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The practice of cat boarding has evolved as a solution for housing cats when their owners are away. Cat boarding ranges from traditional [[Pet sitting|sitters]] to modern cat hotels offering a wide range of entertainment and housing options. Some also use home cat boarding services or look for local cat sitters in their area.
The concept of cat boarding emerged in the early 2000s and since then the industry has been growing steadily. Before [[World War II]], cats in the United States predominantly lived outdoors, but urbanization led to increased indoor living for cats. In places where cats were introduced by humans, for example in New Zealand, cats can pose significant danger to the [[Native species|native wildlife]], especially small birds, lizards and [[rodent]]s. In these countries there are growing calls to reduce the number of free-roaming an [[feral cat]]s.<ref>{{Cite webnews |last=Dowling |first=Stephen |date=2023-02-20 |title=Should New Zealand cats be kept indoors? |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230217-should-new-zealand-cats-be-kept-indoors |access-date=2024-08-17 |websitework=www.bbc.com[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2022, the global market for pet boarding services was valued at US$6.72 billion and is forecast to continue to grow at a strong compound annual growth rate of 8.30% between 2023 and 2030. This expansion is primarily driven by factors such as the growing popularity of pet boarding services, the rise in pet ownership, the trend towards the [[Pet humanization|humanization of pets]], and the increasing spending on pet care in both [[Developed country|developed]] and [[Developing country|developing countries]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pet Boarding Services Market Size & Share Report, 2030 |url=https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-boarding-services-market-report#:~:text=The%20global%20pet%20boarding%20services,8.30%25%20from%202023%20to%202030 |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.grandviewresearch.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Types ==
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=== In-home boarding ===
In-home boarding is a form of overnight cat care that takes place in the cat owner's home. Many cat owners prefer to leave their cats in their own home, in their familiar surroundings, with a known and trusted person looking after them. This is a commonly used service for, for example, non-social or aggressive cats.<ref>{{Cite webnews |date=31 March 2015 |last=Caba |first=Susan |title=A Primer in House Sitting - NYTimes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/travel/a-primer-in-house-sitting.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331112815/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/travel/a-primer-in-house-sitting.html |archive-date=2015-03-31 |access-date=2024-08-17 |websitenewspaper=web.archive.org[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
== Sources ==
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