The team here at Wear were all over the moon to receive a glowing endorsement of our top-quality care for cats after being given a silver award from the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM).
After being officially recognised as a cat-friendly clinic (CFC) by the ISFM, our hospital manager Darren Stubbs said his sights were now firmly set on going for gold!
Maren Junior, our feline RVN, who largely contributed to the success of this award said: “We’re very proud to have achieved silver cat-friendly clinic status. It really has been a big team effort and is a fitting reward for everyone’s hard work and dedication.
“We created our cat advocate club to ensure we provide a low-stress environment which respects the natural needs of our feline patients. It’s a continuous priority across all departments, including client care, and we always look to keep improving.
“We have regular meetings to discuss changes we’ve made and things we can still change to benefit our feline patients and that’s why our next aim is achieving the CFC gold award.”
The ISFM launched the Cat Friendly Clinic initiative to encourage veterinary clinics everywhere to make changes to improve the welfare of cats in their care.
The programme advises practices on how to make their environment as welcoming as possible for cats, as well as providing support in staff training, handling techniques and cat-specific client care.
The ultimate aim is to promote wellbeing and highest possible standards of care for all cats visiting or being hospitalised.
Maren said: “The CFC examine the provision of facilities and staff activities and attitudes aimed at reducing stress in cats, both as in-patients and out-patients.
“The criteria includes having separate dog and cat waiting areas, feline-friendly hospitalisation cages, and veterinary equipment specifically for treating cats.
“Most importantly, staff are encouraged to approach and handle cats sensitively and respectfully.
“Clinics are also expected to maintain high standards of veterinary care, including continuing to update their knowledge of feline medicine as new knowledge becomes available.”
