Cattery Equipment Finance

Spread the cost of cattery pod and unit fit-outs from £3,000 to £50,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance

Can you finance a cattery equipment?

Yes, cattery equipments are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £3,000 to £50,000, and most deals are written over 24–60 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

Typical Cost

£3k – £50k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for pods under £10k

Rates From

7.0% APR

What would a cattery equipment cost per month?

Cattery Equipment price (ex VAT) £15,000

Deposit 10%

Agreement term 60 months

Annual interest rate 9%

Balloon payment £0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical cattery equipment price. Indicative only, not a quote.

Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate: From 7.5% APR
Term: 24–60 months
Deposit: 10–20%
Ownership: Yours at the end
Best for: Cattery owners wanting to own the pods and enclosures outright

Finance Lease

Rate: From 7.0% APR
Term: 24–48 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for: Tax-efficient route for a first cattery build

Operating Lease

Rate: From 7.8% APR
Term: 24–48 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return at end
Best for: Keeping pods off balance sheet while the business establishes itself

Representative example

On a purchase price of £15,000: a 10% deposit of £1,500, then 48 monthly payments of £316 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £16,668, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification	Guide price	Type
Single Cattery Pod with Run	£1,200 – £3,000	Modular Cattery Unit (specification class)
Multi-Cat Boarding Block, 8–12 pods	£12,000 – £35,000	Complete Cattery Fit-Out (specification class)
Insulated Cattery House with Heating	£4,000 – £10,000	Insulated Cattery Unit (specification class)

Tax benefits

Cattery equipment usually qualifies for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting a business deduct the full cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase, up to £1,000,000. HP agreements allow capital allowances to be claimed by the business making the payments. Lease payments are generally deductible against profits as a business expense rather than qualifying for AIA directly.

Market context

Cattery equipment is bought mostly by small, owner-run boarding businesses, often people converting part of a smallholding or garden plot into a licensed boarding facility, along with a smaller number of rescue charities and veterinary practices offering cat accommodation. Finance is used because even a modest cattery, a handful of pods with runs, insulation and secure fencing, represents a meaningful cost relative to the size of the business, and spreading it protects the working capital needed to cover the licensing and inspection process before any bookings come in. Replacement is driven more by expansion than wear, since composite pods are built for outdoor use and last well; growth tends to come from adding pods rather than replacing them. Secondhand pods do circulate between small operators, though buyers should check a used pod still meets current local authority licensing standards before relying on it.

Bad credit?

Some specialist lenders consider businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options may be available. Fundably may use a soft credit check for matching, which does not affect your credit score. A hard check may happen if you choose to proceed with a lender.

Frequently asked questions

Can I finance a cattery as a home-based business?

Yes, provided the business itself, rather than you personally, is the one entering the finance agreement and the site has (or is close to obtaining) the local authority animal boarding licence needed to operate. Lenders are used to home-based cattery businesses and don't treat them differently from a standalone commercial site, though they may ask to see the licensing timeline if it hasn't been granted yet, since an unlicensed cattery can't legally take paying boarders.

What deposit will I need?

For hire purchase, most lenders ask for a 10–20% deposit on cattery equipment. Finance leases and operating leases often require none. Because cattery pods have a fairly limited resale market outside the pet boarding sector, a new business without trading history may be asked for a larger deposit or a personal guarantee to offset that. A bigger deposit will also reduce the monthly cost, which helps while bookings are still building.

How quickly can I get cattery equipment finance approved?

Most applications for amounts under £20,000 are approved within 24 to 48 hours, provided the supplier quote and basic business details are in order. Larger multi-pod builds that include groundworks or fencing alongside the pods themselves can take a little longer, since the lender is assessing a bigger combined project rather than a single standard item.

Can I add more pods to an existing finance agreement later?

Not usually to the same agreement, but most lenders are happy to write a new, separate agreement for additional pods once the cattery is established and trading. Many cattery businesses start small to test demand and expand in stages, and having a track record from the first phase, even a short one, generally makes the second finance application faster and can improve the rate offered.