Happy Cat Hotel franchise
2022 filing · April 22, 2022GrowingShares sales figures
Happy Cat Hotel at a glance
A cat-only boarding hotel and spa offering overnight stays, daycare and grooming for cats. At the end of 2021 there were 3 Happy Cat Hotel locations in the US, 1 franchised and 2 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Industry
- Pet
- Franchisor
- Happy Cat Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Windsor, Connecticut
- Typical size
- 2,000–5,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $304K–$428K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- Plus a $20,000 project management fee
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross receipts, paid monthly, starting after the first three months of operation
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; 1% of gross receipts if a fund is set up, up to 2%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 3
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 1
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 2
- Most in Connecticut and Virginia
From Happy Cat Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Happy Cat Hotel among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Happy Cat Hotel | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $365,750 | Costs more than 51% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 3 | Fewer than 78% of franchises |
How much a Happy Cat Hotel franchise costs
Opening one Happy Cat Hotel costs an estimated $303,500 to $428,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are facility improvements/con struction ($200,000 to $275,000) and initial franchise fee ($45,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $45,000 | ||
| Project Management Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Travel and living expenses while training | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Facility Improvements/Con struction | $200,000 | $275,000 | |
| Equipment | $8,000 | $20,000 | |
| Computer System | $500 | $2,000 | |
| Business licenses | $500 | $2,500 | |
| Signs | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising Program | $4,000 | $10,000 | |
| Miscellaneous opening costs | $3,000 | $10,000 | |
| Training for cat grooming | $4,500 | ||
| Start-up inventory and supplies | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Insurance (Annual Premium)7 and | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Advertising expenses (3 months) | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Additional funds | $8,000 | $16,000 | |
| Total | $303,500 | $428,000 | |
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 16
Happy Cat Hotel franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000, plus a $20,000 project management fee. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross receipts, paid monthly, starting after the first three months of operation. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; 1% of gross receipts if a fund is set up, up to 2%. |
| Technology Fee | $500 per month |
| Transfer | The greater of $6,000 or 33% of the then current franchise fee |
| Local Advertising Requirement | 3% of Gross Receipts |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, pages 12 and 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Happy Cat Hotel publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 39
SBA loans to Happy Cat Hotel franchisees
Lenders approved 13 SBA 7(a) loans for Happy Cat Hotel franchisees from 2022 to 2026, $3.11M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 12 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Happy Cat Hotel compares
Of the 88 pet franchises on this site, Happy Cat Hotel is the 59th cheapest to open and the 65th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Happy Cat Hotel | Typical pet brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $304K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $428K | $434K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6.5% | 6% |
| US locations | 3 | 12 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 71 of 88 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 88 brands in pet franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 (+1) | 2 | +1 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 44
Where Happy Cat Hotel locations are
At the end of 2021, Happy Cat Hotel had locations in 2 states. The most are in Connecticut and Virginia.
- Connecticut2
- Virginia1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 44
Who owns Happy Cat Hotel?
Happy Cat Hotel franchises are sold by Happy Cat Franchising, LLC.
From Happy Cat Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Happy Cat Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Happy Cat Hotel filings
The figures on this page come from Happy Cat Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 22, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 22, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
