Cat Boarding Facilities / Cat Hotel

Do any of you have any recommendations for boarding facilities in either Broward or Miami- Dade County Florida? I would probably need up to a couple of weeks for Misty to be able to stay in a very nice place. Any comments or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I'm not able to help with your specific question, however, here's a TCS article that might be helpful:
How To Find The Best Boarding Facility For Your Cat

Do you have any family around who could come to your house, or hire a pet sitter to come in? Cats do better when they are left at home. If not, definitely go first and check out any facility first and talk to the staff. It helps to lessen the worry. Wer have a pet service even in our small town. Face book may be able to help you in choosing too.

If friends/family/neighbors are not an option for you...

If your cat can be left alone part of the day/night, you could also look into care.com for a cat-sitter. You can look through candidates on line, call and talk with them, even hold interviews with them at your home and do 'run-throughs' as to what is expected of them. You can also ask for references, etc. Each one charges a different rate, some are more interested in the money aspect, others are actually into the idea of helping out another cat lover. You can determine the number of times you want them to visit and the duration of each visit. Many of them will also do simple chores, like bring in your mail and water plants for you.

I don't know (because I never asked) if there are ones you can actually have stay at your home, but I imagine there are.

Next Door Neighbor website is also another option for seeing if there are neighbors close by that might be able to help out as well.

Whatever you choose, make sure your cat is familiar with them ahead of time.

I would say it's better to pay for a sitter to come by twice a day rather than boarding. Cats hate being taken out of their territory and it's very likely that your cat might catch something and come home sick, especially since they will be stressed out being in a new place. Boarding homes may sound alright for dogs, but they just don't make sense for cats imo.

If boarding is the only option, I would recommend looking for a cats only place, but this can be more expensive. If you can find a place that has a very good separation from barking dogs, this could work. I would pay them an unexpected visit and ask to see the cattery first (unexpected, so you can just drop in and see it how it's "real" instead of having an appointment time that might encourage the staff to clean up a bit to impress you.) The staff should be friendly and willing to answer any questions, if they don't know the answers to a specific question they should have the manager or boss call you with information that day or the next.
If you find a place you like, ask about any additional fees like medication administering or play times so you don't get a nasty surprise when you pick them up and pay the bill.
Some places don't allow people in catteries or kennels for liability purposes but you should at least be able to see it through a viewing window. If they won't show you the cattery or refuse to let you even see through a window what it looks like, I'd move on.

If you do hire a cat sitter, ask for recommendations. Say two or three of the sitter's recent customers. And two, ask if they are bonded. The one pet sitter (she does both cats and dogs) I know is also bonded.

I prefer in home too. However, sometimes boarding is the only option.

I boarded once at a boarding facility and was not impressed. I came back to two cats who had the same amount of food as when I left. Not sure if they fed them something else or the cats didn't eat. The center evaded my questions and said they cats were happy while I was gone. I would never use a large chain boarding like at PetSmart (sorry PetSmart). Since that one experience I board only at my vet (who is cat only) unless the boarding facility has cameras in the area my cats will be so I can check. Vet boarding might be very basic but at least if something goes wrong they can do something about it.

I'm not sure about Florida but Californias is starting to make some pet boarding facilities that are made for cats. I wouldn't do it before when I look at places in the past but recently out here I have found a few with a lot of cat toys and big rooms where they can hang out or that their own little house with cat toys in it.

I love cat's and would say they like home the best so if you can find a friend or family member that can stay at your house while you're on vacation or come by to feed them that might be your best bet if the cat is in good health and not too old.

I have used pet paradise in north florida and it looks like there is one in Ft. Lauderdale. They keep the cattery in a separate area from the dogs but it can still be overwhelming for some cats. Extra play time is extra expense. Up to date on vaccines is required. You might want to visit and see the space.