Home care by a professional cat sitter or trusted friend is often more welfare-positive than cattery boarding for stress-sensitive cats, maintaining routine and eliminating the stress of a novel environment.
For many cats, boarding in a cattery causes weeks of stress from environmental novelty, strange cats and disrupted routine. Home care eliminates this stress by keeping the cat in their familiar environment. The welfare calculation between boarding and home care should consider individual cat temperament, the quality of available boarding, and the cat's ability to cope with change. Many stress-sensitive cats are substantially better off with home care.