Exclusively Cats

My cat stayed at this kennel for 7 nights. When I picked her up she was extremely agitated (which I expected somewhat due to stress). I was completely shocked at how dirty she was (she stunk like urine and her bum was covered in brown stain… which later I learned was a sign of soft stool).
I got my cat home and she ate a tiny bit and went to bed. The next morning she did not get up (which I thought was a result of her not sleeping well and being stressed throughout the week prior). When I got home later that night she was extremely lethargic and would not eat at all (not even treats). This was quite concerning to me so I took her to an emergency animal hospital. She required immediate blood work, an ultrasound, and hospitalization for 24 hours. She had also lost weight. I should note that I had my cat to the vet the day before taking her to the kennel — all was great.
The vet suggested I call the kennel to ask about her eating and toileting (as this information could be quite useful for diagnosis). It was likely she was displaying some atypical behaviours, as getting that sick in 24 hours seemed unlikely. Marilyn could not really tell me with certainty anything about my cat, other than she was not eating as much as I said she eats, maybe half the amount (which I should have been notified about), and she mentioned that she had a soft stool (again, which I should have been notified about). I noticed that my cat’s towel was not in her carrier when I got home and asked Marilyn about this, as maybe it was discarded because it got vomit or diarrhea on it (definite signs of sickness). Marilyn had no clue about the towel, told me she wouldn’t have washed it, then changed her mind and said she did wash it, but couldn’t answer any of my questions about why it required washing. It was quite obvious that my cat was not monitored and nobody noticed that she was getting sick. If she had been at the kennel for one or two days longer, she probably would have died.
It is important to note that my cat did NOT contract an illness or disease at this kennel. After her $ 2000 trip to the vet she has been diagnosed with pancreatitis and cholangiohepatitis — which the cause is often unknown. She could have been dealing with this prior and the stress of the kennel brought it on — who knows. My concern is that nobody seemed to notice that my cat was getting sick, despite obvious atypical behaviours. Cats can go downhill fast, and I would have expected that these kennel owners would be monitoring all cats closely (which it states on the website), especially new cats who are stressed and in an unfamiliar environment.
I will say that the other cats there appeared happy and were running around in the common area. But for new customers who know their cats can get stressed, I would highly reconsider choosing this kennel as they do not appear to be monitoring their clients and clearly do not contact owners at signs of distress. I was lucky that my kitty pulled through. She’s at home on 5 medications, but it looks like a recovery is possible.

Exclusively Cats is a fantastic place! We have taken our cat, Simon, there for many years now and completely feel that we couldn’t have found a better place for our Simon to be cared for and not feel any stress when he is there. Marilyn has gone out of way for us and our cat more than once. Marilyn does not deserve that negative review.