Data
Kennel and cattery star ratings, county by county
Across England, 51% of the 946 rated boarding kennels and catteries we list hold the top 5 stars. South Gloucestershire has the highest share, at 100%. Here's how every county compares.
England
51%
hold 5 stars · average 4.0
| Rank | County | Rated | 5 stars | Average | 1 or 2 stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Gloucestershire | 12 | 100% | 5.0 | 0% |
| 2 | West Sussex | 11 | 91% | 4.9 | 0% |
| 3 | East Sussex | 15 | 87% | 4.8 | 0% |
| 4 | Norfolk | 19 | 74% | 4.4 | 11% |
| 5 | Oxfordshire | 22 | 68% | 4.1 | 14% |
| 6 | Cumberland | 21 | 67% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 7 | Warwickshire | 17 | 65% | 4.4 | 0% |
| 8 | Surrey | 13 | 62% | 3.9 | 15% |
| 9 | Wiltshire | 35 | 60% | 4.2 | 3% |
| 10 | Derbyshire | 57 | 58% | 4.2 | 2% |
| 11 | Lancashire | 38 | 55% | 4.1 | 3% |
| 12 | Staffordshire | 40 | 53% | 4.0 | 8% |
| 13 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 55 | 51% | 4.0 | 4% |
| 14 | Essex | 40 | 50% | 4.0 | 0% |
| 14 | Leicestershire | 34 | 50% | 4.0 | 6% |
| 14 | Bolton | 10 | 50% | 3.9 | 10% |
| 17 | Kent | 75 | 49% | 4.0 | 3% |
| 18 | Hampshire | 47 | 47% | 3.9 | 4% |
| 19 | Hertfordshire | 15 | 47% | 3.9 | 7% |
| 20 | Suffolk | 35 | 46% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 21 | Kirklees | 20 | 45% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 21 | Central Bedfordshire | 20 | 45% | 3.9 | 5% |
| 23 | Cornwall | 33 | 42% | 3.9 | 3% |
| 24 | Devon | 37 | 41% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Nottinghamshire | 14 | 36% | 3.8 | 7% |
| 26 | Salford | 10 | 30% | 3.3 | 20% |
| 27 | Herefordshire, County of | 21 | 29% | 3.4 | 10% |
| 28 | Wakefield | 15 | 27% | 3.5 | 7% |
How we worked these out
Every licensed boarding kennel and cattery on Paws4Travels comes from a council's public licence register. In England, councils give each business a star rating from 1 to 5 at inspection (how the ratings work). We count the businesses in each county with a published rating, and show counties with at least 10 rated businesses so that the percentages are meaningful. Ranks go by the share holding 5 stars, then by average rating.
Councils update their registers at different times and not every council publishes ratings, so some counties are not shown and a business's current rating may differ after a re-inspection. Figures are recalculated live from our listings; last updated 21 October 2026.
Using these figures
You're welcome to use them, including in news stories. Please credit “Source: Paws4Travels (paws4travels.co.uk), from council licence registers” and link to this page. Journalists can contact hello@paws4travels.co.uk, and our press page has more.