Boarding
Cat boarding, in a building that has never taken a dog
A private suite from $25 a night, cleaned every day, in a purpose built cat only hotel on West Hefner Road.
Chapter 01
Why a cat only building is the whole point
Most boarding kennels take both species and separate them with a wall. A wall stops the dogs getting in. It does not stop the barking, and it does nothing at all about the smell, which is the part a cat actually reads. A cat who can hear and smell dogs is a cat who spends the week under the bed rather than on top of the cat tree.
Aristocats has never boarded a dog. Allennia Voerster opened it in 2008 after years as a veterinary assistant, specifically because she kept meeting cats who were fine at home and miserable anywhere else. The building on West Hefner Road was set up for one species, so there is no dog wing, no shared corridor and no shared air.
The practical effect shows up on the second day. Cats who arrive flattened usually start eating, using the tree and sitting at the window well before owners expect them to.
A complete Garden Room suite at Aristocats, with a carpeted cat tree at the window, a bed, floor mats and food bowls
The suite, and who cleans what
Every guest gets a room to herself. Garden Rooms are 4 by 6 feet with a window, at $30 a night. Standard Rooms are the same footprint without the window, at $25. Two rooms at 6 by 6 feet and one at 5 by 6 are held for families of three or more, and only cats from the same household are ever allowed to mingle.
Each suite is cleaned daily. Hard surfaces get disinfected, soiled bedding is changed, and litter is scooped several times a day rather than once at close. The litter box, the scoop and the food and water bowls belong to that suite and are disinfected with a mild bleach solution between every guest, so nothing travels from one cat to the next. Soft things like the cat trees, beds and blankets are laundered between guests, or weekly for long stays.
Regular and scoopable litter are both kept on site, and a different litter can be accommodated if your cat is particular about it. Ask when you book.
Chapter 03
Food, medication and the things that go wrong
Bring her own food. A boarding stay is already a change of address, and changing the diet on top of it is how a settled cat ends up with an upset stomach on day three. Send it in the original bag or a sealed labeled container and it is served in sanitary stainless steel dishware. If that is not practical, she can eat the premium dry food we feed our own pets. A filtered water fountain is $8 for the stay and a heated bed is $6.
Medication is routine here, which is one of the advantages of an owner who spent decades as a veterinary assistant. Transdermal is $3 a night, oral is $4 and injections are $5. Say what she is on when you book rather than at the door, so the schedule is written down before she arrives.
If a cat shows the first sign of illness, the emergency contact is called and she either goes home or goes to your own vet. In a genuine emergency every effort is made to reach your veterinarian first, and ours is called only if we cannot. Any charges are added to the boarding fees, so it is worth arranging that with your own vet in advance. The building also has an 8 by 10 storm shelter, a full building backup generator and 24/7 electronic security, which in Oklahoma is not a decorative detail.
Family owned in Oklahoma City since 2008. Rated 4.7 out of 5 across 210 Google reviews.
Rates
What a stay costs
These are the rates on our own card. All prices are subject to change, so confirm on the phone when you book your dates.
Boarding and day care
- Overnight, suite with a windowper night, single cat
- $30
- Overnight, suite without a windowper night, single cat
- $25
- Day careper day
- $18
- Additional cat, same suiteper night
- $12
- Three or more cats, same suiteper cat, per night
- $10
- Additional cat in day careper day
- $6
Comforts and medication
- Water fountainper stay
- $8
- Heated bedper stay
- $6
- Transdermal medicationper night
- $3
- Oral medicationper night
- $4
- Injection medicationper night
- $5
Vaccination records, drop off windows and what to pack are all set out on plan your stay. The room names are on the suites.