A BOUTIQUE cattery with air-conditioned and heated pods for up to ten cats could open in a converted shed in a residential garden.
The application has been described as a “micro enterprise” and according to information submitted “neighbours would not notice the cattery” with plans in place to address potential noise, odours and traffic problems.
Torfaen Borough Council planners are considering the bid to change the use of the garden outbuilding at Rose Cottage on High Street, Pontypool for use by Ponty-Paws.
A design and access statement said the council has allowed larger catteries to open in residential gardens and also highlights the council policy allows multiple dogs to be kept in a terraced home.
The application states: “Most councils including Torfaen allow a mid-terrace house to house six Alsatian dogs, no permission needed…dogs bark, most cats do not.”
It added: “This would not be the first cattery given permission within the curtilage of a domestic dwelling in an urban environment in Torfaen, but it would be the smallest.”
Noise would be mitigated through installation of three, double-glazed windows, to replace the existing two doors of the timber-clad outbuilding and a new door replacing and existing window on the eastern side of the shed and the entrance moved from the front.
Layout of the five pods, within the shed, will comply with the council’s licensing conditions and guidance for boarding catteries, and the operation of the business is also intended to minimise potential noise.
Neutered and spayed cats
Only neutered and spayed cats will be accepted as the application claims neutered females do not caterwaul, and they are described as “generally more lethargic and less vocal”. Only siblings, but no parent or offspring, will be housed together. Each pod can accommodate two cats “in comfort” with separate sleeping and exercise areas.
As cats are territorial “and do not like to see other cats” no pod will face another pod and there will be no outside space for the cats.
Rose Cottage has a driveway with space for three cars but to avoid noise from cats only one owner at a time would deliver or collect their pets, with the application stating the driveway is “ample to accommodate clients” while there are no parking restrictions on the main road. Owners won’t be able to visit the unit where their cats are held due to hygiene and infection control measures.
Fans with filters will be used within the unit to address odours and waste will be collected weekly by a commercial operator, with cat litter stored in a sealed unit inside the building before collection.
The application also contains details on materials, including acoustic foam board, intended to reduce noise, and information on expected noise levels, with the application stating a “typical cattery” produces less noise than a “typical home workshop” which is what the previous owner used the shed as.