08/22/2025
A new cat hotel and spa in Mount Laurel offers purr‑fect getaway for felines
Most cats can make themselves comfortable anywhere. It’s just how they roll. But when it comes to boarding a beloved feline, humans often have anxieties, expectations, and wish lists.
Local cat owners who seek to elevate their pet’s experience during a weekend getaway or a longer vacation will soon have a fresh option: the Happy Cat Hotel & Spa.
The first Philadelphia‑area location of the Connecticut‑based franchise is scheduled to open next month in Mount Laurel.
“All of these rooms have a different travel theme, and this is the spa,” said Diane Kane, walking with husband Keith Johnson along the main hallway of their hotel.
Kane, a lawyer, and Johnson, an owner of the Laurel Lanes bowling center, are renovating a 5,000‑square‑foot space in an office park on Briggs Road near Route 38. Their hotel will feature 33 rooms with varied furnishings and playful names like Atlantic City Boardwalk Kitty, Felinedelphia, and Rocky Meowntain Lodge. Prices start at $59/day for standard rooms, $69 for deluxe, and $79 for luxury suites.
“Cat happiness is held in high regard,” said executive groomer Cat Shemeley. “It’s where they get to be cats, not just put in a cage, given food, and left alone.”
Upscale amenities:
A ten‑member staff that includes a kitty concierge and groomers trained in services like blow‑dries, plush trims, and de‑shedding treatments.
Only cats from the same household may share rooms; cats from different households are kept separate. Individual “walks” with staff and daily enrichment interactions are included.
Each room features an outdoor‑view window and optional “Cat TV” (a bird/squirrel video loop).
Owners are asked to provide their cats’ normal food, and any medications are administered by trained staff.
Growing demand?
A Grand View Research study projects the global pet boarding market, which was $8.63 billion in 2024, will grow more than 8% by 2030—while cat ownership continues to rise. Kane and Johnson opened this location after hearing from frustrated friends who couldn’t find a cats‑only option locally.
Brand background:
Chris Raimo, founder and CEO of Happy Cat Franchising (based in Windsor, CT), said their flagship location opened in 2014. They now have seven hotels operating, with three more in development in markets including Bergen, NJ, Norwalk, CT, and Fairfax, VA. Raimo emphasized that their facilities are “quiet and tranquil—like a library,” designed to nurture trust through a deep understanding of feline behavior.
(The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 12, 2025)
https://bit.ly/4eyVhQQ
The hotel will offer theme rooms, such as Felinedelphia and Rocky Meowntain Lodge.