Up Your Cat Boarding Game with Themed Packages
By Deborah Hansen
Providing an upgraded themed package is not only enjoyable for your facility, but can attract new clients and add to the profit of each boarding stay.
Many families find it difficult to board their cats. They know their feline does not like to go into the carrier or ride in the car, and they worry about their cat being in an unknown environment. But sometimes life presents situations where boarding is a necessity for a family. Over the years, you will find there are a lot of exciting celebrations that give families who don’t usually leave their feline the need to board their beloved kitty.
Providing an upgraded themed package is not only enjoyable for your facility, but can attract new clients and add to the profit of each boarding stay. The key for all your packages is sharing pictures. Your clients need to see that their cat is not only experiencing their theme package, but also participating and enjoying the extra adventure. These pictures can be used for social media marketing to attract new clients as well.
One idea for a themed package is a wedding weekend. You may want to include a bachelor/bachelorette party the night before, then the wedding day traditions happen the day of the human family member’s wedding. Flowers, tulle and flameless candles can all be interactive decorations for the cat to enjoy on the family’s special day. The wedding weekend package can be your top-of-the line option as it will span multiple days.
A tropical island vacation is another great idea for a themed boarding package. Party stores often have tiki bar and tropical island décor at the beginning of summer. You can have decorative blow-ups, serve meals out of cocktail glasses and have bright-colored toys to for the cats to play with. If you wanted to make this a premium themed package, you could expand this package multiple days by adding a beach party, cocktail hour and lazy day in the sun. A fishing excursion would also be enjoyable for the feline with fishing poles and toy catnip fish.
Birthday celebrations are enjoyable for everyone. Having several themed birthday party options that celebrate both the cat and human should be a big hit. You may want to have music at your party and send the family a dance video of their kitty rockin’ the night away.
A spooky Halloween party with a black light and maze could be an exciting adventure for your staff to plan and the felines you board to enjoy. And, cats love to play with plastic toy spiders! Add some spooky music and a few monster decorations and it will be a great time for all.
Holiday parties for Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, and every holiday in between can be as simple or as elaborate as your budget and clientele allow for. A great tip is to stock up on supplies after this year’s holiday when they are on clearance at party and pet stores, and then launch the themed party for next year. Or, better yet, do a simplified version of the themed party this year and increase how elaborate your setup is for next year’s boarders.
Spa days are relaxing and enjoyable for everyone! You could try a mid-range spa-themed package with organic catnip, potted wheat grass, an extended massage and conclude it with special treats.
A poker or movie night can also hit your mid-range clients. During the movie night, the cat can spend time watching their favorite show with an organic catnip toy and special treats. Poker night might include water out of cocktail glasses with cards and poker chips as décor. A few special “bar snacks” could add the final touches.
Some easy low-end packages might be breakfast in bed where the cat is served breakfast in a fancy dish after a nap in a pretty bed. Or, a day in the sun where the cat has a nice towel to nap on next to sunglasses would also be a simple package. These themed packages would just need a few props and a little extra time with spent the cats.
Food and drink can be fun to add to your themed packages. Keep in mind that felines have sensitive stomachs and turn their noses up at many unfamiliar foods. A great idea would be to serve their regular food and water in a themed dish or cup and give it a creative name.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to themed boarding packages, and it would be very easy to spend more money than you will ever make back, so setting a firm budget before you dive into themed boarding is important to assure a profit.
After you have a budget in place, there are several ways to expand into themed boarding. One way is to pick one theme to focus on and expand into several different levels. Another way is to focus on one theme per month for three to five months and see which are the most popular. It is key to start small and see how your clients and staff will respond.
Adding one theme at a time as you have a request would be a good way to expand your themed boarding options and could be very successful. You will want to be sure the themes you decide to use are broad enough that multiple families would be interested. The more use you can get out of the supplies for one theme, the better your return on investment will be.
Themed packages can be very exciting for your business and are a great way to attract new clients while providing new experiences for your regular feline boarders. When initiating any new program in your business, it is important to have a budget and plan in place to assure it is financially beneficial and something your staff can support. Once the decision has been made to add themed boarding packages, it is essential to add them to your website and advertise them on social media. Themed packages can make boarding entertaining and exciting for everyone while increasing your facility’s profit per feline.