The Importance of Booking Forms in Your Cattery

Without booking forms you would be unable to keep a check on the daily comings and goings of cats in your boarding cattery. At the time of taking the booking you need to record the date of arrival, the date of departure as paramount. The other details are important but without the basic information you would be lost.

What Needs Recording

The most important information is the date of arrival, followed by the date of departure. It is worth mentioning that you should try to ascertain the dates of the customers holiday, you will be amazed at the number of clients who will give you their holiday dates and not allow for the fact that their cat has to come the day before, as they are flying at six o'clock in the morning.

At the busiest time of year it is crucial to have the correct date. The same goes for the leaving date, the client might come back on a certain date but it could be at midnight, meaning their cat has to stay another night/day.

You need to record the customers name,address and telephone number and the name of the cat/cats. At this stage you should tell them what your hours of delivery/collection are.

You should also tell them your requirements for cat boarding, for example you will need to see the vaccination certificate when they arrive, and perhaps you prefer all cats to be treated for fleas before they are boarded. (most cats will carry fleas if not treated, and you would not want them spreading throughout the cattery.

What Else Should Booking Forms Record?

When the customer arrives at your business premises you should record when the cat was last vaccinated and which vet the owners prefer to use. If the customers preferred vet is too far away, you should ask if, in the event of their cat being unwell, would they mind if you used your own vet. You should tell them what vet you would use but still make a note of their own vets name and telephone number.

You will need to have an emergency telephone number. Here again most customers will offer their own mobile number, but you need to explain that if the cat is unwell you will automatically take it to the vet, the emergency telephone number is for if they do not come back to collect their cat when you expect them to.

Accidents can occur, but sometimes you have to spell this out to the customer who would be horrified at the thought that they could abandon their pet. You will need the customer to sign and date your booking form. If you do not have insurance to cover any vets fees you should make it clear on the form that any vet bills will be the owners responsibility.

What to do With the Booking Forms

Once the cat has been safely collected you should record how the boarding fee was paid, either by cheque, cash or credit card, then file the form in date order. These forms must be kept for up to six years as proof of your income for tax purposes.