Takurua Vets offers a veterinary-led boarding cattery in Christchurch, providing calm, secure accommodation for cats alongside full clinical oversight. Our cattery operates as part of our fully equipped veterinary clinic, allowing us to support medication needs, monitor health changes, and care for cats who require extra attention while their families are away.
Unlike traditional boarding catteries, our approach is designed for cats who benefit from a quieter environment, gentle handling, and the reassurance of veterinary support on site.
Based in Upper Riccarton, Takurua Vets’ boarding cattery serves cat owners across Christchurch, including Riccarton, Ilam, and surrounding suburbs. We welcome both short stays and longer bookings, offering a structured, low-stress environment supported by experienced veterinary and nursing staff.
Our cattery is particularly well suited to cats who are senior, anxious, on medication, or recovering from recent health issues.
Before your cat comes to stay with us, a few simple preparations can make a meaningful difference to their comfort and wellbeing.
In this short video, Dr Ebeneze explains how to prepare your cat for boarding, what to bring, and how our veterinary-led cattery is designed to keep cats calm, comfortable, and well supported throughout their stay.
Because our cattery operates alongside our clinic, our team can assist with prescribed medications, anxiety support protocols and health monitoring during your cat’s stay. This provides peace of mind that changes in behaviour, appetite or health will be recognised early.
We encourage you to bring familiar items from home - such as a bed, blanket or clothing — to help your cat settle more easily. For longer stays, rotating a small number of personal items often improves comfort and reduces stress.
To protect the wellbeing of all cats in our care, we require up-to-date vaccinations for cat flu and current flea and worm treatments. For your convenience, we offer a 15% discount on vaccinations, flea and worm treatments completed at our clinic in the months leading up to your booking.
We provide a range of kibble options and will try to accommodate your cat’s preferences where possible. If your cat is on a prescription, specialised or raw diet, please supply their food and contact us in advance so we can ensure safe handling.
Weekdays: 8:00am – 6:00pm
Weekends & Public Holidays: 10:00am or 5:00pm only
Arriving at the scheduled time helps our small team maintain a calm, structured environment for all animals in our care.
Cattery reservations require a 50% non-refundable deposit at the time of booking, with the remaining balance due one day prior to arrival. Bookings during peak periods such as Christmas and Easter fill quickly, so early reservations are strongly recommended.
Please create a separate booking for each cat. If your family cats would like to share accommodation, add a note to your booking and we will accommodate this where appropriate.
Cats staying in our boarding cattery are supported by monitoring and clinical oversight systems alongside regular hands-on care by our team. This approach helps ensure pets in our care are actively observed and supported, including outside of normal clinic hours, providing added reassurance while they are staying with us.
Some cats need extra preparation before a cattery stay, especially when the carrier, car travel, unfamiliar smells or routine changes are stressful. Small steps before drop-off can make the stay more predictable.
Start here for carrier confidence, familiar bedding, health checks, medication planning and what to tell us before boarding.
A focused page for cats who hide, resist the carrier or become stressed by change.
How to prepare a cat for their first boarding cattery stay.
Why vaccination status needs to be checked before a cattery stay.
What to bring for a cattery stay and what is better left at home.
How food routines are handled while a cat is boarding.
Planning a cattery stay for cats who need medication.
Extra planning for older cats staying in the cattery.
Why diabetic and medically complex cats need early boarding planning.
How to plan boarding for cats from the same household.
What to expect when a cat comes home from the cattery.
Special considerations for kittens staying in a cattery.
How longer boarding stays are planned and monitored.
Why coat condition, mats and grooming tolerance matter before boarding.
When a pre-boarding health check is worth booking.
How emergency contact and veterinary decision-making work during a stay.
How carrier confidence makes cattery drop-off easier.
Helpful when a cattery stay falls near holidays, summer travel, busy boarding periods or vaccination due dates.
If you are planning a stay for your cat, or you want to understand how boarding works before making arrangements, our team can help. We are happy to answer questions about availability, what to bring, how stays are managed, and what to expect during your cat’s time with us.
