The Manx SPCA has submitted plans (23/00689/B) to replace the cattery at Ard Jerkyll in Foxdale.

If approved, the new building would be built on the same footprint as the existing pens.

The existing structure is 30-years-old and at the end of its life.

The MSCPA’s application says: ‘The current wooden pens are 30 years old – they leak, they’re draughty, and (most important) the wood is difficult to keep hygienically clean because it’s porous.’

The charity has worked with Pedigree Pens to design the cattery, saying that is had been ‘impressed’ with the work it has done with, for example, Aristocat Cattery in Douglas.

The new structure will contain 24 pens, three yards and two isolation pens.

Separate plans have also been submitted by Karl and Laura Bruder to open a private cattery business on Ballakilmartin on Whitebridge Hill in Onchan, next to an existing horse riding arena.

The precast cattery building would consist of 10 double pens (including an isolation pen), a food preparation/washing room.

There would be an adjacent office in a 3m x 3m flat roof proprietary wooden shed.

A gravel access path would also be created to link the cattery to the shared parking area close to the entrance of the property.

The application said: ‘There will be a maximum of 10 customers boarding their animals at any one time. Check in and check outs will be strictly by appointment only and restricted to one at a time.

‘The additional vehicle traffic numbers created by the Cattery, will be offset by Karl working from home and no longer travelling to and from the property multiple times a day for work his current work.

‘This will be a family-run business, there will be no other employees.’