Kitty resort makes for purr-fect weekend getaway

May 26, 2000
Web posted at: 9:54 p.m. EDT (0154 GMT)

SANTA CRUZ, California (CNN) -- The cats in the house where Colleen Hughes lives are paying guests. Or at least their owners are. Hughes manages Kitty Hill, a kennel for cats that calls itself a resort -- with good reason.

While their owners are away, pampered pets get temporary lodgings much comfier than a cage, thanks to the cat-friendly design of Dale Gatlin and Harriet Butts, the husband and wife who built and own Kitty Hill.

The 25 rooms -- each with its own theme -- are outfitted with a hiding area, sleeping quarters and a place to perch. And every room has a cat's-eye view of the outside world.

Cats are treated as though they are human beings, says Wayne Southerland, who brought his cat Shadow for a stay. "It's the way I'd like to be treated if someone had to put me away for a weekend," he told CNN affiliate KSBW.

A night at Kitty Hill costs $15; an additional $10 is charged for each additional cat from the same owner.