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Paws4Travels

Paws4Travels data

UK licensed kennels and catteries: the numbers

Every figure on this page is calculated live from the 1,295 council-licensed boarding businesses we list, compiled from councils' public animal-boarding licence registers. Last updated 21 October 2026.

1,295

licensed kennels and catteries listed

99

counties and council areas

51%

of English ratings are 5 stars

4.01

average council star rating

How English council star ratings are spread

Out of the 946 listed businesses with a published star rating. In England, councils rate licensed boarding from 1 to 5 stars after inspection; how the ratings work.

  1. 5 stars481 · 50.8%
  2. 4 stars46 · 4.9%
  3. 3 stars378 · 40.0%
  4. 2 stars25 · 2.6%
  5. 1 star16 · 1.7%
349 listed businesses have no star rating — mostly in Scotland and Wales, where licences don't carry stars, plus some English councils that don't publish ratings.

By region

RegionListedWith a star rating5-starAverage stars
South East2192021084.03
South West179147764.10
Scotland17100—
East Midlands159121634.03
East of England143114543.90
North West121103594.20
Yorkshire and The Humber102102463.90
Unknown9474373.85
West Midlands6868323.87
North East171254.00
Wales1200—
London10313.67

Kennels, catteries or both

Of 1,295 listed businesses, 604 (46.6%) board cats only, 417 (32.2%) board dogs only, and 274 (21.2%) take both.

Counties with the most licensed places

  1. 1.Kent75
  2. 2.Derbyshire73
  3. 3.East Riding of Yorkshire55
  4. 4.Essex53
  5. 5.Lancashire49
  6. 6.Hampshire48
  7. 7.Devon48
  8. 8.Staffordshire40
  9. 9.Suffolk35
  10. 10.Wiltshire35
  11. 11.Leicestershire34
  12. 12.Aberdeenshire34
  13. 13.Cornwall33
  14. 14.Hertfordshire31
  15. 15.West Sussex26
  16. 16.Nottinghamshire26
  17. 17.Oxfordshire23
  18. 18.Cumberland21
  19. 19.Herefordshire, County of21
  20. 20.Fife21

Method and reuse

  • Source: councils' public registers of licensed animal-boarding businesses.
  • Counts cover businesses we list with a confirmed location. Some councils publish incomplete registers, so the true UK total is higher.
  • Star ratings are as published by each council in England; Scotland and Wales do not use the star scheme.
  • Free to reuse with credit to “Paws4Travels” and a link to this page. Download the figures (CSV).