Notes From the Cattery Floor: What a Truly Reassuring Mid-Stay Update Looks Like

You are three days into a week away. The suitcase is unpacked, the kettle is on, and your phone lights up with a message from the cattery. For the next thirty seconds, everything depends on what that message says. A vague "he's fine" can leave you more restless than no update at all. A thoughtful one — the sort that mentions the food bowl and the litter tray and the fact that he spent Tuesday afternoon asleep in the same spot he always picks at home — lets you put the phone down and get on with your holiday.

That is really the whole purpose of a mid-stay update: not to prove that someone is watching, but to give you enough honest detail to stop wondering.

Why a good update is specific rather than soothing

There is a temptation, when you are the one sending the message, to lead with reassurance. "He's absolutely fine, don't worry!" Sounds kind. But it tells you nothing you did not already hope, and it quietly implies there might have been something to worry about.

What actually settles an owner is detail they recognise. If your cat is a fussy eater at home, you want to hear that he ate most of his supper on the first night and cleared the bowl by the second. If she is a cat who hides for the first day, you want to hear that she came out from behind the igloo on Thursday morning and asked for a chin scratch. Those small, factual observations carry far more weight than any number of exclamation marks.

The five things a useful update should cover

Over the years we have settled on a rough shape for the daily notes we send, and it holds up well whether the stay is two nights or two weeks.

Eating and drinking. Not just "eaten well" but what was offered, how much went, and whether anything was left. If your cat is on a specific diet or has a habit of nibbling overnight, that belongs in the note too.

Litter tray news. This is the piece of information owners ask about most and mention least. A short line about what has gone in and what has come out tells you more about a cat's wellbeing than almost anything else.

Mood and behaviour. Where did they sleep? Did they come to the front of the pen when someone walked past? Any hissing, any hiding, any unexpected friendliness? This is the bit that lets you picture your cat as themselves rather than as a generic animal in a box.

A photo with context. A close-up of a sleeping face is lovely. A wider shot showing the bedding you brought from home, the toy that has been dragged into the middle of the floor, and the water bowl within reach is lovelier still — because it shows the room, not just the face.

Anything that changed. New medication, a slightly off breakfast, a scratch that needs watching. Small, honest, plainly worded.

Reassurance versus over-checking

There is a line, and it is a soft one. Some owners want a message every morning at nine. Others would rather be left alone until something actually needs deciding. Neither is wrong, but it helps enormously to say which you are before you hand over the carrier.

Over-checking, on the other hand, tends to grow rather than settle. It usually starts with a reasonable question on day two and ends with four messages before lunch on day five. That is not a criticism of anyone — leaving a cat is genuinely hard — but it does have a cost. Every message that has to be answered is a moment when a member of staff steps away from the pens. And a cat who is just beginning to relax into a quiet routine does not benefit from extra traffic past their door.

A calmer arrangement is one scheduled update a day, at a time that suits you both, with the standing promise that someone will ring immediately if anything is genuinely wrong. That single guarantee does far more for your peace of mind than a stream of small reassurances.

Questions worth asking before you book

If you are comparing catteries — or simply want to know what to expect from the one you have chosen — these are the questions that tend to sort the thoughtful places from the rest:

• How often will I hear from you, and by what method — text, email, WhatsApp, phone?
• Who writes the update, and do they know my cat's normal habits?
• Will I get photos, and roughly how many?
• What counts as "something worth a phone call" rather than a note?
• If I message you, when should I expect a reply?
• What happens if my cat stops eating or seems off-colour — what is the escalation?
• Can I send a piece of bedding or a worn t-shirt so the pen smells of home?
• Is there a quiet time of day when the pens are left alone, and could updates avoid it?

None of these are awkward questions. A good cattery will have answers ready, because they have thought about it before you asked.

How we handle it at Todhill

We aim for one update a day, usually late morning once the pens have been cleaned and the first round of food has gone down. That way the note is written from what has actually been observed that day rather than from a guess.

We keep the wording plain. If a cat has eaten half their breakfast and spent the morning under the blanket, that is what the message says — because an owner who knows their cat will find honest detail more comforting than a polished one. Photos tend to go out with the note, and we try to send the wide shots as often as the close-ups.

Just as importantly, we protect the quiet parts of the day. Cats settling into a new space need long stretches of nothing much happening: a warm spot, a familiar smell, a window to watch. Our update routine is built around that, not on top of it. No unnecessary visitors, no extra handling just to produce a photo, and no fuss made over a cat who would rather be left to doze.

If something does need your input, you will hear from us straight away — no waiting for the next scheduled message. And if you would rather have less contact, or more, say so at booking. We would far rather tailor it than have you lying awake in a hotel room in Cornwall wondering.

The short version

A good mid-stay update is specific, honest and brief. It tells you what went in the bowl and what came out of the tray, where your cat chose to sleep, and how they seemed. It arrives on a predictable rhythm, and it is backed by a promise that anything urgent will be a phone call, not a footnote.

Get that right, and the rest of your holiday is yours again.