Worry not, there is this new cat boarding in Kuching that pet owners can send their cat when they are away. Kuching Cat Boarding promises to provide the best care you will ever need for your furry friends, and the ultimate objective is of course to ensure your cats are given the proper care, love and on-time meals.
Kuching Cat Boarding is run by a 32-year-old young entrepreneur, Nor Farah Fatimah. She explained that her love for cats inspired her to turn her backyard into a cat boarding area.
Even though her business — which started operating last August — is only in its first year, it has already received overwhelming response from interested public querying for the services offered.
Believe it or not, she could earn up to RM1,000 in a month just by looking after cats.
How did it start?
Farah, a cat lover herself, said she never thought she could venture into such business until one day a friend sought help to look after her cats. “I remembered last year during the Ramadhan month, a friend of mine had to travel to Finland so she asked me a favour to look after her cats.
“My cousin then thought I was actually doing the business, like seriously…and that was how the cat boarding idea came about for real,” she laughed. Before Farah started to focus on home-based cat boarding, she initially wanted to operate the business in a shoplot at Metrocity, Matang.
“I had everything prepared at the time. But as you know in business, there are always ups and downs.
So I decided instead to operate from home,” she shared. From then on, she took her time and carefully planned out how she wanted to start the cat boarding business at home. “It costs me about RM7,000 to get a builder to specifically design and make the metal cage I called ‘cat condominium’ for the cats,” she said.
She added that there is another fence built for reinforcement outside the cat condo to prevent the cat from escaping. “It is a sheltered cat condo, surrounded by plants so the cat will have a cool and calm environment to stay in,” she said.
Challenges faced
Farah said looking after animals such as cats can be quite challenging, because their behaviour are very unpredictable. “When client sent their cats here, it is normal for cats to feel scared, unsure and might want to run away,” she said. According to Farah, there have been cases of her clients’ cats escaping, but luckily she managed to retrieve them.
“This is one the biggest challenges when looking after someone’s cat, you hold the responsibility of taking care and also not losing them at the same time,” she stressed.
She also disclosed that she had been bitten by a client’s cat once and had to seek treatment immediately and was lucky it was not related to rabies.
“The other challenge is when clients have agreed to drop their cats here, and you’ve prepared everything but then the next thing is you don’t hear from them anymore. Well, that’s just how business is… I’m still learning as I go along,” she said with a smile.
Services provided
Farah said the cat condo has a total of six compartments, while the bottom one is reserved for those who send more than six cats or above at once.
“The cat condo is available on a first come, first served basis. So it will be better for customers if they book the space earlier,” she said, adding that there are other cages too to cater to other cats if the cat condo is fully occupied.
The boarding fees also differ accordingly. For single boarding, it includes one to four nights and the price is RM10 per night. While, customers who sent their cat for boarding for five nights and above is charged at RM8 per night.
For shared space boarding, the fee is charged at RM10 per night on first cat, with an additional RM5 per cat per night for one to four nights. And for five nights and above, price will be RM8 per night on first cat, and also an additional RM5 per cat per night. The fees are inclusive of unlimited dry food, once-a-day wet food and kitty litter. She said customers can also bring their own cat food if they prefer to. “Grooming services are not included, but if the clients want me to take their cats for grooming, an extra fee will be charged,” she said.
Not to forget, the cat condo also comes with beds and fish toys for the furry guests. Farah said she does accept last minute customers, but it is better for clients to book the cat condo at least a day or preferably a week earlier. A 50 percent fee deposit is required upon reservation. She accepts both local and breed cats. Customers can also send their cats even during public holidays.
“So far, I have received cats that stayed for more than three weeks, and the shortest period was just four days,” she said.
Next plan?
As of now, Farah earns about RM1,000 monthly from her cat boarding business and she had set her target to earn an income of RM3,000 in a month.
“With that steady income, I am planning to set up a ‘Cat Hotel’. And looking forward to hire staff to help me run the business,” she said.
For those interested to know more Kuching Cat Boarding services, rates and location, you can contact Farah directly at 019-8882204 or visit the Facebook page at Kuching Cat Boarding.
