Vet Times Extra: How speaking cat changes care: understanding lifestyle, behaviour, and well-being in the modern cat – with Séverine Tasker

As the leading global charity dedicated to feline welfare, iCatCare provides trusted, evidence-based support for veterinary professionals and cat owners. Vetoquinol UK, an animal health pharmaceutical company, shares iCatCare’s commitment to improving cat health and welfare through education and engagement.

Together, iCatCare and Vetoquinol UK will support feline health initiatives, promote best practice in cat care, and raise awareness of cats’ unique needs among veterinary teams and owners.

Séverine Tasker, global veterinary advisor for iCatCare, talks all things cat in this Vet Times Extra podcast.

SPONSORED: Podcast sponsored by Vetoquinol UK (Felpreva).

Information on iCatCare education and CPD courses:

Global cat charity iCatCare runs courses including those to help us understand cats – listed on https://icatcare.org/courses

The Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional and Cat Friendly Veterinary Receptionist on-demand courses are particularly useful for vet teams to help them think ‘CAT’ and reduce stress for feline patients and caregivers.

General information

• Information highlighting different feline needs
• Information on the ‘Five Pillars’ of a healthy feline environment from iCatCare and FelVMA 
• iCatCare info on Cat friendly handling and cat friendly interactions (CFI)
• iCatCare and FelVMA 2022 Cat Friendly Vet Interaction Guidelines: Approach and Handling Techniques
• iCatCare and FelVMA 2022 Cat Friendly Vet Environment Guidelines
• Feline Grimace Scale for pain recognition is validated for non-vet professionals to use too (acute pain)
• iCatCare carer guide on acute pain
• Chronic pain may be more challenging, but for osteoarthritis caregivers can fill out mobility checklist 
• Signs of pain for caregivers iCatCare infographic
• iCatCare information on kittens, for example, https://icatcare.org/articles/helping-your-new-cat-or-kitten-settle-in and taking your cat to the vet
• iCatCare information on giving cats medications
• iCatCare information on Cat Friendly Clinics (CFC)

About the speaker

Séverine Tasker is an RCVS recognised specialist in feline medicine and EBVS European veterinary specialist in small animal internal medicine.

After graduation from the University of Bristol veterinary school, Séverine spent time in practice before taking an iCatCare residency in feline medicine at Edinburgh’s vet school. She then returned to Bristol and completed a PhD in feline haemoplasmosis before undertaking an academic career, becoming professor in feline medicine in 2016.

In 2018, she became a medical leader for a group of veterinary clinics in the UK and Ireland, developing a medical strategy incorporating quality improvement, education and clinical research.

In 2025 she joined the charity iCatCare where she is global veterinary advisor, helping to advance feline veterinary science internationally.

Podcast music: “Funky Chunk” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/