Policies & Procedures

OPERATIONS MANUAL

Policies & Procedures

Everything we do with your cat, written down. These are the actual procedures our staff work to - how a cat is booked in, fed, cleaned around, watched over and handed back - together with our risk assessment and privacy notice.

We publish it because you are entrusting us with an animal you love, and you are entitled to know exactly what happens to them while you are away. A good cattery has nothing to hide.

ISSUED

15 Aug 2026

VERSION

2026.1

LICENCE

BOE028

NEXT REVIEW

Aug 2027

Apple Blossom Cattery· Cowbridge Road, Talygarn, nr Pontyclun, CF72 9JU

Licensed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council Animal Welfare team, licence no. BOE028

Registered with Shepherds the Vets, Bridgend, for 24-hour cover

What is in this pack

How to read this pack

Each procedure states who carries it out, how often, and where it is recorded. Every record is either a chart kept at the pen - the daily welfare sheet, the medication chart, the cleaning and temperature charts - or an entry in CatBooker, the system that holds every booking, cat and customer. Both are named at the top of each procedure.

Where a step reflects something in our Terms & Conditions of Boarding, the clause number is printed beside it. You will find those Terms on our website. If you would like to see any of this in practice, please come and visit - a call ahead means we can give you our full attention.

Enquiries and bookings

Followed every time a customer makes an enquiry, whether through the website form, by telephone, text, WhatsApp, email or in person. A booking is confirmed only once availability has been checked and written confirmation issued.

ACTIVITY

Recording an enquiry or booking

FREQUENCY

As contacted

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

CatBooker - Calendar, Pen Checker, Customers

Step 1 • Take the enquiry

• 1. Record the customer's name, address, telephone and email, and how they heard of us.
  2. Record the requested arrival and departure dates and times, and the number of cats.
  3. Record each cat's name and age. Only cats from the same household may share a pen. T&C 6.1
  4. Check the stay meets the minimum: 3 nights off-peak, 4 nights from 1 June to 30 September, 5 nights over Christmas (21 December to 4 January).

Step 2 · Check availability

• 1. Run the dates and cat count through the Pen Checker in CatBooker. Website enquiries arrive with this already done - the email states which pens the booking fits and any moves needed.
  2. Where the booking only fits by moving another cat partway through its stay, offer that customer the move first. If they agree as a condition of booking, a £15 per-move cleaning and administration charge applies. There is no charge where we move a cat for our own operational, compatibility or welfare reasons.

T&C 2.3

T&C 2.3

• 1. If no pen is available, tell thecustomer we will check the diary and come back to them. Never quote a firm no on the spot.

Step 3 · Quote and confirm

• 1. Quote from the current fee table: £17 for 1 cat, £21 for 2, £24 for 3, £26 for 4, per pen per day. Interconnected two-pen suites are £60 per day.
  2. Add the Christmas surcharge of £5 per cat per day where any part of the stay falls between 21 December and 4 January.
  3. Every day of the booking is charged, including the day the cat arrives and the day it is collected. Payment is in cash on collection; we have no card facility at present.
  4. Enter the booking in CatBooker and issue written confirmation. The booking is not confirmed until that confirmation has gone out.
  5. No deposit is taken. We would rather trust people than hold their money.

T&C 2.3

T&C 2.3

T&C 2.3, 2.4

T&C 2.1

T&C 2.2

Cancellations and changes

Notice is given in writing. More than 14 days before arrival there is no charge at all. Between 14 and 7 days, half the boarding fee. Inside 7 days, or where a cat does not arrive, the full fee, including arrival and departure days. Date changes made more than 14 days ahead may carry a £5 administration fee. A shortened stay or an early return is charged as booked, because the pen was held and could not be offered to anyone else. (T&C 2.6, 2.7)

Booking in

Carried out every time a cat is received for boarding. Nothing in this procedure may be skipped or left until later: it is the point at which we confirm the cat is fit to board and that we hold everything we need to look after it.

ACTIVITY

Booking in a cat. or cats from one household

FREQUENCY

Every arrival

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

CatBooker • door plaque • kitchen white board · Welfare Check Sheet

Step 1 • Confirm the booking details

• 1. Check the customer's name, address and contact details against CatBooker and record any changes.
  2. Confirm the duration of stay, and the collection date, time and arrangements.
  3. Confirm the boarding arrangement - alone, or sharing with named cats from the same household.
  4. Check each cat's name, breed, age, date of birth, neuter status, nature, likes and dislikes. Record changes in CatBooker. The door plaque carries the cat's name only; nature, likes and dislikes go on the kitchen white board.
  5. Confirm dietary requirements, allergies and sensitivities. Record in CatBooker and write them on the kitchen white board, which lists every cat in residence with its pen, wet or dry food and medication.
  6. Record the microchip number where available.
  7. Record an emergency contact who is contactable during the stay and authorised to make veterinary decisions if the owner cannot be reached.

T&C 6.1

T&C 4.3

T&C 2.8

Step 2 · Check the cat is fit to board

• 1. Check vaccination against feline enteritis and cat flu. Both must have been administered at least 14 days before arrival. Record the vaccinations and dates. If they are not up to date, decline boarding.
  2. Photograph the vaccination card and upload it to the cat's record in CatBooker, so the proof stays on file after the card goes home. No cat is accepted without it.

T&C 5.1

Website

Confirm flea and worm treatment is up to date. Record the most recent treatment date and the product used.

Carry out the 6-point health check: eyes, nose, ears, mouth, fur, bottom and demeanour. Refuse admission to any cat showing signs of ill health, pending veterinary advice.

T&C 5.2

Website

• 1. Confirm no entire male over six months is being presented. Refuse any cat that is pregnant, nursing, aggressive or excessively stressed.
  2. Ask about general health, ongoing treatment and any history of contagious illness. Record in CatBooker and on the kitchen white board.
  3. Record the vet's name, practice and telephone number, and any insurance cover.
  4. Record any medication: name, amount, frequency and route. Medicines must be in original veterinary packaging, labelled with the cat's name and dosage. Update the Medication Chart and store the medicines correctly.
  5. Take the owner's signature on the Veterinary Treatment Authorisation (Form 01), and record their treatment cost limit. Nothing else needs signing at the door.

T&C 5.3

T&C 5.4

T&C 5.5

T&C 5.6

• 1. Take a photograph of the cat and add it to its record in CatBooker, so anyone on shift can identify it at a glance.

Step 3 · Settle the cat in

• 1. Confirm the allocated pen and check it is prepared and clean before the owner sees it.
  2. Take the owner and the cat to the pen together. Owners bring their own cat to its pen and settle it in

- they see the accommodation, and they see their cat in it.

• 1. Open the carrier inside the pen with the door shut. Cats are never carried loose between pens. RA01
  2. Check food and fresh water are in place.
  3. Check litter tray and its scoop, bedding, shelf, scratching post and toys.
  4. Put the cat's name on the door plaque, and add the cat to the kitchen white board with its pen, food and any medication.
  5. Give the owner a moment with their cat. Do not hurry this - for many owners it is the hardest part of the day, and seeing the pen properly is what reassures them.
  6. Walk the owner back to reception and reconfirm the collection time and contact details.
  7. Owners normally take their carrier home. If one is left with us, store it in the dirty store for collection.
  8. Open a Daily Welfare Check Sheet for the cat and mark the booking as arrived in CatBooker.

Charges that can arise at book-in

Most stays carry none of these. Medication is £2 to £4 per cat per day. Flea treatment, if an infestation is found, is £50

- fleas travel, so finding them means deep-cleaning the neighbouring pens too, and we treat immediately to protect every cat in the building. Worming is £10. A £50 deep clean applies where a cat proves to be unneutered and sprays. Whichever of these arises, the owner is told at the time. Nothing appears on an invoice that has not already been said out loud. (T&C 5.2, 5.3, 2.3)

Food and water

Carried out morning and evening, and never more than ten hours apart, with a treat round in the middle of the day. Fresh water is available at all times, not only at feeding.

ACTIVITY

Feed and water

FREQUENCY

Morning and evening, plus a midday round

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Kitchen white board · feeding diary· Daily Welfare Check Sheet

Step 1 • Replenish food and water

• 1. Check the food and water dishes and record how much has been eaten in the feeding diary and on the Welfare Check Sheet.
  2. Place used dishes in the dirty utensils bin for sterilisation. Dishes are never rinsed and reused in the pen.
  3. Put out sterilised dishes with fresh UV-filtered water. Website
  4. Check the kitchen white board and feed as agreed with the owner. The standard diet is IAMS or Harringtons dry with Harringtons wet for adults, and Scrumbles dry with HiLife wet for kittens. Owner-supplied and prescription diets are fed as provided.

T&C4.1,4.2

• 1. Return used dishes to the kitchen for sterilisation before reuse.

Step 2 • Midday round

• 1. Go round every pen in the middle of the day with a treat. It breaks the gap between meals, and it is the moment a cat that is off-colour usually shows it.
  2. Sit with each cat for as long as it wants. Some want a fuss, some want you to leave the treat and go

- both tell you something.

• 1. Top up water and note anything you have seen on the Daily Welfare Check Sheet.

Step 3 · If a cat is not eating

• 1. After 24 hours of reduced or no intake, flag it on the Welfare Check Sheet and tell theresponsible person on site.
  2. Offer something better, not something cheaper. We keep a range of super-premium wet and dry foods for exactly this, and a change of texture - pate, chunks in jelly, a warmed wet food - often does what a change of brand cannot. Work up the range, and record what was tried and what happened.
  3. After 48 hours without eating, contact Shepherds the Vets on 01656 653918 and record the call and its outcome in the Notes & Actions Log.
  4. Contact the owner or their emergency contact to let them know, whatever the vet advises. T&C 5.6

Daily pen cleaning

Critical, and adhered to at all times. Every cat is housed in clean conditions, and cross­ infection between guests is prevented. Cleaning products are used, stored and disposed of per the manufacturer's instructions, and in a way that causes no distress to the animals.

ACTIVITY

Cleaning occupied pens

FREQUENCY

Every morning, as early as possible

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Anigene 1:50 • pen litter scoop • Cleaning Chart

Step 1 • Prepare

• 1. Corridor trolley: bin of fresh litter with scoop, bin for dirty litter, kitchen roll, Anigene spray at 1:50.
  2. Equipment: bucket of hot water and detergent, cleaning gloves, kitchen roll, cloth.
  3. Each pen keeps its own litter scoop. Dustpans and brushes are not left on display in the pens; they are taken round on the trolley and washed every night.

Step 2 · Clean the pen

• 1. Start inside the run. Brush mats and shelves down onto the floor. Move the sit box and scratching post aside and sweep the debris into the dustpan.
  2. Move the litter tray, water bowl and the previous evening's dishes out to the corridor.
  3. Brush the area around the doorway to give yourself clean ground to start from.
  4. Shake out and brush the cat's bedding, replace it in the bed, and set the bed in the run out of the way.
  5. Sweep the shelf, then the floor, into the dustpan, and tip it into the corridor waste bin.
  6. Using the labelled bucket and cloth sprayed with Anigene at 1:50, clean all walls, doors and surfaces up to one metre thoroughly. Work clean to dirty, inside to outside.
  7. Replace the cat's bed.
  8. Empty solids and clumps into the corridor bin. Sift the litter, clean the tray with a paper towel sprayed with Anigene, and refill with fresh litter. Replace the tray entirely if heavily soiled.
  9. Check bedding and change if needed. Bedding is changed at the start of every stay and at least weekly thereafter.
  10. Interact with the cat and reassure it as you work. Cleaning is also a welfare check.
  11. Open the sleeping-area door to let air circulate until feeding. The pen door stays closed at all times.

Step 3 · Finish

• 1. Empty water bowls into the bucket and stack them with dirty trays, scoops and used bedding in the dirty area for disinfecting.
  2. Dispose of black sacks in the outside rubbish store. Litter and flammable material are never left in bins overnight.

• 1. Sign the Corridor Cleaning Chart.
  2. When all pens are done, sweep the corridor and clean it with Anigene at 1:50.
  3. Dustpans, brushes and scoops are washed at the end of every day, ready for the morning.

Slip and injury precautions

Mops are well wrung before use. A hazard sign goes out in the corridor during cleaning, and nobody walks on a mopped floor for at least five minutes. Work end to end along corridors, inside to outside in rooms. Two first aid kits are on site. Any scratch or bite is washed with disinfectant and a sterile cloth; seek medical advice if it is serious, and keep tetanus cover current. (RA 01)

Deep clean between guests

Carried out when a pen is vacated and before any new cat is housed in it. No cat enters a pen that hasnot been through this procedure.

ACTIVITY

Deep clean of a vacated pen

FREQUENCY

On every changeover

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Anigene 1:25 · deck scrubber · CatBooker pen status

Step 1 • Strip the pen

• 1. Sweep out the sleeping area, the run and any sneeze barriers.
  2. Dismantle removable shelves and scratching posts and stack them inside the run.
  3. Remove beds, bedding, litter trays and food utensils to the dirty area for disinfecting.
  4. Check for any toys or belongings left by the owner and set them aside for collection.

Step 2 · Clean

• 1. Make up hot water with Anigene at 1:25 for heavy soiling, 1:50 for routine changeover.

T&C 6.2

• 1. Start in the sleeping area and work cleanest to dirtiest. Scrub first with brush and disinfectant, then wipe with a well-wrung disinfected cloth.
  2. Order: ceiling, then right-hand wall top to bottom, then clockwise around the walls, floor last. Clean the floor in four quadrants.
  3. Repeat for the run and the front of the pen.
  4. Clean the door board and remove the previous plaque insert.
  5. Allow to dry naturally. Do not rehouse a cat in a damp pen.

Step 3 • Return to service

• 1. Replace bedding, litter tray, dishes and scratching post from the sterilised store.
  2. Note on the corridor board that the pen is clean and ready.

Equipment, laundry and kitchen

The sterilisation routine behind every other cleaning procedure. Equipment that moves between pens is the main route by which infection would spread, so nothing goes back into service until it hasbeen through this.

ACTIVITY

Sterilising equipment; kitchen and utility cleaning

FREQUENCY

At least daily, after cleaning and feeding

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Domestos bleach solution • Anigene spray· washing machine

Step 1 • Kitchen and utility

• 1. Sweep and disinfect the kitchen floor.
  2. Clean and disinfect all work surfaces.
  3. Clean and disinfect all utensils.

Step 2 • Sterilise equipment

• 1. Make up 10 litres of water with one cup of Domestos in the bleach sink. Never use any product that turns the water milky - those are poisonous to cats.
  2. Work clean to dirty: beds, litter lids, litter trays. Scrub thoroughly and air dry.
  3. Dustpans, brushes and litter scoops are washed every night. When a pen is emptied, or an item is heavily soiled, put them in the sink to soak first.
  4. On changeover, litter tray, scoop, bed, water bowl, dustpan, brush and grooming brush all go to the laundry room and soak in a strong Domestos solution for several hours.
  5. After soaking, clean each item thoroughly, dry naturally, then spray with Anigene and wipe dry before restacking.

Step 3 · Laundry

• 1. VetBed Gold bedding: wash eight beds at a time at 50°C with bio detergent and neat Anigene in the fabric drawer.

• 1. Dry on low heat, 40°C for 40 minutes.
  2. Shelf mats: wash 24 at a time on the coloureds cycle at 40°C, then dry 40 minutes on low.
  3. Restack in the clean store. Nothing damp goes back into a pen.

Monitoring health and wellbeing

Carried out at the start and end of every day and every four hours during opening hours, and outside those hours by the assigned responsible person if any cat is unwell. Early detection is the whole point: most problems are visible in appetite, toileting or demeanour a day before they are visible anywhere else.

ACTIVITY

Welfare and health check

FREQUENCY

Start and end of day, then every 4 hours

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Daily Welfare Check Sheet· Notes & Actions Log · Temperature Chart

Step 1 • General check

• 1. Check each cat is settled and not distressed, and that its general demeanour is good. The check covers handling, behaviour, cleanliness and hygiene, feeding, disease control, and recognition of a sick animal.
  2. Record appetite, toileting, behaviour and any concern on the Daily Welfare Check Sheet, and initial it. Every entry on every chart is initialled.
  3. Record any concern in the Notes & Actions Log and report it to the responsible person on site, who decides what follows - increased monitoring, medication, or veterinary support.
  4. Check the pen is clean and deal with anything that is not, immediately.
  5. Check the corridor temperature and record it AM and PM on the Corridor Temperature Chart. The cattery is climate controlled and must sit between 15°C and 25°C. Adjust heating, cooling or ventilation if it drifts, and record what you changed.

Website

• 1. Check food and water levels.

Step 2 · Vital signs, if needed

• 1. Temperature - one person holds, another takes it. Lubricate the thermometer and insert gently a quarter to half an inch, never forcing. Normal is 37.7 to 38.8°C.
  2. Pulse - femoral artery, inside the thigh. Press gently at the middle of the leg until you feel it. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Normal is 140 to 220 per minute.
  3. Respiratory rate - watch and listen to the rib cage. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Normal is 15 to 40 at rest.
  4. Eyes - clear, no discharge, pupils of equal size.

Step 3 · Veterinary support

• 1. If a cat shows signs of illness or distress, contact Shepherds the Vets immediately on 01656 653918. They provide a 24-hour service.
  2. Depending on severity, move the cat to the isolation unit using a carrier.
  3. Stay with the cat and comfort it until the vet is reached or arrives.
  4. Make reasonable efforts to contact the owner and their emergency contact. If neither can be reached, act in the cat's best interests.

Website

T&C 2.8, 5.6

• 1. Afterwards, and before any reuse, clean and disinfect everything the cat has been in contact with.
  2. Record the whole episode in the Notes & Actions Log - what was seen, what was done, what the outcome was, and who signed it off.

Shepherds the Vets

Julia Collins, Practice Manager• Ty Arc, Brackla Park, Bridgend CF31 2BF • 01656 653918. As a registered client we have access to the full RCVS tier 3 hospital: a full isolation ward with barrier nursing, separate feline and canine wards, a 24/7 in-house emergency service, and full consulting, surgical and diagnostic facilities. We also hold our own isolation facilities on site.

Transporting cats

Followed whenever a cat is picked up or dropped off at any destination outside the cattery, including journeys to the vet. Under no circumstances is a cat transported without a carrier.

ACTIVITY

Transporting cats

FREQUENCY

As required

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

Secure carriers · mobile telephone

Step 1 • Prepare the carrier

• 1. One cat per carrier.
  2. The carrier is cleaned before and after every use.

Check the carrier is secure and that there is no possibility of escape.

T&C3.1

• 1. Place a familiar toy or comfort blanket inside before use.

Step 2 · Load and unload

• 1. Only place a cat into, or remove it from, a carrier in a secure locked area where escape is impossible. RA01
  2. Talk to the cat and reassure it throughout.

Step 3 • The journey

• 1. Set the carrier down flat and secure it before moving off.
  2. Set the vehicle temperature and ventilation for the weather.
  3. Always carry a mobile telephone.
  4. On a long journey, take clean water and food.
  5. Talk to the cat during the journey. Some cats find transport distressing.

Charging for the service

The pick-up and drop-off service is charged at £0.85 per mile with a minimum of £15 each way, measured from the cattery to the pick-up or drop-off address. Transport is at the client's risk, and this must be made clear when the service is booked. (T&C 3.3)

Booking out

Carried out every time a cat leaves the cattery. The last five minutes of a stay are what the owner remembers, so the handover is done properly and never rushed.

ACTIVITY

Booking out a cat, or cats from one household

FREQUENCY

Every departure

WHO

Proprietor or nominated individuals

RECORDED ON

CatBooker - Booking, Invoice

Step 1 • Settle the account, at reception

• 1. Settle the account at reception, before going to the pen, so that nothing to do with money intrudes on the reunion.
  2. Payment is in cash, and includes any extras - Christmas surcharge, medication, pen moves, flea or worming treatment, or transport.
  3. Where a collection is materially late, an additional day or part-day may be charged at the proprietor's discretion. Raise it here, before the cat is collected, never afterwards.
  4. Talk the owner through the stay in person: general demeanour, appetite, health, and anything specific worth mentioning. Photographs will already have been sent during the stay, so this is a conversation rather than a handover of paperwork.

Step 2 · Collect from the pen

• 1. Take the owner to the pen with their carrier. Owners collect their own cat from its pen, so they see the accommodation and their cat in it at the end of the stay as well as the beginning.
  2. Load the cat into the carrier inside the pen with the door shut, talking to it and reassuring it.

T&C 2.4

T&C 2.4

T&C 3.2

Website

• 1. Do not hurry this. There are as many nervous owners as there are nervous cats, and the reunion is the part of the stay they will remember. Let it take as long as it takes.
  2. Check the pen for toys, bedding or belongings provided by the owner and hand them back while you are both there.

T&C 6.2

• 1. Note on the corridor board that the pen is empty and awaiting cleaning.

Step 3 · Before they leave

• 1. Walk back to reception together.
  2. Ask how they found us, and whether there is anything we could do better.
  3. Ask about future bookings and enter any into CatBooker while they are with you.

Step 4 · Prepare the pen

• 1. Deep clean the pen following SOP 05. No new cat enters until that is complete.
  2. Mark the booking as departed in CatBooker and confirm the invoice is settled.

If a cat is not collected

Keep caring for the cat and keep trying the owner and their emergency contact. If a cat is not collected within 14 days of the agreed date and neither can be reached despite reasonable attempts, give written notice of our intention to rehome, following the notice procedure in the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977. Reasonable boarding and veterinary costs may be recovered as a debt. We will never abandon or destroy a healthy animal. (T&C 2.9)

End of day and securing the premises

Carried out at the end of every working day by the nominated last person to leave. Nobody leaves until every line of this has been done.

ACTIVITY

End of day security and welfare checks

FREQUENCY

Daily, at the end of the working day

WHO RECORDED ON

Proprietor or nominated last End of day checklist person to leave

Step 1 • Boarding pens

• 1. All doors and windows closed and locked as appropriate. All three access corridor doors shut.
  2. All appliances switched off and unplugged.
  3. Heating and cooling zones set correctly for the season, holding 15°C to 25°C overnight.
  4. All lights off, except the corridor bulkhead lights in zones with cats in residence.
  5. All cats settled and showing no signs of distress.
  6. All equipment cleaned and ready for the next working day.
  7. No litter or flammable material left in bins overnight - it goes to the external bin.

Step 2 · Office block

• 1. All windows and doors locked.
  2. Lights off, other than the PIR security lights.

Step 3 · Site

• 1. Lock the outside entrance gate.
  2. Pen lighting stays on until at least 22:00, and the premises are checked through the evening and overnight. A key holder is always within three minutes' travel of the site.

Emergency and safety procedures

Followed in any emergency - fire, heating failure in cold weather, or otherwise. A documented emergency plan acceptable to the local authority is in place, known to and available to everyone on the premises. A key holder is always within three minutes' travel of the site.

ACTIVITY

Safety equipment checks; drills; evacuation

FREQUENCY

Checks monthly; drill at least annually

WHO

Proprietor or nominated safety officer

RECORDED ON

Emergency equipment checklist · fire notices

Step 1 • Monthly equipment check

• 1. Fire extinguishers in place in the office block and the pen block, and within inspection date.
  2. Smoke detectors in the office and cattery blocks operational. Replace the battery or raise a repair if not.
  3. Carbon monoxide detectors in the office and cattery blocks operational. Replace the battery or raise a repair if not.
  4. All fire exit signs in place and fire doors unobstructed.
  5. Sufficient carrying baskets available to evacuate every cat on site.
  6. Fire notices in place, and the electrical safety certificate current. RA01

Step 2 · Annual drill

• 1. On the alarm (sports whistle), everyone leaves by the designated route and gathers at the car park near the gateway.
  2. Take a roll call and account for all staff.
  3. Re-enter only when the fire marshal or the fire service says it is safe.

Step 3 · Evacuation

• 1. On detecting fire, call 999 immediately. Speak clearly and calmly, and give the situation and location.
  2. Leave at once. If there is significant smoke, crawl on hands and knees to the nearest exit.
  3. Close doors behind you, but do not lock them.
  4. If it is safe to do so, place cats in carry boxes and take them to the rendezvous point at a safe distance.
  5. Take a roll call of staff and cats.
  6. Call the police and request immediate alternative accommodation - a public facility such as a leisure centre in Cowbridge or Llantrisant.
  7. Once the destination is known, contact Shepherds the Vets and request on-site assistance and support.
  8. Contact owners as soon as there is something definite to tell them.

Operational risk assessment

The major operational risks to cats, staff and visitors, with the controls in place against each. Reviewed annually and after any incident, near miss or change to the building.

Fire

LIKELIHOOD L IMPACT H

The most likely cause is electrical. The building holds a current electrical safety certificate; keep it under regular assessment.

Litter and flammable materials are never stored in bins overnight - they go to the external bin. Fire safety signage, marked exit routes and an assembly point notice are in place.

Staff and visitors are briefed. Fire extinguishers are checked monthly and kept within inspection date.

Fire safety certificate kept current. See SOP 11 for the full procedure.

Escape

LIKELIHOOD L IMPACT H

Visitors are never allowed into pens unaccompanied - see the notice on the doors.

Cats are placed into and removed from pens in their carriers, never carried loose. Staff and visitors are briefed on this.

All three access corridor doors are shut at all times.

The safety catch is always locked on entry to a pen. CCTV covers the site comprehensively.

Intruder or malicious intent

LIKELIHOOD M IMPACT H

The premises are attended through the working day and checked through the evening and overnight. A key holder is always within three minutes' travel of the site.

Pen lighting is on until at least 22:00.

When unmanned, entry gates are shut and locked. All building windows and doors are locked before leaving. Dusk-to-dawn lighting on the entry gates and buildings, with PIR floodlights to the side and rear.

CCTV covers the site comprehensively, alerts to any presence on site, and carries an alarm.

Sick cat

LIKELIHOOD M IMPACT H

Evidence of in-date vaccination is checked at book-in, at least 14 days before arrival (T&C 5.1).

The 6-point health check is carried out on arrival: eyes, nose, mouth, fur, bottom and demeanour. Boarding is refused where necessary.

The vet's details are recorded for every cat, and we are registered with Shepherds the Vets for 24-hour cover.

Litter trays are checked at every clean and anything unusual is recorded; eating and drinking are recorded in the feeding diary.

Isolation facilities are held on site. See SOP 07.

Accident and slip hazard

LIKELIHOOD M IMPACT M

Two first aid kits are held on site.

Mops are well wrung before use. A hazard sign goes out during cleaning and nobody walks on a mopped floor for five minutes.

Work inside to outside when cleaning pens, kitchen and utility rooms; end to end along corridors. Injury from a cat: wash with disinfectant and a sterile cloth, and seek medical advice if serious.

Tetanus cover is kept up to date for all staff.

Cross infection

LIKELIHOOD M IMPACT H

Each pen keeps its own litter scoop. Dustpans and brushes go round on the trolley and are washed every night.

Pens are cleaned every morning. All surfaces, floors and areas up to one metre are cleaned with Anigene at 1:50, or 1:25 for heavy soiling.

Litter trays are cleaned regularly, clumps removed and sieved, then sprayed with Anigene and wiped with a blue cloth.

Water is checked and changed regularly using clean containers from the kitchen. Food is served in disposable trays.

Litter tray, water bowl and food are removed to the corridor while a pen is cleaned, and returned afterwards. Corridors are swept daily and cleaned with Anigene at 1:50.

On changeover, all equipment is soaked in strong Domestos solution for several hours, then sprayed with Anigene and air dried before reuse. VetBed Gold is washed at 50°( with bio detergent and Anigene.

The pen has a full deep clean on changeover, ceiling first, then each wall clockwise, then the floor - inner pen, then outer. See SOP 05.

Privacy Notice

Here at Apple Blossom Cattery we understand that customers care about the use and storage of their personal information, and we value your trust in allowing us to do this in a careful and sensible manner. This privacy notice demonstrates our commitment to the privacy of our customers. When you request a cattery booking we collect some of your personal information to make sure we have everything we need, and we use it for the administration of the services you have asked for.

Who we are

Apple Blossom Cattery gathers and processes your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and in compliance with the relevant data protection regulation and laws. Apple Blossom Cattery is located at Cowbridge Road, Talygarn, Pontyclun, CF72 9JU.

Information that we collect

We collect personal information to meet our legal and statutory obligations and to provide our services. We will never collect any unnecessary personal data. The data we collect from you is: name, home address, personal email, home telephone number, mobile telephone number, and details of your cat(s). We collect this via email, website and social media, telephone, and personal site visit - where you sign the register acknowledging the information is correct.

How we hold information

Your personal data is transposed onto a manual record card and held electronically in our computer system. Our local authority licensing rules require us to take and keep this information. Under UK tax law we are also required to keep your data for a minimum of 5 years, after which - if no further bookings have been received - it will be deleted.

How we use your personal data

Apple Blossom Cattery takes your privacy very seriously and will never disclose, share or sell your data without your consent, unless required to do so by law.

Your rights

You have the right to access any personal information we hold about you and to request information about: what data we hold; the purpose of the processing; the categories of data concerned; and how long we intend to store it. If you believe we hold inappropriate, incomplete or inaccurate data, you have the right to ask us to correct and/or complete it, and we will strive to do so as quickly as possible unless there is a valid reason not to. You also have the right to request deletion of your data or to restrict processing, in accordance with the data protection laws. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request, to keep your data secure.

Sharing and disclosing your information

We do not share or disclose any of your personal information without your consent, other than for the purposes specified in this notice or where there is a legal requirement.

Safeguarding measures

Apple Blossom Cattery takes your privacy seriously and takes every reasonable measure and precaution to protect and secure your personal data. We work hard to protect you and your information from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

Photographs

We may take photographs of cats for social media or promotional purposes. If you would prefer we did not photograph your cat, please tell us at booking or at check-in and we will note it on your record.

Lodging a complaint

If you wish to raise a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF • 0303 123 1113 • ico.org.uk