A Message From the Owner

How's everyone doing? Are your cats wondering why you're home sitting in their favorite napping spot?

Many of you have sent well wishes and have asked how Camp Kitty is doing. Camp Kitty is still here! I haven't had to lay off any employees, although the kennel staff is on hiatus. And, I made the decision to decrease operating hours.

Dekalb County has issued a shelter-in-place order for non-essential businesses. Animal care facilities are considered essential, which is great news for us and for your pets. With that being said we will continue to stay open albeit with limited operating hours. We will be here for any hospital staff member working long hours or CDC employee having to travel for work or any student whose housing has recently changed.

Like many of you I have no idea what the future holds. First and foremost, I want everyone to stay healthy. Secondly, I want to reassure everyone that Camp Kitty is in good financial standing for the foreseeable future. So we're not shuttering unless instructed to do so.

I don't consider myself an optimist or a pessimist. My general view is "it is what it is." With that in mind Camp Kitty will continue on with our wonderful staff and our supportive clients. And, we're looking forward to caring for all those cats who were recently adopted from area shelters.

Thank you everyone for everything. Take care. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay home. And please give your cats a hug from all of us at Camp Kitty.

Sincerely,

Gwen

Preparedness

Is this week two or week three of self-quarantine and social distancing? What are days? So, here we are not really sure what to expect next.

As the future is unpredictable and many factors out of our control we are asking more preparedness on the end of our clients who are checking-in their cats. Our repeat clients are used to dropping off their cat and food and engaging in a little chitchat. There was one occasion where a human brought in his cat, set him on the counter with his food, looked at me, pointed at the cat and then walked out the door. That's fine. We're all cat people so zero words exchanged was perfectly acceptable.

If you are bringing your cat to Camp Kitty in the next two weeks (or even beyond) please come prepared with the following:

1. Extra food. At least two additional weeks worth of food.
2. Two emergency contacts. If anything should happen to you (illness, quarantine, travel ban, etc.) we need names of people you trust to make decisions for your cat on your behalf.
3. Where are you going? We usually do ask this if a cat is staying more than a week, but we want to know even if your cat is staying a few days. 

These are strange days so we're trying to be as prepared as possible.

Remember, we are still open. Our hours are limited: 8am-11am and 3pm-6pm.

The Impact of COVID-19 on This Small Business

It's Friday the 13th and COVID-19 has created a new normal in American society. We are now all practicing social distancing - basically becoming a nation of cat people.

It's obvious that the travel and hospitality industries will be greatly impacted by COVID-19, or Coronavirus. The kennel industry is kind of like a subset of those above mentioned fields. Camp Kitty, like many other boarding facilities, is feeling the strain of this virus. March is the time of year where business is steady; the time when we come out from the February lull.  And then, the area schools' spring break happens the first full week of April and it's like we're pre-gaming for the busy summer season. Not this year, though.

We have already had several cancellations and early check outs.

Mid-March is when families finally confirm their spring break vacation plans and that includes making a reservation for their cat. The phones have been pretty silent. Our boarding count is down 25%-50% compared to this time last year.

We are in the early stages of creating a contingency plan should business drop significantly. In order to financially stay afloat we may have to close for a few days or shorten our business hours or meet clients by appointment-only. Our number one priority will always be the cats. We take pride in the care we provide to our feline customers and will always do what is in their best interest while also doing our part to keep society safe.

Many small businesses will be impacted by the Coronavirus. We will ride this out like everyone else. We thank you for all of your support and ask that you be patient with us while we figure out our next steps.

COVID-19 and the Camp Kitty Humans

We're sure everyone is being inundated with "COVID-19" and "Coronavirus" and here we are tossing one more at you. 

What are we doing to keep our customers and employees safe during this time? COVID-19 is a virus that travels through the air - like many viruses that effect animals. Because of this, Camp Kitty is already equipped with an Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation system from PetAirapy that is connected to our HVAC system. In addition to keeping the air clean we disinfect our reception area daily particularly the desk and door handles.

We want to make sure our clientele stays healthy as well as our employees.

Being that we are a business that deals with bodily fluids and fecal matter on a daily basis we're pretty skilled in the art of disinfecting. Yeah, we were thoroughly washing our hands, and wearing masks and gloves before it was trending.