{"topic_id":"gb_cat_boarding_licensing","category":"gb-animal-licensing","context":"---\ntopic_id: gb_cat_boarding_licensing\ncategory: gb-animal-licensing\ntitle: \"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"UK Government (DEFRA / APHA) — 'England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)' (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities/cat-boarding-licensing-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities), landed 2026-08-13\"\nsource_file: pdf-parsed/gov-uk-licensing/cat_boarding.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-13\ntokens_estimated: 376\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"UK Government (DEFRA / APHA)\"\n  title: \"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)\"\n  url: \"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities/cat-boarding-licensing-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-13\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"official web page\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: open_government_licence_v3\n---\n\nEngland's statutory guidance for licensing cat-boarding businesses (catteries), under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.\n\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)\n- `You should read it alongside the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 .`\n- `To grant a new animal activities licence for cat boarding, you must check that businesses meet all of the minimum standards in this guidance.`\n- `The licence must clearly state the maximum number of cats that are allowed on the premises.`\n- `A cat must not be picked up by the scruff of its neck (scruffing), unless it is an absolute last resort.`\n- `A reasonable distance is interpreted as no more than 30 minutes travelling time in normal conditions.`\n- `The licence holder or responsible person must visit the cats at regular intervals no more than 3 hours apart (from 8am until 6pm).`\n- `Adult cats must have at least 2 meals a day at least 8 hours apart, as appropriate to the cat’s needs.`\n- `Food and water must be kept away from each other and away from the litter tray (at least 60 centimetres apart).`\n- `2.9 A litter tray must be provided at all times in each cat unit.`\n- `Scented litter must not be used.`\n- `5.5 A holding cat unit must only be used in an emergency and must not be used for longer than is necessary and in any event for no longer than a total of 12 hours in any 24 hour period.`\n","sources":["UK Government — England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits) (retrieved 2026-08-13)"],"source":{"authority":"UK Government","title":"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities/cat-boarding-licensing-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities","retrieved":"2026-08-13","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)","verification_file":"pdf-parsed/gov-uk-licensing/cat_boarding.txt"},"source_document":"England cat-boarding licensing (cattery welfare standards; scruffing banned, litter trays, visits)","source_file":"pdf-parsed/gov-uk-licensing/cat_boarding.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"ungraded","fidelity":"verbatim","license":"open_government_licence_v3","display_grade":"pending"},"tokens_estimated":376,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}