Murdock Valley · Simon's Town · Est. 2024

Your cat,looked after by hand.

Nine private cabins above False Bay. Each with its own catio, a section that shuts against the weather, and two locked gates between your cat and the road.

Check availability See the cabins
The view over False Bay from Cape Cat Hotel in Murdock Valley, Simon's Town
9cabins only — and this is the view from them
01

Double-locked

Two gates between your cat and the road, never one.

02

Attached to our house

We hear every sound from the cabins, day and night.

03

Play, twice a day

Morning and evening, with the run of the cattery.

04

A view of False Bay

Garden, birds and open sea from most cabins.

“We wanted a place we would be comfortable taking our own cats to when we go away on holiday.”
Brett & Brigitta, founders
The honest answers

What you're actually worried about

Nobody enjoys leaving their cat with a stranger. These are the questions people ask on the phone, answered before you have to ask them.

“What if he gets out?”

This is the thing we built the place around. Every cabin locks onto an enclosed run, and that run is divided into two double-locked sections. A cat through one door still cannot get through the next.

“Who's there overnight?”

We are. The cattery is attached to our house, so we hear every sound from it. A cat that is unsettled at two in the morning is heard at two in the morning.

“He's nervous around other cats.”

Every cat gets its own cabin. Only cats from the same family share, and only if that is what you want. Cats from different homes never share a space.

“She won't eat strange food.”

She won't have to. You bring her own food for the stay, so nothing about her diet changes. We supply the litter.

“What if it rains for a week?”

Every cabin has an indoor section that closes completely, and an open catio for the good days. Brett has sailed for years and knows how to shut a cabin down properly.

“Will he catch something?”

Cabins are sterilised with F10, the disinfectant vets use. Every cat arrives vaccinated and treated, and visibly sick cats are turned away even with a booking.

Numbered cabin doors along the enclosed run at Cape Cat Hotel
The run between the cabins, looking out towards the sea
A cat on the shelf inside its cabin, with the litter tray separated below
Inside a cabin: the ramp between levels and a framed picture on the wall
A cabin interior with food and water bowls and a scratching post
The latched gate into the enclosed run, the second of two locked barriers
The rooms

A cabin, a catio, and a sea view

Brett built every one of them himself. Each cabin is about 1.2 by 1.2 metres and split in two: a sheltered indoor section, and an open-air catio. A ramp runs between the levels for the cats who would rather not jump.

Inside, the litter tray sits at the front and the food and water bowls at the back, on opposite sides. That separation is deliberate. Cats will not eat next to their own litter, and a surprising number of catteries ignore it.

  • Three hatches. One to the viewing deck, one to the catio, and a door that shuts the cabin down completely when the weather turns.
  • Two levels on every catio, each with a deck chair cushion for lying in the sun.
  • Views of the garden and False Bay from most cabins. Birds, butterflies and flowers included.
  • A double-locked perimeter beyond the cabin door, so there are always two barriers.
  • Cleaned and sterilised daily, with fresh litter and water every morning.
Come and see one

The cattery is attached to our house

This is the part that matters most, and it is the thing you cannot build in later. The cabins are joined to the home we live in, so we hear everything: a meow, a scuffle, a cat that has gone quiet when it shouldn't have. We are not driving over in the morning to find out how the night went. We already know, and we can be out there in seconds.

A cat asleep on sailboat-print bedding with a hot water bottle tucked in behind it
The small things

A hot water bottle at bedtime

Cape Town winters are colder than people admit, and a cat that is slightly chilly does not sleep properly. So on cold nights they get a hot water bottle, tucked under the bedding where it stays warm for hours.

Nobody asks for this. It is not on any price list. It is simply what you do when there are nine cabins instead of forty and you have time to think about each one.

  • Hot water bottles on cold nights
  • Fresh bedding, and room for the blanket you send from home
  • Food and water at the back, litter at the front, always separated
The routine

A day at the hotel

Cats settle when the day is predictable. This is what yours looks like, whether you are gone for a weekend or a month.

  1. Morning

    Playtime, and the cabin gets done

    Brett or Brigitta play with each cat while its cabin is cleaned. During that hour the cat has the run of the cattery: litter changed, water refreshed, food put down, and a proper look at how it is doing.

  2. Through the day

    Sun, shade, and watching the bay

    The catio is open. Most cats spend the middle of the day stretched out on a deck chair watching the birds, and retreat inside when they have had enough.

  3. Evening

    Playtime again, then dinner

    The second session of the day, and the second feed. Any evening medication is given, and the cabins are closed up for the night.

  4. Whenever you ask

    A photo or a video, on request

    We send updates when you want them rather than on a schedule. Most people are abroad on expensive data and would rather ask than be sent a large video every day. Say the word and it comes.

Tariff

Per cat, per night

The longer the stay, the lower the nightly rate. Cats from the same family share a cabin and pay the sibling rate.

Length of stayFirst catEach sibling
StandardPer day, or part thereofR175R155
Weekly7 nights and overR155R135
Monthly21 nights and overR145R125

Siblings are cats from the same family sharing a cabin. The sibling rate applies from the second cat onwards.

Included: litter, medication administration, playtime twice a day, and photo or video updates whenever you ask.

You bring: your cat's own food for the whole stay.

Minimum stay: four nights over December and January. No minimum the rest of the year.

Payment: in high season the full amount is payable on booking. The rest of the year, 50% on booking and 50% before your cat arrives. Amounts paid on booking are non-refundable.

Collection and delivery: R250 per trip.

Ask about your dates
Before they arrive

What to bring, and what we need

Pack for your cat

  • Their own food for the whole stay, so nothing changes in their stomach
  • Any medication, in its original packaging, with written instructions from your vet
  • A blanket, jersey or bed that smells of home
  • A favourite toy, if they have one

We supply the litter, the bowls and the bedding. You only need the food and anything that makes your cat feel at home.

What we need from you

  • An up-to-date vaccination certificate. Bring it with your cat or send it to us before arrival.
  • A dose of Bravecto and a deworming before drop-off, covering fleas, ticks and parasitic worms.
  • Your vet's name and number, and a number we can reach you on.
  • A cat that is well. Coughing, sneezing or any discharge means we cannot take them, even with a booking. It protects every other cat here.

Sterilised and unsterilised cats are both welcome. We do not carry out sterilisation ourselves.

Brett and Brigitta, who run Cape Cat Hotel, with False Bay behind them
Who's looking after them

Brett & Brigitta

We have had cats our whole lives. When we started looking for somewhere to leave our own while we travelled, we went round most of the catteries on the peninsula and came home each time slightly disappointed. Not because anyone was unkind, but because the places themselves were not what we would want to live in.

So in May 2024 we built the one we were looking for, and we mean built. Brett is an old sea dog and a master craftsman, and every cabin here came out of his own workshop. Three things kept being missing from the places we had seen, and all three are now the reason this one is the way it is.

A cat should not be one door away from the road. Ours are behind two, on a double-locked perimeter.

A cat should have something to look at. Most of our cabins face the garden, the birds and the butterflies, and out over False Bay.

A cat should be able to sunbathe, and to shelter properly. Brett has sailed for years and has always had a ship's cat aboard, so he knows exactly how to lock a cabin down when the weather comes in. Several catteries we visited could not close theirs at all, and none gave the cats a proper place to lie in the sun. Ours have both, which is why every cabin is in two halves.

And we built it onto our own house on purpose. Your cat is a few metres from where we sleep, we hear everything that happens out there, and we can be with them in seconds. That is not a feature we added. It is the reason the place works.

Brett & Brigitta

From our guests' people

What owners say

Facebook review from Mary Corrigall, five stars: My two cats enjoyed their stay at Cape Cat Hotel. Their little cabins were multilevel and facing the outdoors, so they had fresh air. Brett sent me videos of them for the first few days I was away so I could see them settled, which gave me great peace of mind. Would recommend a stay here for your fur kids.
Facebook review from Megan Hattingh, five stars: Just dropped our kitty at Cape Cat Hotel. Gorgeous, comfortable, caring space for our cat Moon, run by obviously cat-loving folk whom I feel very confident leaving her with. Thank you for having our Moon, wish I was so spoilt as to receive a hot water bottle at bedtime. Thank you Brett and Brigitta.
Two Facebook reviews. Emma During recommends Cape Cat Hotel: Cat lovers own and run this artistically decorated hotel. Makes me wish I was a cat. Sarah Ord recommends Cape Cat Hotel: Kittens loved their holiday at Cape Cat Hotel. Thank you guys, you were amazing and really helped me by delivering them home. Will definitely be visiting again.
Facebook review from Wesley Schott, Local Guide, five stars: Lovely hosts, beautiful cabins, video status updates daily, wonderful experience for both ourselves and our cats from booking to check in to check out. Highly recommended. 5 stars all the way.
Facebook review from Matthew During, five stars: It's a pity it's a cat hotel and not a human one. These views and fresh air are unmatched, along with fantastic hospitality and homely owners. Would recommend to anyone.

These are screenshots of our actual reviews. Read them on Facebook.

Questions

Before you book

Can I come and look around first?

Yes, and you should. Most people see the cabins before they book, and it is the quickest way to know whether this is right for your cat. Send us a WhatsApp and we will arrange a time.

What are your drop-off and collection times?

07:30 to 09:00 in the morning and 17:00 to 18:00 in the evening. Those are the usual times, but exceptions can be made if you ask.

Do you collect and deliver?

Yes. R250 per trip, whether that is a collection or a delivery. Useful if you have an early flight.

Is anyone there at night?

Yes. The cattery is built onto our house, so we are a few metres from your cat the whole time it is here. We hear meowing and any other noise from the cabins, and we can go straight out and see to it.

Do I bring food, or do you provide it?

You bring your cat's own food for the whole stay. Changing a cat's diet the same week you leave them somewhere new is asking for an upset stomach. We supply the litter.

My cat is on medication. Is that a problem?

No. We administer medication as prescribed. Send it in its original packaging with written instructions. We do not buy or supply medication ourselves.

What happens if my cat gets sick while I'm away?

We act in your place and get your cat to Glencairn Veterinary Clinic, a few minutes up the coast road from us. Any vet bill, and any medication arising from that visit, is for the owner's account.

Can my two cats share a cabin?

Yes, if they are from the same family. Each cat has its own cabin as standard, and family cats share unless you ask otherwise. Cats from different households are never put together.

Do you take unsterilised cats?

Yes. We accept both sterilised and unsterilised cats. We do not carry out sterilisation ourselves.

Is there a minimum stay?

Only over the festive season. In December and January there is a four-night minimum. The rest of the year you can book a single night, charged per day or part thereof.

Where exactly are you?

Murdock Valley, Simon's Town, in the Deep South of Cape Town. Easy from Fish Hoek, Kommetjie, Noordhoek, Glencairn and Kalk Bay. We send the exact address once your booking is made.

Visit

Come and have a look

The fastest way to check a date is a WhatsApp. Tell us your cat's name, the dates you are away, and anything we should know, and we will come back to you.

WhatsApp us
  • Phone & WhatsApp+27 74 300 4759
  • Emailbsoulwood@gmail.com
  • WhereMurdock Valley, Simon's TownFull address sent once your booking is made
  • Drop-off & collection07:30–09:00  ·  17:00–18:00Exceptions by arrangement · collection or delivery R250 per trip
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