People searching for a cat hotel usually want the same thing as people searching for a cattery: a safe, clean room for their cat while they travel. The label matters less than the setup behind it.
How the two words are used
Cattery is the older word and has long meant a building made for housing cats. Cat hotel is the newer, friendlier term, and it fits the way boarding is billed: by the night, with check-out in the morning, much like a hotel. Neither word tells you the size of the space, the cleaning routine or how many cats share a room, so those are worth asking about.
Happy Paws also bills by the night, like a hotel, and checks out by 11:30 AM. An afternoon pick-up is charged half of the nightly fee.
What to look for in either one
The AAFP and ISFM environmental needs guidelines give a good checklist, built around a cat's needs rather than a building's name.
- A safe place where the cat can hide or retreat.
- Raised spaces to climb and watch from.
- A litter box that is the cat's own and kept clean.
- Separate places for food, water and the litter box.
- Routine and calm handling.
What a cat gets at Happy Paws
The cattery is in the front building of the 2022 expansion, and the dog runs are in the separate kennel building. Each cat has an individual four-level tower, which the rate sheet calls a condo, with its own litter box and blanket. There is also a cat tree and there are cat houses to play in and hide in.
House food is free, with pate and a chicken-and-rice kibble, or you can bring your own. Medications are given at no extra charge.
Price and next step
One cat is $35 a night and each additional cat sharing a condo is $30 on the 2026 rates. Tours run daily from 9 to 11 AM and 2 to 4 PM, so you can compare any two places side by side. Read what is a cattery for a day-in-the-life view.