Three owners are due to arrive this morning. One has sent a revised feeding instruction, another still needs to provide a requested record, and a colleague has agreed a different collection time. The bookings are in the diary, but the information needed to welcome those cats is not yet ready for the person at reception.
A cattery pre-arrival checklist gives each stay a clear review process. Used alongside a booking system, it helps your team find missing details before drop-off. Here is a practical routine to use, with guidance on assessing TailPro’s boarding records and handover tools for your cattery.
The checklist: what to review before arrival
Give one person responsibility for reviewing each upcoming stay. Check the following information against the booking and the owner’s latest instructions.
| Check | What needs to be clear |
|---|---|
| Booking | Correct dates, arrival time and collection arrangements |
| Accommodation | Suitable space allocated for the entire stay, with preparation planned |
| Cats | Each cat correctly identified and linked to the booking |
| Owner contacts | Current contact details and an agreed alternative contact |
| Records | Required documents received and reviewed by the appropriate person |
| Care instructions | Current feeding, handling and relevant care information |
| Belongings | What the owner intends to bring and what staff need to record |
| Payment | Agreed charge, deposit received and balance due |
This is a suggested working checklist, not a list of verified TailPro fields or a complete regulatory checklist. Adapt it to your facility and services.
Keep “booked” separate from “ready for arrival”
A place may be reserved while information is still outstanding. Make that visible to the team rather than assuming a confirmed booking means every preparation step is complete.
Use a simple working distinction: information outstanding, ready for staff review, and preparation complete. These are suggested process labels, not claimed TailPro status names.
For each unresolved item, record who is dealing with it and the next action. “Awaiting owner’s reply about collection” is more useful than “check details”. Set a review point that leaves time to resolve questions before arrival, including for bookings made at short notice.
Review individual cat records, even for a shared booking
Two cats from the same household may have different food, routines or handling needs. Link them to the same customer where appropriate, but keep each cat’s instructions identifiable.
Ask returning owners what has changed. An old note should not remain the default merely because nobody has removed it. Clarify conflicting instructions and record the agreed update with enough context for the next member of staff.
TailPro’s boarding page describes pet profiles holding vaccination records, feeding instructions and care notes. These features can provide a place to keep information, but storing a document is not the same as reviewing it. Cat-specific fields and any automatic expiry checks should be demonstrated before you rely on them.
Keep temporary instructions with the right stay
Some information belongs in the continuing pet record. Other details apply only to this visit: a relative collecting, an owner being reachable on a different number, or a request for a call before collection.
TailPro’s Client Handover Notes feature describes owner instructions attached to a booking and visible to staff delivering the service. Check how those notes appear alongside the pet profile in your proposed cattery setup.
A worked example: preparing a household booking
Illustrative business scenario — not a customer case study.
An owner has booked two cats from Friday afternoon to Monday morning: a three-night stay. Suitable accommodation has already been agreed.
On Tuesday, the person reviewing arrivals finds three matters to resolve:
- One cat’s feeding instruction differs between the old profile and a recent message.
- A requested document has arrived, but nobody has reviewed it yet.
- The owner wants a relative to collect on Monday.
The reviewer clarifies the feeding instruction, arranges the document review and confirms the collection arrangement using the cattery’s usual procedure. The receiving colleague can then find the current information before Friday’s arrival.
The important distinction is between receiving information and completing the preparation. There are still two cat records and one household booking; resolving these questions does not create new reservations or prove that any care task has already been carried out.
Send one clear request for missing information
Where possible, combine outstanding questions into one message rather than sending several scattered requests. Tell the owner what you need, how to provide it and how to contact you for help.
Example message to adapt
We’re preparing for your cats’ stay from Friday to Monday. Please confirm the current feeding instructions and the agreed collection arrangements by Wednesday. If anything else has changed since booking, let us know. Please use our usual booking contact route, or call us if you need help.
Use dates and a response time appropriate to the actual booking. Send sensitive information through the agreed channel, and keep routine messages focused on what the owner needs to do.
TailPro advertises booking confirmations, reminders and in-app messaging. Confirm the channels, timing controls and plan requirements you intend to use. Automatic chasing of incomplete cattery records has not been verified here.
Use check-in to confirm changes, not repeat every question
At arrival, confirm the cats’ identities, anything that has changed and the agreed stay arrangements. Check belongings and supplies against what the owner has brought, rather than marking everything complete in advance.
Make relevant instructions available to the care team. If there is an unresolved question, give it a named owner and a clear next action. A box marked complete should reflect work actually done.
TailPro describes digital arrival and departure checklists and staff task assignments for boarding. Explore its boarding workflow and ask to see the staff view your cattery would use.
Close the stay with a useful handover
Before collection, review the agreed time, person collecting, belongings and payment position. Reconcile any change to the stay with the booking and agreed charges.
Record the actual departure and pass the accommodation to your preparation process. A planned checkout is not an actual departure, and departure alone does not make the space ready for another cat.
Keep useful observations for the next visit, while making clear which instructions applied only to this stay. TailPro describes deposits and invoices connected to boarding bookings; test how a changed stay affects the balance rather than assuming every adjustment is automatic.
Introduce the routine with a few upcoming stays
Start with a manageable sample: one returning customer, one new customer and one household bringing more than one cat. Review the records and ask a colleague to find the important details without help from the original booking taker.
If you are changing systems, confirm what can be imported. Check future dates, allocations, records and deposits against the original before moving live work. Choose one authoritative record so updates do not continue in two places.
Questions about cattery booking preparation
Can TailPro automatically approve all the records we receive?
Do not assume that. Published record-storage features do not establish automatic validation or admission approval. Confirm the checks your team must complete and whether the software supports your review process.
Do returning customers need to provide everything again?
Review existing information and ask for relevant updates. The aim is a current, usable record, not repeated paperwork for its own sake.
Can I use this routine for several cats from one household?
Yes. Keep the shared booking arrangements clear while checking each cat’s information separately. Ask TailPro to demonstrate how those records are linked in its cattery configuration.
What should I check before choosing a TailPro plan?
TailPro has an ongoing Free plan with no monthly software subscription, but online processing and applicable off-app fees remain. Pricing lists outreach messaging and customer chat under Business. Review the current plans and fees alongside your required records, communication and staff access.
Prepare one booking from start to finish
Take an upcoming stay and use the checklist to identify what is ready, what is missing and who needs to act. Then test whether TailPro makes that information easier for your team to find and maintain.
Need to check cat records or handover options? Talk to us about your cattery workflow.
