The contented cat boarding my cats became a wonderful experience . What a beautiful way to get away.

Excellent boarding for 3 cats. They had their own space and were very well cared for. Have used two other boarding places, CC much better. The owner of the Contented Cat has cat care the way I like them to be cared for down. read more

I won't go as far as to say you should not bring your cat here. It may be okay for your particular feline friend. And, I do appreciate that our two cats appear to have been given food, water and litterbox emptied. However, this place is far from ideal boarding in my opinion. We live local and found ourselves in need of boarding for two days while our house was fumigated for termites. We booked a stay at the contented cat based on a couple good reviews and their website description. I'll start there. I expected the cats would have "their own living quarters and outside playground" as it says on the website. So their living quarters is an approximately 2'x2'x2' cage/box. The room I saw had these cages three high along the walls. I felt a little bad for our cats and wanted to take some pictures to share but was too nervous that would be unwelcomed (and we had days of boarding ahead). I was told by the caretaker/owner that there is an outside playground they would be given time when she cleaned their cages. After our brief interaction, I was not convinced this would happen. Now my cats do happen to be fairly large and neither was happy to be there -one was verbally grumbling and the other (more shy) pinned herself in the cage corner.  So, I can understand her not taking them out. She is after all a little old lady and unless a cat whisperer of sorts that could be a challenge physically just get them out from the high boxes. Perhaps a smaller cat that has no problem being in a small room with unfamiliar felines would be open to being let out where mine maybe not. And, perhaps they would be given time outside their box if so. Perhaps. The boarding facility I saw was likely a converted garage, detached, in the back of the property. She said the previous week there were over 50 cats boarding but less when we were there. There are definitely not that many cat boxes in this room so I am guessing they may stay in her main house as well. The smell of cat urine definitely prevails once you step in the sliding glass door entry. It is a cat boarding place so I suppose that means a lot of cat urine and a smell only makes sense. I couple of cats were clamoring for attention when I was there. Most were cowered in the back corners in a [hopefully] self-induced sedentary state. The caretaker/owner, Gloria Love, appears as a nice old lady. She was as pleasant as distant seeming. She was not into small talk or conversation and only offered brief responses to any questions. I am not much for these things either but thought a little repport would be nice. She has a check-in routine but seemed like that may be optional. I could not tell what would happen or when so I offered to put our cats in their cages and she was fine with that. She asked the cats name, age, color, and asked whether they had any shots. Other than that, no information about the cats seemed necessary. She did not ask to see any paperwork. (I am very glad I had gotten their shots a couple weeks prior and applied some flea meds a couple days prior.) So, I left our two feline friends of 13 years and bid them a good night hoping they would sleep much and their two days would pass in a flash. She seemed to be corralling me out the door and staying would not help my comfort level. After about 24 hours, and while on a lunch break, I decided to drop by to see how everything was going. I rang the bell at the back boarding house and waited a few minutes before she appeared from the main house. I could see our grey bundles of fur in the back of their cage from the door. Since it was her 'open' hours I thought this would be okay. She let me in and I walked right back to peer in at our two cat boxes. One was sitting there with a distant look. Maybe he was cat-meditating to pass some sleep deprived time. I opened up and gave him a quick pet not wanting to pull him to far toward hope of release since we still had another day. The other was hiding behind a large stuffed animal. I moved it and her eyes were screaming ready to get home. It was confirmed that they had not been out of the cages. But, the cages were clean and had food and water. A few short answers and queues told me it was time to go. I believe: "it's only one more day" is what she said with her little smile. I knew they would be physically fine. Gloria was nice when we picked up the cats. She had their travel boxes labeled and ready. There was some confusion on the cost but it worked out. She takes check (to her name only) or cash. The daily rate is per calendar day (or portion thereof) with or without overnight. She carried one cat to our car and assured us she is ready to help board whenever we need it again. She was a bit more upbeat for our departure. Perhaps happy to see our cats go without much effort. They were certainly happy to be home and hit the water, food and litter boxes straight away before a looong cat nap. Will we go back? I cannot see that happening and certainly not with our cats. read more

Contented Cat - The car house in back - Pet Sitting Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We had plans to board our kitty Storm while on vacation, but amidst Thomas Fire craziness, I became extremely worried about whether boarding him in town would be safe. Gloria made us feel so comfortable leaving Storm in her care. She made our entire experience trustworthy and personal, from drop off to pick up. Touring the facility, we saw that the cats would have space to play in privately divided spaces to prevent unhappy encounters with other cats. Gloria was extremely full due to the Thomas Fire, but she handled being busy so professionally. When we picked him up today, she had just a couple cats boarding and they were all so happy and relaxed. Storm didn't even want to leave, he was truly "contented" and at ease in Gloria's space. It's too bad to see a couple negative reviews for this local small business-- I know that is a deterrent for people at times. Our experience with Contented Cat was just perfectly pleasant, although quite different from a Humane Society or Cat Hotel type of facility. I was worried that in the three weeks we were gone, Storm would be depressed or angry, but he was happy as could be. For a Christmas present, Gloria even sent us home with a gift of a lunch box for Storm, including food and a teddy bear. She is so passionate about connecting with each kitty and making it a home-like experience for them all. read more

I wanted to love this place. My boyfriend and I recently bought a himalayan kitten to go with our five year old calico and when we went out of town to visit family we decided to board them both here at the contented cat. I sincerely wish we hadn't. We usually board our calico at the cat house hotel but since the kitten was too young for his leukemia and rabies vaccines we decided to board them both here since she only requires FVRCP. She assured me they would be well attended to and I believed her. I don't know what went on while they were there but I can tell you it must have been horrific and traumatizing because of what kind of state my cats were In when I picked them up. My kitten smelled and was covered in his own feces and urine. We give him a bath every weekend and clean his eyes and brush him daily which I relayed to Gloria (the woman who owns the contented cat). She obviously did none of these things - he was covered in fleas and sitting alone in a litter box when we got him, as well. Our girl cat's water was empty for who knows how long and both she and the place smelled terrible. Please don't ever bring your cat here if you care about them at all!!!! I'd give her negative stars if I could. read more

We have used the contented cat several times now. The first couple times we only dropped the cats off for the day while we had work done to our house and moved into our new place. When the Thomas Fire came to Carpinteria, we had no where to bring the cats. The fear of a fire and smoke made us have to evacuate our home and with many hotels and AIRB&B's not accepting pets, we reached out to the Contented Cat to see if they had room. Gloria was able to find space for both our boys in a safe, friendly environment for them while this devastation raged around us. Her love for cats is incredible and they are her first and last priority each and every day. When we went back to pick up our cats after the fire had subsided, she explained she had many, many cats she was sheltering almost all had to be evacuated due to the fire. During a time of great need for our community, Gloria kindly opened her doors to many people who didn't have any other options for their cats. Our two cats were healthy & well when we picked them up from their stay. This place might not be the fanciest but it is run with love and we will be sure to use them again when the need arises. read more

I have been boarding my cats with Gloria for over 25 years now and never had any problems like some of the neurotic cat owner reviews I've read on this website.........I'm not sure how much space they expect their cats to have at a kitty hotel, but it's definately much larger than they would get at a pet hospital or cat shelter. Gloria is a "cat lady" and treats every cat as her pet. Urine smell......yes maybe a bit, but what do you expect when there are 40 cat litter boxes in one space at one time. If you are so worried about your cat being traumatized (because it is a big change for them being away from what they are used to), maybe you shouldn't travel........... read more

It's too bad when people only leave bad reviews. I leave a review when I've had a good experience and The contented cat has been caring for my cat (s) for over 30 years. I am leaving a 5 star review here for the following reasons. The woman that owns this business and lives on the premises is the most loving and kind, caring animal lover you could ever meet and has made it her life's work to care for cats. The place may not be antiseptic but it is very clean and she dotes on the animals. Any place that cares for cats will have an odor people, even your own home if you have one litter box will smell. Imagine a place with many, and in the heat of summer. Gloria has a huge heart and has been known to take care of animals for people during great times of stress with only the highest integrity and love. read more

We were thrilled to find this place! Gloria is the owner and she is extremely and sincerely loving and attentive to her kitties. We left our outdoor cat Cisco with her for 3 months and he was happier than when we dropped him off. He is a tricky, snippy and moody cat and Gloria had no problem with him. He was completely calm on then long ride home and I can't tell you how relieved we are to have found someone who understand him and calmed him down. Her place was clean and decorated with love and care. She has been doing this for 40 years and it shows. Gloria is calm and unique and very reasonable with her pricing. She gave Cisco a bag full of new toys and treats with a water bottle, personal thank you card and homemade little kitty blankets that she crochets for each guest to take home! Those little afghans made me laugh and melted my heart to know there are people like Gloria out there! Thank you very much and Cisco will be back next year! read more

I am still traumatized that I allowed my cats to stay here. Gloria seemed nice over the phone and reassured me they would be happy and safe for their stay. When I arrived to drop them off, the first warning bells went off and I should have trusted my gut and found a new place for them. Unfortunately I had a plane to catch so I couldn't really afford the time and I thought maybe I was just being overly worried. Gloria was nonchalant about my request for my two cats to stay together and not be separated as we'd agreed on the phone prior. She flippantly said they'd be apart and she put them back together in the larger run later. I expressed this would cause my boy cat stress as he's not good without his sister. I was also concerned the space she has them in was too small and asked about when and how often they could use the larger space. Again, she was very non specific and wouldn't directly answer my question despite asking it in a couple different ways to try get an answer. She would change the topic and move on. The same about their food. I said they will get an upset stomach with her food. Again, nonchalant about it. I leave, crying. I call in to check how they're doing the day after & Gloria is laughing saying oh wow you won't believe how horrible your cat it... what?!? This is the most friendly cat on the planet. He loves everyone. I find out he's not been taken out of the tiny box for TWO DAYS!!! AND he's not with his sister. Because he hissed at her she refused to try make his life pleasant and let him have some space to explore. I am on the other side of the country & not back for another 2 days. As soon as I get back to Santa Barbara I go to remove my cats from there sooner than planned. My cats are NOT happy. They are jumpy, stressed, hungry and the boy is seriously stressed and unhappy. I'd never take my cats there to be treated like that again :,( read more

Gloria has been caring for our rescue cat, when we are out of town, since we got her 2 1/2 years ago. Gloria is a kind gentle person, and a true cat lover. Her facility seems clean and safe. Since our cat is shy and timid, Contented Cat is a good fit because the environment is low stress and calm. Gloria treats the cats as if they were her own. read more

Unfortunately, our cat has visually suffered during the 10 days we left her there. We gave clear instructions about feeding her, which have not been followed. We provided prepared frozen food, which has not been kept in a freezer and hence was all rotten. Our cat gained significant weight and had severe diarrhea when we got her back. read more