At City Vets we’re proud to be accredited as a Cat Friendly Clinic. With Gold level accreditation at City Vets Heavitree and Silver level accreditation at City Vets St Thomas and Alphington, which means that our practices are members of the ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine)
We recognise that cats are unique creatures with specific needs and it’s important to us to demonstrate our commitment to the animals you entrust into our care. Working with International Cat Care (iCC), we have looked at how we can make City Vets the best it can possibly be for our feline patients.
Cats by their nature are sensitive to changes in their environment, and by understanding and accepting this we can recommend measures to make your cat’s journey to the vets, and their visit to City Vets a less stressful experience than anticipated.
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In order to achieve our Gold and Silver Cat Friendly Clinic accreditations, we have had to meet carefully selected criteria as stipulated by iCC. We have demonstrated that we:
- Understand the needs of cats and strive to make visits to the vet clinic cat friendly
- Approach and handle cats gently and with care through ongoing staff education
- Follow the ISFM Feline Friendly Handling and Nursing Care guidelines and have made the pledge to be ‘Scruff free’
- Have invested in equipment to manage the specific care requirements of cats
- Have an appointed Cat Advocate member of staff to implement and oversee our cat friendly clinic status
(source – catfriendlyclinic.org)
What our Gold Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation means for your cat
As a Gold Standard Cat Friendly Clinic, we are trained to handle cats in a manner that minimises stress, fear and anxiety, as well as advising you on the best way to safely and comfortably transport your cat to City Vets.
We have an in-house cat advocate who is available to answer any questions or concerns you may have, and to provide information and advice on caring for your cat.
At City Vets Heavitree, our cat advocate is Marianne Segev
Our cat friendly facilities include:
- A separate cat waiting area to allow your cat to relax in their basket out of sight of other animals
- The use of feline pheromone diffusers to help calm and reassure cats
- A quiet, well equipped cat only consulting room
- A cat only hospitalisation ward with large kennels, comfortable, soft bedding and cat igloos or perch and hide boxes to allow your cat privacy during their stay with us
- Overnight hospitalisation facilities so your cat can stay settled in their own kennel during their stay
- Diagnostic imaging facilities so investigations can be undertaken on site
- Excellent surgical facilities for your cats
- A range of equipment such as blood pressure monitors and cat specific weighing scales to provide a high level of care to our feline patients
Book an appointment for your cat
What our Silver Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation means for your cat
As a Silver Standard Cat Friendly Clinic, we are trained to handle cats in a manner that minimises stress, fear and anxiety, as well as advising you on the best way to safely and comfortably transport your cat to City Vets.
We have an in-house cat advocate who is available to answer any questions or concerns you may have, and to provide information and advice on caring for your cat.
At City Vets St Thomas, our cat advocate is Beccy Irving
At City Vets Alphington, our cat advocate is Claire Phillips
Our cat friendly facilities include:
- A separate cat waiting area. There are raised areas on which to place your cat carrier which will be away from areas where other animals may be waiting. There is also a visual barrier to give the cats an extra sense of security
- The use of feline pheromone diffusers to help calm and reassure
- A quiet, well equipped consulting room suitable for cats to feel calm in
- A range of equipment such as blood pressure monitors and cat specific weighing scales to provide a high level of care to our feline patients
- A hospitalisation ward where there is a visual barrier between the cat and other species. We provide comfortable, soft bedding and cat igloos or perch and hide boxes to allow your cat privacy during their stay with us
- Facilities for surgery, dentistry, lab testing and diagnostic imaging are available to allow procedures to be performed to a high standard of care for feline patients
Book an appointment for your cat
If you have any questions regarding the facilities and care we provide for your cats, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
In the meantime, you may find the leaflets below useful:
What is a cat friendly clinic? [PDF]