“I’ve never had a cat steal towels, create a rowdy disturbance, or smoke in bed,”  Bonnie Greene, proprietress of Pussyfoot Lodge in Stone Ridge New York told us.

For the past twenty-two years, Bonnie has hosted cats of all sizes, shapes, and ages in her central Hudson Valley home specifically designed and built with private guest rooms for feline boarders.

Open year round, a caretaker is on the premises twenty-four hours a day and rooms are booked months in advance. Most of the guests come as referrals from satisfied patrons. “We’ve had one cat named Misty who’s been coming here for the past twenty-one years of her twenty-two year life,” Bonnie told us.

At the Pussyfoot Lodge Bonnie Greene plays many roles, including phone operator, receptionist, dietician, chambermaid, doctor, nurse, entertainment coordinator, gardener, cook, therapist, chauffeur, and psychologist.

A Better Way

“I used to shudder at the thought of where people might have to leave their animals.” Bonnie said. “I hated the idea of leaving cats confined in cramped wire cages, and sandwiched between barking dogs and bombarded with strange medical odors. I felt there had to be a better way.”

The better way turned out to be Pussyfoot Lodge, where each boarder is given his or her own eight foot by eight foot room equipped with private litter box, scratching post and multilevel hiding places for perching and playing. A well-screened window in each room provides sunlight, fresh air,  and hours of entertainment watching the lush and attractive countryside.

Two of the rooms are actually suites, which have smaller adjoining rooms so as many as four cats from the same household can stay together.

On our visit to the Lodge we peeked in “Catnip Lodge” and found a contented tom Barney resting with two companions. A luscious large white cat named Fluffy slumbered peacefully in the “Mouse’s Den.”

Formica walls and tile floors allow easy cleaning and each room is thoroughly sanitized after a guest leaves. Disposable plastic litterbox liners, disposable soft bedding materials, and paper feeding plates insure hygienic conditions at Pussyfoot Lodge.

Equally important is preventing infection in the ventilation system designed to prevent airborne particles from circulating between guests.

There is a strict rule about the mixing of unfamiliar felines. Sorry, no exceptions.

Something From Home

Although barking dogs don’t disturb the rural tranquility, Bonnie occasionally hosts a canary or rabbit. “We do have one cat who always comes with a rabbit he fancies to be his mother.”

As well as keeping house mates together, Bonnie encourages guardians to bring along something cozy, warm and reminiscent of home when bringing their feline companions to Pussyfoot Lodge. Favorite toys and well-worn blankets predominate but enthusiastic caregivers have been known to bring entire households of “favorite” beds, condos and other paraphernalia.“Sometimes people forget,” Bonnie told us. “We’ve had people who literally disrobed themselves in our foyer so they can leave smelly socks and T-shirts. And later we would find the cats dragging the clothing all over their room or sleeping contentedly on it. So we know they appreciate it.”Practically no request from a guardian is too special. Occasionally people will supply tapes of classical music or tapes of their own voice and ask Bonnie to play it in the cat’s room.Anxious humans who call the Lodge are kept fully informed of the progress of their feline’s adjustment. Bonnie has even responded to linking fretful owners with their cats by phone.“We had one chatty Siamese who visibly responded to his owner’s voice. And one pampered cat listened so intently when his human mistress called long distance from a resort in Europe and talked to him in Italian! It was amazing.”

— Jill Mariani, Tiger Tribe

The Pussyfoot Lodge in Stone Ridge New York is a facility that accommodates its feline customers in spacious rooms with window views. The cats get the plenty of exercise, says owner Bonnie Greene, because the size of the rooms (8 square feet) allows them to romp and play. She also encourages their owners to bring the cats favorite toys and an article of clothing so the cat will feel more at home.

In business for more than 30 years, Greene welcomes cats with special needs and regularly boards animals with heart problems, diabetes or that require a special diet. Every cat has a unique personality, Greene notes, so service is personalized. Greene says that her clients often travel a great distance to board their cats at her spacious facility. It certainly beats two months cooped up in a cage.

The Pussyfoot Lodge has many rooms which can easily accommodate multicat families.

Reservations are required and Green asks that cats have all their vaccinations and be brought in a sturdy carrier.

Don Vaughn
Cat Fancy Magazine