Although in many countries the number of pet cats considerably exceeds the number of pet dogs, generally dogs are seen at veterinary clinics much more frequently than cats. One of the big problems facing cat owners is that a visit to a veterinary clinic is often a difficult and challenging experience. The whole process of taking a cat to a veterinary clinic can be highly stressful… from simply catching a cat, to putting it in a basket, through to transporting the cat in the car, waiting in the veterinary clinic (often alongside dogs), being examined in the clinic, and sometimes having to be hospitalised. All these aspects can be difficult, stressful and challenging both for the cat, and also for cat owners.
But it doesn’t have to be like that! Simple changes can make a huge difference, and while it may be impossible to alleviate all sources of stress – with the right approach, empathetic handling and with appropriate facilities, much can be done to improve the experience for cats.
Cats must be approached in a very different way to dogs because there are fundamental differences between the behaviour of these two animals. The ISFM is all about providing suitable equipment, drugs, handling and hospitalisation facilities for our feline friends, and by being accredited we are providing these things along with a high level of feline care.
It doesn’t just stop with our clinical work …. we have a separate side of the waiting room for cats to stay separate to dogs, we use pheromone diffusers on the cat side to try to calm our waiting feline friends. We also have raised levels to put cat baskets on as it is not good for them to be placed on the floor to wait.
