The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

PART 1 Providing boarding for cats

Interpretation

1.  In this Part—

“cat unit” means the physical structure and area that comprises a sleeping area and an exercise run;

“exercise run” means an enclosed area forming part of the cat unit attached to and with direct and permanent access to the sleeping area;

“premises” means the premises on which the licensable activity of providing boarding for cats is carried on.

Suitable environment

2.—(1) Cats within the premises must be prevented from coming into direct contact with other animals from outside the premises.

(2) There must be a safe, secure, waterproof roof over the entire cat unit.

(3) A cat unit may only be shared by cats from the same household.

(4) Communal exercise areas are not permitted.

(5) Each cat unit must be clearly numbered and there must be a system in place which ensures that information about the cat or cats in each cat unit is available to all staff and any inspector.

(6) Each cat unit must provide the cat with sufficient space to—

(a) walk,

(b) turn around,

(c) stand on its hind legs,

(d) hold its tail erect,

(e) climb,

(f) rest on the elevated area, and

(g) lie down fully stretched out,

without touching another cat or the walls.

(7) Each cat unit must have sufficient space for each cat to sit, rest, eat and drink away from the area where it urinates and defecates.

(8) Cats must have constant access to their sleeping area.

(9) A litter tray and safe and absorbent litter material must be provided at all times in each cat unit and litter trays must be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

(10) Each cat unit must include an elevated area.

(11) Adjoining cat units must have solid barriers covering the full height and full width of the adjoining wall.

(12) Any gaps between cat units must be a minimum of 0.6 metres wide.

(13) Any cat taken out of a cat unit must be secured in a suitable carrier.

(14) The sleeping area must form part of the cat unit and be free from draughts.

Monitoring of behaviour and training of cats

3.—(1) There must be an area within each cat unit in which the cat can avoid seeing other cats and people outside the cat unit if it so chooses.

(2) Each cat unit must include a facility for scratching and any surface within a cat unit available for scratching must either be disinfected between uses by different cats or disposed of.

(3) All cats must be provided with toys or feeding enrichment (or both) unless advice from a veterinarian suggests otherwise.

(4) All toys and other enrichment items must be checked daily to ensure they remain safe and must be cleaned and disinfected at least weekly.

Records

4.  A register must be kept of all the cats on the premises which must include—

(a) the dates of each cat’s arrival and departure,

(b) each cat’s name, age, sex, neuter status and a description of it or its breed,

(c) each cat’s microchip number, where applicable,

(d) the number of any cats from the same household,

(e) a record of which cats (if any) are from the same household,

(f) the name, postal address, telephone number (if any) and email address (if any) of the owner of each cat and emergency contact details,

(g) in relation to each cat, the name, postal address, telephone number and email address of a local contact in an emergency,

(h) the name and contact details of each cat’s normal veterinarian and details of any insurance relating to the cat,

(i) details of each cat’s relevant medical and behavioural history, including details of any treatment administered against parasites and restrictions on exercise,

(j) details of each cat’s diet and related requirements,

(k) any required consent forms,

(l) a record of the date or dates of each cat’s most recent vaccination, worming and flea treatments, and

(m) details of any medical treatment each cat is receiving.

Protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease

5.—(1) A cat must remain in its assigned cat unit, except when it is moved to an isolation cat unit or to a holding cat unit.

(2) Where any other activity involving animals is undertaken on the premises, it must be kept entirely separate from the area where the activity of providing boarding for cats takes place.

(3) All equipment must be cleaned and disinfected before a cat is first introduced into a cat unit.

(4) A preventative healthcare plan agreed with the veterinarian with whom the licence holder has registered under paragraph 9(8) of Schedule 2 must be implemented.

(5) A holding cat unit must only be used in an emergency and must not be used for longer than is necessary and in any event for no longer than a total of 12 hours in any 24-hour period.

(6) In this paragraph, “holding cat unit” means a cat unit, separate from any other cat unit, in which a cat may be housed temporarily.