Cat Friendly Clinics

We recognise that because of their unique nature and needs, taking cats to veterinary clinics can be very stressful, both for cats and caregivers.

The Cat Friendly Clinic programme is designed to help address these issues by creating more cat friendly veterinary clinics, reducing stress for cats and making veterinary visits easier for caregivers. Reducing stress can also improve diagnosis and treatment, improving cat health.

We want to minimise stress for cats visiting our clinics, so we are an International Society of Feline Medicine Cat Friendly Clinic. The programme is awarded by ISFM which is the veterinary division of the charity International Cat Care.

All our branches are Cat Friendly accredited.

Our promise to you:

• We are gentle and caring with cats
• We understand the needs of cats
• We have cat friendly facilities

Read more at… Cat Owners – Cat Friendly Clinic

We have CAT-ONLY slots available at our Desborough practice!

Every Friday we run a cat friendly clinic at our Desborough practice, with appointments between 2pm – 3.30pm, where no dogs will be present at the clinic unless it is an emergency.

We have introduced CAT PARKING at all our branches.

Because cats feel safer high up, you can now use these shelves to safely place your cat carrier above floor level. Sight of another cat can be stressful, so we have blankets available to drape over your carrier to create a visual barrier. Calming spray is also available to spray on the blankets before use.

We DO NOT ROUTINELY SCRUFF cats. There are many different ways of handling and restraining cats that do not involve scruffing or heavy restraint. These cat-friendly methods take a ‘less is more’ approach, and enable a cat to maintain some sense of control over the situation, which will not only improve the cat’s wellbeing but also achieve better results for the person wishing to restrain the cat. This type of more gentle and respectful handling will keep fear and distress levels low, reducing the chance that defensive aggression will develop. This results in happier cats, easier consultations and safer staff.

Read more at… icatcare.org/our-campaigns/pledge-to-go-scruff-free

Follow the link below for great advice on how to reduce the stress for your cat when travelling to the clinic, alongside other good care guides…

Cat Carer Guides | International Cat Care (icatcare.org)