“There are kennels in many areas, and their basic rates are generally reasonable. However, they are a strange
environment for pets used to living in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. They can be very stressful and unpleasant for nearly all cats and most dogs. They tend to be noisy, smelly, full of commotion, have cramped cages or runs which force the animals to use the bathroom where they are not comfortable, and offer pets very limited human attention.
The strange, unfamiliar environment can make it an unpleasant or even frightening and miserable experience for many pets. Kennels are also good places for pets to pick up parasites like fleas and worms, as well as contagious infections such as kennel cough.
I have heard many stories about dogs and cats taking several days to get back to normal after being brought home from kennels, loosing clumps of fur due to stress, getting sick, or just not being themselves. It is common for customers, upon returning from trips, to tell sitters they found their pets in so much better emotional and physical shape than when taken to kennels in
the past. The bottom line:
Kennels may not be the best option for most pets if other choices are available."
-- from "Start Your Own Professional Pet-Sitting Service" by David A. Grass
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