Kennels & Catteries

Owning a boarding kennel or cattery business presents a unique opportunity that allows you to:

- Turn your love for animals into a livelihood

- Meet the surging demand of the pet care industry

- Achieve a healthy work/life balance

- Make a recurring income stream

- Grow an existing enterprise

- Meet like-minded clients who will appreciate your work

“Investing in a kennel or cattery combines passion with profit, offering steady demand, multiple income streams and the joy of working with animals. It’s a lifestyle business with real growth potential in today’s pet-loving economy.”

The first step is to decide whether you want a standalone business or one sold with the existing owner's accommodation included. We often sell property with our kennels and catteries for sale, allowing successful buyers to live on-site and close to the adorable guests.

Other considerations to make include your price range, tenure type, location and other requirements. Our handy search tool can help you find your perfect business.

We’ve tried to make the process as straightforward as possible when you use Ernest Wilson to buy a cattery or kennel. Typically, you can expect the process to look something like this:

- Find a suitable business

- Request further information and visit the company to assess building conditions, staff quality and clients

- Perform due diligence to understand the financials, legal matters, employee contracts and condition of equipment and property

- Negotiate a deal, including purchase price, assets included and payment terms

- Finalise legal documents and work with a lawyer to ensure everything is covered

- Transfer the funds, receive the keys and close the deal

Following the completion of the takeover, you may also need to register the business before you can begin trading. Please ask our experts for assistance with this aspect.

With around 75 years’ experience, a dedicated team of specialists and glowing reviews from past clients, you can depend on us to help you buy a cattery and kennel business.

We’ve collectively sold over 40,000 businesses and are pleased to offer no upfront fees for our services, making us a reliable and cost-effective firm to support your venture.

What’s more, with 25 offices around the country, you can depend on us to have the local knowledge and national reach to handle just about any sale. We can also help you finance a purchase if required.

Found a cattery or kennel business for sale near you and want to buy it? Please get in touch to learn more or start the process. Our advisors will be ready to support your plans.

You can also sell a kennel and cattery business if you’re retiring or moving to a new area. Please read our selling a business guide to learn more.

Do I need a licence to run a cattery or kennel?

Yes, you will need a boarding for cats or dogs licence to run these businesses.

Are kennel and cattery businesses profitable?

Kennels and catteries can be profitable with the right planning, investment and management. You can increase your chances of profit by offering additional services, such as grooming, walking or training.

How much can I charge per day for my cattery or kennel business?

Prices vary depending on location, services included, animal needs and facility standard. You can expect pet owners to pay roughly £15-35 for dogs and £10-25 for cats.