Overnight pet boarding in 2026 varies far more by species than by facility amenities, and confusing cat pricing with dog pricing is the single biggest reason owners either over-pay or pick the wrong facility. Cat boarding runs $20-$35 per night at a shared cattery, $35-$75 per night in an individual cat suite, and $50-$120 per night at a boutique cat hotel with window perches, cat TV, and 1-on-1 play sessions. National average cat boarding sits around $30 per night according to HomeGuide 2026 data. Exotic bird boarding at an avian-qualified facility runs $30-$75 per night. Exotic reptile boarding (bearded dragons, leopard geckos, ball pythons) runs $25-$60 per night. Small mammals — rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hedgehogs, chinchillas — run $15-$40 per night, usually with the owner supplying the cage.
The right facility depends on the species, not the budget. Cats do best in cat-only facilities that do NOT board dogs — the barking, the unfamiliar smells, and the chaos of a mixed-species kennel routinely trigger stress-induced weight loss, urinary issues, and feeding strikes in cats boarded alongside dogs. Exotic birds need an avian veterinary clinic or specialty facility with a bird-experienced staff; a general kennel will feed the wrong diet, miss early respiratory symptoms, and have no protocol for handling a stressed parrot. Reptiles need a facility that can maintain species-specific temperature and humidity; without proper heating and UVB lighting a 7-night stay can compromise immune function for weeks. Small mammals are more forgiving but still benefit from exotic-qualified care, especially rabbits whose gut-stasis risk makes diet and routine consistency critical.
This calculator is deliberately broader than our sibling dog boarding cost calculator, which covers dog-only boarding across kennel / Rover / luxury hotel / in-home sitter tiers at $30-$150 per night. Pricing below is aggregated from HomeGuide, Catster, Hepper, Rover, CareCredit, and regional avian-exotic veterinary boarding rates. Use the calculator above to price your specific trip by pet type and facility tier, then read on for the species-specific vetting checklist, holiday-booking deadline, add-on fee traps, and the five questions that separate a $35/night cat suite from a $75/night suite with nearly identical amenities.
Multi-species households (one cat plus one rabbit, or a parrot plus two cats) face a coordination problem that dog-only homes do not: few facilities board every species you own, and the ones that do often charge species-specific rates. The practical rule of thumb is to budget the higher of the two rates per animal per night, plus a modest multi-pet discount of 10-20% when applicable. Some boutique cat hotels will co-board a bonded pair of cats in a single suite at a 15-25% discount on the second cat; this is NOT the same as boarding a cat and a rabbit in the same facility, which typically requires two separate species-appropriate enclosures at separate nightly rates. Ask about bonded-pair pricing at the time of the initial quote and specify in writing whether enclosures will be physically adjacent or in separate wings.
