Cat Friendly Vet Clinics

Key Takeaways

• A cat-friendly clinic is a Medivet practice accredited by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) to meet the specific needs of cats.
• Cat-friendly clinics have specially-trained staff and a dedicated Cat Advocate who makes sure cat-friendly standards are followed.
• Cats often find vet visits stressful because they are sensitive to new sights, sounds, smells, and contact with dogs.
• Cat-friendly clinics avoid direct contact between cats and dogs and use natural pheromones throughout the premises to help cats stay calm.
• Routine consultations at a cat-friendly clinic last a minimum of 10 minutes to reduce stress and allow for gentle handling.
• Every Medivet clinic follows the same care principles, so your cat receives high-quality treatment whether the clinic is accredited or not.
• You can check if your local Medivet clinic holds cat-friendly clinic status using the Practice Finder.

We understand that cats can sometimes become stressed during visits to the vet, so a number of our practices are accredited cat-friendly clinics to help cater to cats' unique needs.

Each cat-friendly clinic has been accredited by the ISFM, and includes specially-trained staff and a dedicated Cat Advocate within the team.

What’s a cat-friendly clinic?

To become a cat-friendly clinic, the practice has to meet a set of requirements. These include, but aren’t limited to:

• Staff understand cats’ specific needs and know how to approach and handle them
• All staff have a good knowledge and equipment to manage cat care
• The practice has a dedicated Cat Advocate to ensure all cat friendly standards are adhered to
• The practice avoids direct contact between cats and dogs
• Routine consultations are a minimum of 10 minutes long to minimise stress and allow for cat-friendly handling
• The practice uses natural pheromones throughout the premises to help calm cats

For more information about the different levels of accreditation and requirements, visit catfriendlyclinic.org.

Why do cats need a cat friendly clinic?

Cats tend to be more prone to stress, feel unsafe away from home and often don’t travel well. They are particularly sensitive to new sights, sounds and smells and prefer quiet spaces away from noise and other animals. In particular, they can become highly stressed by dogs.

Cats also require gentle handling to keep stress levels low.

If my local practice doesn’t have a cat friendly clinic, is it still suitable for cats?

Even if your local practice isn’t accredited, your cat will still get the highest standard of care from our dedicated teams.

If a practice isn’t accredited, it’s usually due to building structural reasons. Our teams follow the same care principals as our cat friendly clinics, so you can rest assured your cat will receive exceptional care whichever Medivet practice you go to.

Find out if your local practice has a Cat Friendly Clinic through our Practice Finder.