by a veterinarian while your cat is in our care.