Luxury grooming, boarding resort opens in Niles

Published 8:55 am Monday, September 28, 2015

The Cat's Meow, which opened this summer, offers a place for cat owners to board their pets. (Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT)

The Cat’s Meow, which opened this summer, offers a place for cat owners to board their pets. (Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT)

With 30 individually decorated suites made out of see-through greenhouses, there likely is no more luxurious place to board a feline than at Niles Township’s The Cat’s Meow.

Chuck and Dina Perry, owners of the Bunk and Biscuit and Painted Gaits Farm, opened the posh, feline exclusive, boarding and grooming resort in June at 2607 S. 11th St., just north of Bertrand Road.

Dina said the idea to open The Cat’s Meow came from her experience in finding that cats always got the raw end of the deal when it came to boarding.

“One night I was thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if they had greenhouses to go into where they had all the sunlight and the bright light?’ she said. “I just wanted to get them in a bright airy place instead of a box.”

The Perrys bought the 7,000 square foot building in March — just large enough to make her dream a reality.

In addition to the 30 cat suites, The Cat’s Meow also has two play rooms and an area devoted to feline grooming.

Dina said each cat gets two 30-minute play sessions in the play rooms.

“They get to climb up the to ceiling if they want to or play with interactive toys,” she said. “It is just trying to give cats the same things that we give horses at Painted Gaits and the dogs at Bunk and Biscuit.”

Each suite has its own unique design, ranging from a young child’s bedroom to a bookstore to a European cafe.

“I wanted it to look like a home,” Dina said.

The Cat’s Meow offers boarding options from one night to a couple months.

Cost is $35 a night for the first cat and $20 more for each additional feline.

Dina said a person is on site from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The groomer has 10 years experience with cats.

The Cat’s Meow is hosting an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, with prizes, refreshments and social interaction with other feline enthusiasts.

Pet rescues and shelters can enter their business in to a drawing for a $500 prize. There will be other smaller prizes drawn for attendees.

The business can be reached by phone at (269) 683-6369 or online at thecatsmeowmichiana.com.