Silver status for cat-friendly Cambs practice

A Cambridgeshire practice is celebrating becoming the latest to be added to the UK’s growing number of cat-friendly practices.

Paddons Veterinary Surgeons in Wisbech has achieved the silver award in the Cat Friendly Clinic programme run by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM).

In line with the feline-friendly status, the practice now has a segregated waiting area, elevated cat carrier spaces, and cages with added hideaways and covers to help keep cats more secluded before and after treatments.

Training

The team has also been trained in additional feline-friendly handling and examination techniques, with RVN Steph Block as designated “cat advocate”, holding her own certificate from the ISFM.

Miss Block said she was proud of the whole team’s efforts. She said: “As a Cat Friendly Clinic, our aim is to do all we can to reduce that anxiety, and make the veterinary experience as stress-free and comfortable as possible.

“We have introduced higher level carrier spaces as cats prefer to be elevated, and have blankets to muffle sound and minimise eye contact with other pets. The segregated waiting area also keeps cats away from dogs, which can be a major stress factor.”