Carnegie Cat Cottage
A First Class Urban Cat Boarding Lodge

When going away on holidays, considering what to do with your feline companion can be a dilemma. Most cats do not appreciate long car journeys. Acclimatising your feline companion to your holiday destination can be tricky and may dampen your holiday experience.

Boarding your feline companion in a safe and secure environment with trained personnel looking after them is a good option. This will allow you to enjoy your holiday, without any worries.

Carnegie Cat Cottage - Hours of Admission and Discharge

Monday-Friday	10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Saturday	09:00 am - 1.30 pm
Sunday	Please Note: No Admission or Discharge
Public Holidays	Please Note: No Admission or Discharge

Boarding Fees

Feline Companion - per Raintree™ Cat Condo

$19.00 per day

Carnegie Cat Cottage boarding fees are a flat rate.

We do not charge extra for public holidays, school holidays, Easter or Christmas.

(The Raintree™ Cat Condo is designed for one feline companion at a time.
We do not recommend feline companions from the same household share the Raintree™ Cat Condo.
However, feline companions from the same household can be placed side by side, which provides for close proximity but with enough space for each companion.
This is important as one companion per Condo allows for strict adherence to cleanliness and hygiene and hence happier feline boarders.)

• No admissions or discharges on public holidays and Sundays.
• All boarding fees are GST inclusive
• Boarding Fees are charged on a ‘per day’ basis. No boarding fee is charged for the day of departure if your feline companion is checked out before 1pm.
• A 10% deposit is required for all bookings made for school holidays, Easter, Christmas and New Year.
  The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable if bookings are cancelled. This is important so as not to disadvantage other feline companions from gaining a place at Carnegie Cat Cottage as a result of cancellations. The deposit is deducted from your total boarding fee at the time of settlement.

Payment Options

We accept;

• Cash
• EFTPOS
• Mastercard
• Visa

What Do We Feed Our Boarders?

Dry – Iams Multi-Cat (with Chicken and Salmon)
Wet – Advance (with Chicken and Tuna)

IAMS MULTI-CAT WITH CHICKEN AND SALMON

• This premium dry food diet is formulated specifically for cats of various ages and helps adult cats maintain proper body condition, without compromising on meeting their individual nutritional needs.
• For larger cats that tend to gain weight, L-Carnitine is a proven fat burner, while the addition of Vitamin A can help lower the risk of gaining extra weight.
• High levels of animal protein helps both heavy and trim cats maintain lean muscle mass, a healthy body condition and supports organ and immune function.
• Animal Based Protein and Low Magnesium level: Promotes urinary tract health
• The patented fibre system helps reduce the likelihood of hairball formation for smooth digestive function and optimal colon health
• Daily Dental Care System: Micro-cleansing crystals clinically proven to reduce tartar build up across the entire mouth during and after meals by up to 43%
• Patented Carbohydrate Blend: To help maintain normal blood sugar levels for weight control
• Balanced Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acid Ratio of 5-10:1 - for healthy skin and coat
• Antioxidants: For strong and healthy immune system
• Beet Pulp: For a healthy digestive system and less litter waste and odour

ADVANCE WITH CHICKEN AND TUNA

• Specifically developed to maintain ideal body weight and composition
• Chicken and Tuna as main source of quality protein
• Complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats

Boarders with special requirements

Carnegie Cat Cottage is maintained by trained veterinary nurses. Boarders that require medications or have special dietary requirements are accommodated. Please make sure that all medications are labelled with your companion’s name and surname, clinic’s name and address and the type, concentration, and dose of medication to be administered. Boarders with special dietary requirements – we will feed the diet that you provide. Please label all diets clearly with your companion’s first and last name with indelible ink.

Requirements for admission to Carnegie Cat Cottage

• Must be at least 4 months old.
• Neutered (unless younger than 5-6 months)
• Must be up to date with his/her preventative health care regime;
  • minimum F3 vaccination
  • dewormed against gastro-intestinal worms
  • must be flea free on admission.
  It would be wise to administer a veterinary approved de-wormer and flea control 7-10 days prior to anticipated boarding.
• Please note, for the safety your companion, other companions, clients and our staff - all boarders must arrive in a basket or carry cage. Please respect and understand this rule. NO EXCEPTIONS. Baskets or carry cages must be lined with either a towel or thick newspaper. This will keep your feline companion dry to and from Carnegie Cat Cottage.
• The basket or carry cage must be labelled clearly with your companion’s first and last name.
• It is best not to bring any toys or other belongings to the boarding lodge as they may get misplaced with the passage of time. Your feline companion will do fine without them.
• You will be required to sign a disclaimer and admissions form stating the requirements for admission and an authority for veterinary intervention should it be required. If veterinary intervention is required, the client will be liable for all veterinary and related costs.

Please consult the Preventative Health Care Guide for Cats below on recommended regimes. Please note: With respect to the health and well being of all our boarders - feline companions found to have evidence of fleas, flea dirt or worms will be treated at his/her parent’s expense. Specific veterinary products as described in the preventative health care guide will be used for this purpose.

Please consult this Easy Guide - Preventative Health Care Guide for Cats on recommended regimes.

Double click to open and read on screen, or right click and 'Save as' to download and print out.

Preventative Health Care in Cats.pdf

Please note: With respect to the health and well-being of all our boarders - feline companions found to have evidence of fleas, flea dirt or worms will be treated at his/her parent’s expense. Specific veterinary products as described in the Preventative Health Care Guide will be used for this purpose.

Something about feline viral respiratory disease
(Also known as feline upper respiratory tract disease or ‘cat flu’)

At least 90% of cases of feline upper respiratory tract disease are caused by one of two viruses:

• Feline herpesvirus, and
• Feline calicivirus

Please note: Feline herpes virus and feline calicivirus do not pose a risk to human health.

Chlamydophila psittaci is the third most important cause of upper respiratory tract disease in cats. However it is the primary agent in less than 5% of clinical respiratory infections seen in general veterinary practice. Chlamydial infections are clinically restricted to the conjunctiva and oronasal mucosa.

Clinical diagnosis of feline upper respiratory tract disease is based on history and physical examination findings. This is sufficient information to pursue treatment and follow-up care. As treatment options for the various causative agents are nearly identical, there is little advantage in precise identification of the causative agent.

Feline Herpes Virus (FHV)

Transmission of herpes virus requires intimate contact between shedding and susceptible hosts. The normal breathing movements of an acutely infected cat does not produce infective aerosols, but sneezing which produces macro-droplets might spread virus particles. Herpes virus can survive for less than 24 hours in the environment, making long term contamination of inanimate objects (such as bedding) unlikely.

Carrier cats can either be latently or actively infected. Latent or subclinical carriers maintain the viral genome in the tissues of the nasal passages. Under situations of stress i.e. transportation, rehousing, cat shows, lactation, hospitalisation, concurrent disease (e.g. FIV or FeLV) the viral genetic material is activated and the virus is shed intermittently. This process can be associated with mild clinical signs. Cats with a known history of severe upper respiratory tract disease or recurrent mild disease are potential carriers even if vaccinated.

Feline Calici Virus (FCV)

This virus is transmitted readily between cats by direct, close contact and is found in large quantities in oculonasal secretions and saliva of acutely infected cats. Small amounts are found in the urine and faeces. Calicivirus can survive and remain infective on inanimate objects for up to 10 days, hence environmental contamination is important.

Carriers of feline calicivirus shed a constant amount of virus for weeks to years after primary infection, irrespective of stressful stimuli. Virus shedding can end abruptly. Some feline calicivirus carriers can have persistent mild conjunctivitis, gingivitis or periodontal disease.

Clinical signs of ‘cat flu’

• Sneezing is the hallmark of acute infections
• Watery to Yellow/Green unilateral or bilateral nose discharge
• Watery to Yellow/Green unilateral or bilateral eye discharge
• Ulcers in the mouth
• Ulcers on the eye and other viral associated inflammatory eye conditions
• Possible fever

Treatment of ‘cat flu’

• Complications with secondary bacterial infections are so common that a broad spectrum antibiotic is justified even in cats without a yellow/green eye or nose discharge
• Viral associated eye disease can be treated with topical antivirals
• The use of oral lysine to reduce herpes virus replication rates.

Control of ‘cat flu’

Routine annual vaccination is strongly recommended. Vaccinated cats do not enjoy complete protection; such is the nature of the viruses concerned. With respect to ‘cat flu’ the purpose of vaccination is not to afford complete protection – this would be nice – but impossible, rather to afford partial immunity to the recipient, so that only mild symptoms may arise in the event of an infection.

What does Carnegie Cat Cottage do to minimise the risk of ‘cat flu’?

In summary, ‘cat flu’ cannot be completely prevented. This is impractical and nonsensical given the nature of the viruses concerned. In fact, many cats are subclinical carriers of ‘cat flu’, and future infections in these cats may arise from their own viral loads rather than contracting a new infection.

Here at Carnegie Cat Cottage we certainly go the extra mile to minimise the risk of ‘cat flu’.

• All our boarders must be up to date with his/her preventative health care regime including vaccination status.
• We utilise sodium hypochlorite, a proven anti-viral product as our disinfectant of choice. A 0.175% concentration of sodium hypochlorite appears to be the best overall virucidal product for routine disinfection and decontamination of our facility. Hygiene and cleanliness are paramount to maintaining healthy and happy feline boarders.
• Carnegie Cat Cottage’s integrated ventilation system can accommodate between 15-30 complete air exchanges per hour. This significantly reduces airborne virus particle concentrations.
• No direct contact is possible between feline boarders; hence the risk of virus transmission is significantly reduced.
• The Raintree™ Cat Condos allow your feline companion to feel safe and protected. The feeling of safety and protection further reduces stress levels, which in turn reduces the risk of clinical ‘cat flu’.

For details of the veterinary services available at the Carnegie Veterinary Clinic visit their website here

Read our Testimonials and Reviews page here