Cats Are Our Entire Focus
We board cats exclusively.
Our environment and routines are built around feline needs rather than adapted from a dog-centered boarding model.
About Kitty Cottage
Our Story: A Family of Cat Lovers Caring for Yours
Kitty Cottage began with a simple understanding: when you love cats, finding the right place for them to stay while you’re away isn’t always easy.
As a lifelong multi-cat family, we know what it feels like to plan a vacation or time away and wonder whether the boarding options available truly understand cats.
They have their own routines, personalities, sensitivities, preferences, and ways of communicating. Many are happiest in quiet, predictable environments. Some crave attention. Others need time and personal space before they decide they trust someone new.
That understanding is at the heart of Kitty Cottage.
Our Story: A Family of Cat Lovers Caring for Yours
We are a family-owned cat boarding facility in Franklin, Massachusetts, dedicated exclusively to feline guests. Our goal is to provide a comfortable, caring place where cats can stay while their families travel, work, move, renovate their homes, or simply need dependable care away from home.
Kitty Cottage was created by cat lovers, for cat lovers.
And every guest who stays with us is treated like the important family member they are.
Why We Chose to Care for Cats Exclusively
Traditional boarding facilities often need to accommodate many different types of pets.
That can work well for some animals, but cats have very different needs from dogs.
The barking, movement, smells, and activity associated with dogs can be stressful for feline guests, particularly cats who are already adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings.
That’s why Kitty Cottage is devoted entirely to cats.
Our cat-only boarding environment in Franklin, MA allows us to think about every part of the experience from a feline perspective.
Our accommodations, enrichment, daily routines, feeding, interactions, and even the overall atmosphere of the facility are centered around cats.
There are no dogs boarding alongside them.
That creates an environment where our caregivers can focus completely on feline comfort and behavior.
For us, being cat-only isn’t a marketing gimmick.
It’s central to how Kitty Cottage was designed.
We Understand What It’s Like to Leave Your Cat Behind
Cats are family.
That may sound obvious to a fellow cat person, but it affects the way we approach boarding.
When you leave your cat with someone else, you aren’t simply dropping off an animal.
You’re trusting someone with a companion who sleeps on your bed, waits for breakfast every morning, sits next to you while you work, greets you when you come home, or somehow manages to occupy the exact chair you were about to sit in.
You know their quirks.
You know which meow means “feed me” and which one means “open this door immediately.”
You know whether they love visitors or disappear the second the doorbell rings.
We understand that.
Our goal is to learn enough about each guest to provide care that respects those individual personalities and routines.
That means asking about things like:
Feeding preferences
Normal routines
Personality
Favorite activities
Medical needs
Medications
Mobility concerns
Handling preferences
Things that make your cat nervous
Things that help your cat relax
The more we know, the more thoughtfully we can care for your cat.
First-time guest? Our new guest information page explains what we’ll need to know before your cat’s first stay.
A Boarding Experience Built Around Feline Comfort
We wanted Kitty Cottage to feel different from the traditional image of a kennel.
Instead of small single-level cages, our guests stay in comfortable multi-level kitty condos designed to give them room to rest, climb, eat, observe their surroundings, and settle into their own space.
Some accommodations offer window views for cats who enjoy watching birds and outdoor activity.
Beyond the condo itself, guests receive opportunities for enrichment and individual attention based on their personality.
One cat may want to chase a toy every chance they get.
Another may prefer a quiet brushing session.
A shy guest might simply want a caregiver to sit nearby while they decide whether friendship is acceptable.
And some cats would prefer to spend most of the afternoon sleeping.
We consider all of those perfectly valid boarding styles.
You can learn more about the environment on our Cat Boarding Accommodations page.
Individualized Care, Not One-Size-Fits-All Care
Cats make it very clear that they have opinions.
We respect that.
Our caregivers don’t expect every guest to behave the same way or enjoy the same things.
Instead, we pay attention.
We learn which cats are outgoing and which ones need time.
We notice who loves toys, who enjoys attention, who prefers window-watching, and who is happiest being left to relax.
That individualized approach also extends to practical care.
We work to follow each guest’s feeding routine, special diet, medication schedule, and other important instructions whenever we can safely accommodate them.
For cats with medical requirements, our caregivers can handle many common medication routines and treatments.
Current care and medication pricing can be found on our Rates page.
Caring for Shy Cats
Not every cat walks into Kitty Cottage ready to make new friends.
Some cats need time.
That’s completely normal.
An unfamiliar environment contains new scents, sounds, people, and routines. A cautious cat may prefer to stay tucked into a comfortable spot and observe everything before deciding how they feel about the situation.
We don’t believe in forcing interaction simply because a cat is boarding.
Instead, our caregivers pay attention to body language and give shy guests the time and space they need to adjust.
As trust develops, many cats become more comfortable interacting.
Others remain perfectly happy with quiet companionship.
The goal is not to turn every guest into an outgoing cat.
The goal is to help each cat feel as comfortable as possible being themselves.
Caring for Senior Cats
Older cats often hold a particularly special place in the family.
They may have years of established routines and increasingly specific preferences.
They may also have mobility limitations, prescription diets, medications, or other medical needs.
We encourage families with senior cats to tell us as much as possible about their normal routines and current health.
That might include:
Arthritis or difficulty climbing
Prescription medications
Dietary requirements
Changes in appetite
Litter box habits
Vision or hearing changes
Preferred sleeping arrangements
Sensitivity to handling
Understanding what is normal for your senior cat helps our caregivers recognize their needs and adjust care appropriately.
Our Health & Safety page provides additional information about medical requirements and medication care.
Our Commitment to Health & Safety
Caring about cats means taking health and safety seriously.
Every guest at Kitty Cottage must meet our current boarding health requirements.
These standards help protect individual guests as well as the other cats staying in the facility.
Our policies cover areas such as:
Required vaccinations
Veterinary documentation
Flea prevention
Spay and neuter requirements
Medication administration
Illness before boarding
Emergency contacts
Veterinary care procedures
We also monitor guests during their stay and pay attention to changes in appetite, behavior, activity, litter habits, and overall comfort.
We ask families to review the complete Health & Safety Requirements well before their scheduled boarding dates.
A Family-Owned Cat Boarding Business in Franklin, MA
Kitty Cottage is proud to be a family-owned business in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Being family-owned shapes how we think about the people and cats who come through our doors.
We know many of our customers aren’t simply searching for the closest place to board a pet.
They’re trying to find people they can trust.
That trust matters.
We want families to feel comfortable asking questions about their cat’s health, personality, medications, food, behavior, and boarding experience.
We also want you to understand what your cat’s stay will look like before you leave them with us.
That’s why we encourage prospective guests to explore our Accommodations, review our Rates, and read through our Frequently Asked Questions before booking.
Serving Cat Families in Massachusetts & Rhode Island
Kitty Cottage is located at 140 Wachusett Street in Franklin, MA 02038.
Our Franklin location allows us to welcome cat families from communities throughout the surrounding area.
We also frequently care for cats whose families travel from nearby Rhode Island.
For someone searching for cat boarding near Franklin, MA, a cat-only boarding option near the Massachusetts–Rhode Island border, or an alternative to a traditional dog-and-cat kennel, Kitty Cottage offers an environment created entirely around feline guests.
No matter where you’re coming from, the goal is the same:
Provide your cat with thoughtful care while giving you confidence about where they’re staying.
What Makes Kitty Cottage Different?
There are many places where someone can board a pet. We believe the details make the difference.
Comfortable Private Accommodations
Our multi-level kitty condos give guests a personal space with room to rest, climb, eat, and relax.
Personalized Care
We get to know each guest and adjust our interactions based on their temperament and preferences.
Enrichment Is Part of the Stay
Playtime, attention, affection, and enrichment are part of our daily care, not simply optional extras.
Familiar Feeding Routines
We work to maintain each cat’s normal diet and feeding instructions whenever possible.
Medication Support
Our caregivers can accommodate many medication and treatment routines for cats who need additional care.
A Family-Owned Approach
We understand what it feels like to trust someone else with a beloved cat because we’ve had to make those same decisions for our own feline family members.
Our Core Values
The way we care for cats can be summarized by a few principles.
Comfort & Safety
Every guest should have a clean, comfortable space where they can settle in at their own pace.
We aim to create a calm environment while maintaining health and safety standards designed to protect the cats in our care.
Compassionate Care
Cats deserve patience.
We treat guests with respect and adjust our approach according to each cat’s personality, comfort level, and individual needs.
Individual Attention
We don’t believe boarding should mean placing a cat in a condo and ignoring them until pickup.
Interaction, observation, enrichment, and attentive daily care are important parts of the Kitty Cottage experience.
Trust
Families are placing someone they love in our care.
We take that responsibility seriously.
Clear policies, thoughtful communication, consistent care, and attention to detail all help build that trust.
A Genuine Love of Cats
At the end of the day, we do this because we genuinely enjoy cats.
The playful ones.
The shy ones.
The talkative ones.
The serious ones.
The seniors.
The kittens.
The ones who immediately demand attention.
And the ones who require several days before deciding we’re acceptable.
They’re all welcome here.
More Than Somewhere to Stay
When families look for cat boarding, they naturally want to know that their cat will have food, water, litter, and a safe place to sleep.
Those things are essential.
But we believe good boarding goes beyond meeting the basics.
It means paying attention to how a cat is adjusting.
It means noticing whether their appetite has changed.
It means understanding when they want interaction and when they need space.
It means learning which toy gets a reaction and which one is completely beneath them.
It means caring for the animal in front of you rather than treating every guest exactly the same.
That philosophy is what we want Kitty Cottage to represent.
Meet the Kitty Cottage Experience
If you’re considering boarding your cat with us, we encourage you to explore the rest of the site before making your decision.
See what your cat’s stay can look like on our Accommodations page.Review current Cat Boarding Rates.Read our Health & Safety Requirements.Find answers to common questions in our FAQs.First-time guest? Be sure to review our new guest information page before your cat arrives.And if you’d simply like to see more cats enjoying Kitty Cottage, visit our Gallery.
Let Us Care for Your Feline Family Member
We know choosing someone to care for your cat is personal.
You’re trusting that person or business with an animal who is an important part of your family.
At Kitty Cottage, we don’t take that trust lightly.
Our family-owned, cat-only boarding facility in Franklin, MA was created around the idea that cats deserve accommodations, routines, and caregivers who understand them.
Whether your cat is staying for a weekend, a week, a month, or longer, our goal is to provide a clean, comfortable environment and thoughtful care throughout their visit.
If you’re looking for a boarding experience created specifically for cats, we’d love to learn more about yours.
Contact Kitty Cottage
Have questions about Kitty Cottage, our cat-only boarding philosophy, accommodations, or an upcoming stay?
We’re happy to help.
Kitty Cottage
140 Wachusett Street
Franklin, MA 02038
Phone: (508) 528-6456
Email: kc@kittycottagefranklin.com
Office Hours
Monday–Friday: 9:30 AM–6:30 PM
Saturday: 9:30 AM–6:00 PM
Sunday: 11:30 AM–12:30 PM and 2:30 PM–6:30 PM
Check-in and check-out are by appointment.