Erinvale Cattery

Our holiday ended quickly when our cat was allowed to escape, staff left an enclosure door not fully closed. We returned straight away and it took us 8 days to find him in a nearby field thanks to the help of residents living in the area. Never againOwner is over confident in abilities to manage and predict cats' behaviour, allowed our cat to escape even though he was known to be nervous. Door of enclosure left unsecured, allowing him to escape. Would not recommend, especially if you cat is not extremely docile.Unfortunately can also be rude to and about customers, not always a pleasant experience, I wish we had listened to our instincts regarding this behaviour and not returned

Dreadful- will NEVER use or recommend it to anyone. Lady was beyond rude and pretty aggressive - so much so that we did not leave our cats and made other arrangements. Looking at the comments above, it seems it isn’t a one off! Awful service and really bad attitude. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Disappointing.

Dropped my cats off for the first time prior to Christmas for a weeks stay. Initially felt reassured as the place looked lovely however this soon changed when being greeted by the owner Lesley in what I can only describe as the most disgusting manner I have encountered. I opened the unlocked door which clearly stated entrance and said hello to which Lesley shouted at me and demanded I closed the door. As you can imagine I was taken aback by this and as I was not closing it fast enough for Lesley she proceed to shout at me again and slam the door. When she eventually came out to deal with us she demanded that I stood right back past the step before she would have any dealing with me due to “covid measures” however there were no signs stipulating this, no info on their website nor was it passed over when booking over the phone. Lesley’s attitude only got worse when asking routine questions regarding the cats, rolling her eyes, sighing and tutting at my responses. When I left she would not take the cat carrier out of my hand and told me I had to put them on the ground (which was covered in ice) before she would pick them up. This woman has absolutely no respect for her customers and I would recommend going anywhere else. It does not leave you feeling reassured on how she cares for your animals after her lack of human decency.

When we pulled up at Erinvale Cattery, we were pleasantly surprised at how welcoming it looked, and I was initially relieved at the thought of leaving my cats there for a week, as I had never left them before. However, that is where the positive comments I can make about Erinvale stop.We approached the front door, at the allocated drop off time and noted the unlocked door with the giant entrance sign above it, so like any other person would, my partner opened the door and went to walk in and called hello. That’s when we were greeted by Lesley, and if I live my whole life never encountering her again it would be too soon. When I say she shouted at my partner to get back and close the door, I am not exaggerating. Needless to say my partner was a bit taken aback, and unfortunately wasn’t closing the door quick enough for pleasant Lesley’s liking, but do not worry reader, she promptly grabbed the door and said, rather loudly, “I said close the door”.So picture the two of us standing out there like total numpties not really sure what to do. A few minutes later Lesley opened the door a crack and announced we were to stand behind the step, a good few meters from the door. Obligingly we did, and I would like to say Lesley came out at this point and apologised for her manner. She did not.She told us at this point we should be observing Covid guidelines (bear in mind the covid guidelines ended over 6 months ago), however should she have wished us to observe said guidelines that is fine, but maybe a sign outside to warn new customers would not go a miss.Anyway, she then proceeded through her list of questions, and to say she rolled her eyes once at our responses would be an understatement. She sighed, rolled her eyes, huffed at us, insinuated on several occasions that we were not fit to look after our cats, made an issue regarding the medication our cat was on…the reception was frosty to say the least…and I am not talking about the snow that was around is.But it gets worse, dear readers, as soon as she found out one of our cats was not neutered (at the advice from the vet for an ongoing health condition, and something that was highlighted to a member of staff when we booked), well you’d have thought we told her we enjoy eating kittens for breakfast. To say she berated us would be polite.Once she had gone through he list of questions she looked at my partner and said “well put them down then, I know what I’m doing” and had us put our cats,who prefer a fabric carrier, on the cold, wet concrete ground. I want to point out by the way, she was observed to be handing cat carriers to other customers and even offered to help a customer to her car with her cats, but for some reason she could not take the carrier from my partners outstretched hand…due to covid, one rule for one and another for the rest, seems a bit strange to me. Also, she was more than happy for me to hand her cash, maybe you can’t catch Covid that way, who knows?!The whole experience from start to finish was horrendous and I strongly advise anyone that cares even a little about human decency and basic manners avoids this place like the plague.

My cats were well cared for, which I think is important to say. But the owner is beyond rude, very intimidating. There was a problem with our booking which was my fault, but the owner was just horrible to us as I kept apologising. I won't even leave info on the whole story from booking to drop off to pick up, but each interaction was breathtaking rude and I won't go back.

Been away on holiday for 2 weeks and was the first time ever we left our cats in a cattery. Did research a lot to find the best one but looks like we failed. Wish I took my both cats with us or leave them at home under neighbours supervision. In 2 weeks of being there our older cat lost a lot of weight and both cats are sneezing a lot, not eating and their fur does not look like it has seen a brush in 2 weeks. We had to bin all the cats stuff and carriers as they were badly stinking, the cats themselves had a very bad odour also. They are also waking in the middle of the night mewoing and getting scared of any sound they can hear. Wish they could speak and tell us about their experience :( . I strongly believe that owners leaving their pets with the cattery should be allowed to inspect the facility and not be kept at the front door under Covid reasons . Unfortunatelly we might end up to the vet with our older cat as he was barely eating and drinking water for 2 days since we got them back. He used to be a little bit overweighted but now he looks skinny and sick. Never again will use any cattery service in the future

I cannot praise Erinvale cattery enough, Lesley went above and beyond to help me out this week and kept our Ash an extra 3 days after we arrived home from our holiday to no Electricity after the storm. Ash loves her holidays at Erinvale, the cattery is very clean and all cats have their own room"

One star is even too generous!! Not surprised to see a latest review. Beyond shocking service with my daughter recently. Dreadful place!! Stay well away.

On a personal note I cant imagine why anyone has left anything but a 5* review. I suppose you cant please everybody. However, I will do my best to review this objectively on behalf of my 2 Bengals!Location: In a beautiful part of the Aberdeenshire countryside, just far enough off the beaten track to be peaceful, but not so far as is difficult to find. Sat Nav took me straight to the door.Facilities : They look very modern, are exceptionally clean with ample space, and very well laid out. Each individual room has its own indoor and outdoor area, which faces the sun for feline basking. Both my girls enjoyed the comfort of a heated blanket overnight.Drop off: Staff welcomed me at the door and collected the carrier, filled out the paperwork of our details and any special requirements. They were polite, courteous and professional whilst giving a relaxed and friendly feeling. First impressions were, 'this is a place of Animal people'.Collection: Staff again welcomed me at the door. My 2 girls were given the run of the cattery as they were the only guests at the time and they were relaxed and content (even my smaller White Bengal who is confident but skittish). Both cats allowed Lesley to handle them perfectly happily (something they rarely do with others) both for a cuddle before they left, and to guide them into their carrier.Overall, I am extremely happy to have chosen Erinvale Cattery, and will continue to do so in the future. I would also recommend them and their services to any of my friends and family.Picture attached is my girls within 20 minutes of getting home. No worse for the experience. Thank you Lesley and team.