The Happy Cat Hotel and Spa is not a cattery or a kennel. It’s a luxurious and enriching hotel for cats.
The brainchild of Chris and Meg Raimo, whose previous business venture was a house-call animal service that offered dog walking and pet sitting services, Happy Cat Hotel and Spa isn’t your ordinary boarding service. It features individually themed premium hotel rooms, full day enrichment activities, a variety of amenities (like common areas for playtime, special-needs services, daytime lounge areas and sun beds, wall climbing systems, hammocks, couches, beds, toys, games, TV and much more. There’s even a gift shop.
Chris, who calls himself the CBP (Chief Believer in Possibility) of Happy Cat, realized there really wasn’t a business model serving cats. “Lumping cats in with dog care is like growing grapes in an apple orchard,” he says. “Just because you have the space doesn’t mean you have the expertise and knowledge to manage two completely different pet care disciplines.”
The hotel was an instant success, and Chris never gets tired of the reactions. “I love when people come in to tour or drop off their cat, and they act like they’re in another world because it’s like nothing they’ve seen before.”
It continues to evolve. “I love developing new floor plan and room designs, testing new products and platforms for the cats and then putting the best ideas to work in the system,” Chris says.
The best part? The cats themselves, of course. “I find felines to be such amazing, fascinating and sophisticated creatures, capable of so much more than they get credit for,” Chris says. “They continue to dispel the myths perpetrated against them for so long.”
Ultimately, Chris and Meg would like to see Happy Cat Hotels & Spas change the way people think about cats all over the country. “We think the best way to achieve this is through franchising,” Chris says. “We’re ready to pounce on the opportunity to disrupt what we call the ‘Catus Quo!’”
The hotel has three locations: Windsor and East Granby, Connecticut, and Alexandria, Virginia, plus franchise opportunities are available.
Learn more at happycathotel.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
You can also check out its podcast at happycatfranchising.com/podcasts/ and look Happy Cat Hotel and Spa up on YouTube for fun cat videos.