Understanding Cattery Star Ratings

What the stars measure

Star ratings under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 assess compliance with a schedule of conditions — not customer satisfaction or price.

1 and 2 stars indicate the cattery met the mandatory minimum conditions at inspection. 3 stars indicates the higher conditions in Group 1 were met. 4 and 5 stars require increasingly comprehensive voluntary conditions to be met, covering areas like environmental enrichment, management systems, and staff training.

What the stars don't measure

How attentive and experienced the staff are — a cattery run by a lifelong cat owner with two staff members can provide warmer, more responsive care than a 5-star facility with high turnover.

How the cattery handles individual cats — the star system does not assess responsiveness to owner briefings or how well anxious cats are managed.

Price or value — there is no correlation between star rating and price.

Recent quality — stars reflect the state of the cattery on inspection day, not today.

How to use stars as a starting point

A cattery with fewer than 3 stars is worth querying directly — ask when their last inspection was and what the outcome said. A cattery that has held 3+ stars consistently over multiple renewals has a track record worth noting.

Stars work best alongside a site visit, owner reviews, and your own assessment of the operator's knowledge and responsiveness.

Frequently asked questions