Portland cat boarding by Cats in the City

Cat boarding, rebuilt around the cat.

Private rooms, feline-only environments, nervous-system-aware care, and specialized support for cats whose needs do not fit a standard boarding template.

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Feline-onlyPrivate roomsTwo Portland locationsDaily observationMedical support by review

Boarding requests, availability, current rates, and care approval are managed by Cats in the City.

Large private Garden Room at Cats in the City Sellwood

2Portland locationsSellwood and Mt Tabor offer different room environments and care capacities.

24/7On-campus supportSellwood has residential staff on site for overnight escalation support.

Cats onlyNo barking, dog traffic, or mixed-species boarding floor.

Private territoryCats are not mixed with unfamiliar households.

Care is observedAppetite, litter, movement, posture, and behavior matter.

Connected careBoarding links back to Cats in the City and the Purr Almighty network.

Find the right fit

Different cats need different boarding.

Use the cat—not a generic room tier—as the starting point. This wayfinder does not confirm eligibility or availability; it points you toward the most relevant information before the Cats in the City team reviews the request.

Routine stay

Start with room fit, routine, temperament, and preferred location. Sellwood and Mt Tabor both provide private feline-only space.

Best starting pointBoth Portland locationsExplore this path

Sensitive or first stay

Quiet rooms, predictable routines, vertical choice, and slower introductions help us match the environment to the cat.

Best starting pointChoose by regulation styleExplore this path

Senior or medication

Share diagnoses, medication timing, appetite baseline, mobility, and known stress patterns so the team can review fit.

Best starting pointRequest a care reviewExplore this path

Diabetic care

Diabetic boarding is routed through Sellwood, where the care model includes glucose-informed decisions, insulin support, appetite awareness, and overnight on-campus staffing.

Best starting pointSellwood routingExplore this path

Bonded family

Larger private suites can support bonded cats from the same household without mixing them with unfamiliar cats.

Best starting pointLook at larger private roomsExplore this path

Climber, watcher, catio fan

Window-heavy, aquarium, climbing, and private-catio options allow room selection around how a cat explores and settles.

Best starting pointMatch the room to the catExplore this path

Mountaineer Room at Cats in the City Mt Tabor with vertical routes

The room is part of the care plan. Height, visibility, retreat, and movement options change how a cat uses the stay.

Two locations, one care system

Choose the environment and care capacity—not simply the nearest address.

Sellwood is the flagship medical and special-needs boarding location, with on-campus residential support, private rooms, and higher monitoring capacity.

Mt Tabor offers a varied room collection built around climbing, windows, lounging, aquarium viewing, and private catio options. Stable medical needs are reviewed case by case.

Both locations are feline-only and operated by Cats in the City. The request process helps the team match the cat, the room, and the care plan.

Compare locations See room types

The boarding model

A stay is more than a reservation.

The website is organized around the parts of boarding that most affect whether a cat can remain stable, readable, and fully present.

System design

A new standard of care

Instead of asking the cat to tolerate a generic system, the environment, routine, and pacing are designed around feline regulation.

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Personality

Boarding where cats stay themselves

Success is not measured by how quiet a cat becomes. We look for appetite, movement, curiosity, rest, play, and recovery.

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Expression

Boarding that brings cats out

Play, exploration, reaching, climbing, and re-engagement can show when the cat has capacity beyond vigilance.

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Environment

A space cats settle into

Position, elevation, chosen proximity, loose rest, and fluid movement help distinguish belonging from containment.

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Nervous system

Feline boarding rebuilt around regulation

Decompression, sensory load, predictable care, appetite protection, and choice shape the transition.

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Transition

The TANDEM Cat® Transitional Care Model

A structured way to read activation, settling, appetite shifts, interruption, recovery, and guardian interpretation.

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Cat resting openly on a counter in a Cats in the City boarding environment

Open rest, orientation, and response to care provide context around the medical task itself.

Medical and special needs

For cats who need more than task completion.

Some cats need medication timing, appetite awareness, glucose-informed decisions, mobility observation, respiratory awareness, sensory accommodation, or a plan for early escalation.

TANDEM Cat® medical boarding is organized around stability: how the cat is doing before, during, and after food, medication, handling, rest, and environmental change.

Diabetic and higher-acuity boarding is routed through Sellwood. Every medical request is reviewed for present stability and fit.

Care boundary: Portland Cat Boarding and Cats in the City provide boarding, observation, medication support, and guardian/veterinary coordination. Boarding does not replace diagnosis, emergency care, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. Every medical boarding request is reviewed for fit and current stability.

Medical boarding Diabetic boarding

Rooms cats can use

The environment does clinical work.

A room is not decoration around the care. It changes sightlines, exposure, choice, movement, and the ability to rest without disappearing.

Windows and observationVertical routesPrivate retreatAquarium viewingPrivate catiosFamily-sized rooms

Tour all rooms Prepare for a stay

Boarding should not make cats smaller. The right environment lets them rest, observe, choose, and remain visible.
Portland Cat Boarding care principle

Start with the cat you actually have.

Tell Cats in the City about routine, appetite, medication, health, handling tolerance, social preferences, and what helps your cat settle. The team will review location, room, and care fit.

Request boarding Call 503-214-2003

Decision and planning systems