Guide Animal boarding

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3. Apply and renew licences for a cat boarding establishment

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

Licence applications

If you want to run a cattery you will need to apply for a licence.  Complete the Cat Boarding Application Form or and return by email to environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

See running a dog or cat boarding business for more information.

What you will need

You will need to provide us with information about the business such as your operating procedures outlining how you meet and comply with each of the conditions of the licence.

The following documents should be attached to your application:

  • Preventative Healthcare Plan/ Biosecurity Risk Assessment (signed by applicant’s registered veterinarian).
  • Staff Training Policy
  • Cleaning and Hygiene procedure
  • Immature animals opportunities procedure
  • Separating/ grouping of animals policy
  • Feeding procedure
  • Disease control and prevention procedure
  • Cleaning procedure
  • Transport Procedure
  • Monitoring and Ensuring Health and Welfare of Animals Procedure
  • Isolation Procedure
  • Death and Escape of Animals Procedure
  • Written Emergency Plan covering fire (evacuation, firefighting equipment, how animals are evacuated and kept safe during the emergency, smoke & CO detector locations/ testing & fire drills), loss of utilities, extremes of weather/ temperature, breakdown of vehicle during animal transport, alternative accommodation provision in the event of premises becoming uninhabitable.
  • Repair and maintenance procedure/ programme.
  • Letter from vets confirming registration and services provided to operator. (Storage of cadavers, emergency vet treatment & isolation facilities)
  • Site plan of premises
  • Plan of animal accommodation for each enclosure with dimensions
  • Public Liability Insurance Certificate for at least £5 million cover (not to be confused with employers’ liability which is different)
  • List of staff qualifications
  • Staff training records for each member of staff (including volunteers)
  • Letter from vets confirming registration and services provided to operator
  • Enrichment Procedure/ plan for cats during their stay

Licence renewals

Licences can be valid for one to three years, depending on the standard.  You will need to apply to renew your licence at least 3 months before expiry if you want to keep running the business. You can do this by completing a new Cat Boarding application form and returning it by email to environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

Data Protection

Find out about our Privacy Notices and how we will use information about you.

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Payments

    • You will need to pay a fee for your licence. Please make sure you are aware of how much this will cost
    • You will need a credit or debit card to pay by phone
    • You will need to provide details of your current insurance for the business

Once you have submitted your application, we will check the details and supporting documents to make sure we have everything we need. We’ll contact you if we require additional information.

We aim to determine all applications within 10 weeks of receiving a complete application.

After the inspection has been conducted, the inspector will grant or refuse the licence. Where a licence has been granted, you should expect to receive the hard copy of the licence in the post within two weeks.

Where a licence has been refused, the inspector will provide the decision in writing, stating the grounds for refusal and your rights of appeal.

What you can do if you haven't heard from us

It is in the public interest that we process your application before deciding if it can be granted.  This means that you'll need to wait for our decision before you start operating.  If after a month you haven't heard from us please contact us by email or telephone for an update.

What you can do if your application is unsuccessful

Please contact us to discuss why you have been refused a licence or if you think we have asked for an unreasonable condition.

Appeals

If you are not happy with our decision, you can appeal to the magistrates court.  A court may give directions on the issue of a licence or on any conditions imposed.