Hal Wheelers Newspaper Article

Cat condos ease vacationers' guilt

PJ relaxes in the top bunk over a small fish tank in one of the luxury suites for cats at Hal Wheeler's in Cedar Grove.

Felines live in luxury at Cedar Grove facility while owners are away

BY CARMEN JURI
STAR-LEDGER STAFF

The cat accommodations at Hal Wheeler's in Cedar Grove could be the envy of any city apartment dweller of the human kind.
The 47 "condos" have heated floors, central air conditioning, skylights and fish tanks built in the walls. Classical music is piped in 24 hours a day. Rent is $22 a day.
The litter box is well hidden in a compartment in the condo. A special ventilation system helps keep the air fresh, minimizing the transfer of airborne illnesses.
The fish tank with all the colorful fish? "It's something to keep the cats busy," said owner Mike Marchese.
Cat condos are the latest in the pet hotel business and Marchese is capitalizing on that fact. At Hal Wheeler's, where pets are groomed and boarded and dog owners pay $15 a day for dog day care, boarder cats now enjoy high-end accommodations.
"Traditional boarding is a small cage. Most places don't have suites," Marchese said.
It's a concept that has been building around the country, however.
Some cat condos feature amenities such as private carpeted suites, climate control, VCR and stereo entertainment, playroom and visitors area. Like Marchese's facility, special diets are accommodated per the cat owners request and each guest has private storage facilities for their special foods.
Kitty Cat Condos in Portland, Ore., for example, offers a variety of trees, swings, furniture and toys. The Grand Condos have access to window views or TV and VCR entertainment. All "guests" are fed in stainless steel food and water dishes that are sanitized daily.
In fact, it even has a Mickey Mouse Condo decorated with Mickey and his friends on the walls, a wrought iron bed with a Mickey Mouse comforter, cat tree, kitty tunnel and various small toys. The Tropical Condo comes furnished with a three-level cat tree, a parrot mobile and a variety of tunnels.

Mike Marchese, owner of Hal's, talks about the amenities available for cats.

After doing research, Marchese hired a Pennsylvania kennel owner to install the first-rate facilities, modeled after his own kennel.

Hal Wheeler's first opened in 1947 and was founded by Hal and Fritz Wheeler. Hal was a well-known trainer, professional handler, author, breeder and groomer.
Marchese began working under Hal as a teenager in 1965 and stayed there until Hal's retirement in 1980, when Marchese and his wife, Loretta, a professional groomer, bought the business.

"The pet hotel business has upgraded and changed dramatically in the past 20 years," Marchese said.

That's good news for cat lovers like Jayne Uranowitz of West Orange, who boarded her calico cat, Pebbles, for 10 days in March.

"I thought it was great," Uranowitz said. "In the past, I've left him at the vet's in a cage. At least there's a little bit more room to jump around. It's two levels. They have the fish there they can smack at."

"When you go away, you feel bad enough. This is nicer than just being cooped up in a cage all day," she said.

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