Abstract
In 2006, the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB, the not-for-profit organisation behind the International Society of Feline Medicine) launched a campaign in the UK called ‘Cat Friendly Practice’. This was an initiative that was developed out of the recognition that cats had become more popular than dogs as domestic pets, and yet were not receiving the same level of veterinary care as dogs. The majority of small animal clinics were (and still are) seeing more dog-owning clients than cat-owning clients.
Although there are many reasons why cats may receive less veterinary attention than dogs, there is little doubt that cats are regarded as ‘part of the family’ in just the same way as their canine counterparts. Notably, in talking with owners, a recurring issue is the significant stress (for both cat and owner!) that surrounds the whole veterinary visit.
For many owners, catching the cat in the first place, let alone getting it into a basket or carrier and transporting it to the clinic, can be a highly stressful experience. Yet despite these well-recognised difficulties, what help and advice do most owners receive from their veterinary clinic, and what sort of reception awaits them? Again, an all-too-frequent comment from many cat owners is that although they like their vets, they feel they are not particularly cat-orientated or understanding of the special needs of cats – which are managed and treated in the same way as dogs within the clinic. Owners clearly appreciate when veterinary practices acknowledge the challenges in dealing with cats and are proactive in trying to find ways to help.
Parallel programmes, one common aim: to develop a more cat friendly veterinary world!
The needs of cats are completely different to those of dogs in the veterinary clinic. Recognising this is vital to effectively engaging with cat clients and creating an environment and experience that is less stressful for both cat and owner. The process starts with an understanding of the nature of cats, what drives their behaviours and how they react in challenging situations. It culminates with changes to the veterinary clinic in terms of structure, equipment and management practices to adapt the setting to be much friendlier towards cats. Critically, it also encompasses education of staff, and changing attitudes and the ethos towards cats and cat clients. This, in essence, is what the Cat Friendly Practice campaign was all about.
As part of the original 2006 campaign, FAB provided educational materials to veterinary clinics to enable them to become more cat friendly, and there was an accompanying competition that ran for two years. In total, more than 2000 clinics in the UK received the Cat Friendly Practice materials to help them with their practice, and more than 160 clinics entered the competition, providing details and illustrations of what changes they had implemented to make them more cat friendly. Each of the clinics that entered the competition was visited, and that resulted in more than 50 ‘Cat Friendly Practice’ awards being made over the two-year period.
The campaign really captured the imagination of the veterinary community in the UK. In many clinics (whether they entered the competition or not), very substantial changes were made and enthusiastic veterinary nurses, who could see the need for change and what to do, often drove the transformation. The feedback received from vets who participated in the scheme was also extremely encouraging. Many commented on how much more relaxed and calmer cats appeared to be in their clinics, and cat clients too could immediately appreciate the differences made.
The Cat Friendly Practice competition award and the resulting recognition became very sought-after, and although the campaign was hugely successful, it also became clear that it was not sustainable in its original competition form. Practices that engaged with the programme were keen to receive recognition, but an award system based on subjective assessment criteria was not going to be viable in the long term, and a different approach was needed.
It was as a result of these initial experiences and the desire to introduce a Standard that could be used on a worldwide basis that ISFM has developed the new Cat Friendly Clinic programme. This is being launched in Europe by ISFM in collaboration with Purina. In North America the AAFP has adopted a parallel programme that was launched at NAVC in January under the ‘Cat Friendly Practice’ name with the support of Pfizer Animal Health, Ceva Animal Health and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Both organisations have adopted similar logos which will become recognisable worldwide.
An outline of each programme is presented on the following pages of this issue of JFMS, and more information will be made available on the respective websites, www.wellcat.org, www.isfm.net and www.catvets.com. ISFM and AAFP are also in the process of making the Cat Friendly Clinic Standard and programme available to other countries outside North America and Europe. If the programme is not yet available in your country but you would like to register early interest in receiving information, please provide your details at www.wellcat.org.
At the heart of the new Cat Friendly Clinic/Cat Friendly Practice Standard is a self-assessment checklist for veterinary clinics. The checklist criteria from ISFM and AAFP is virtually identical in both geographies, and reflects the close cooperation and strategic partnership that exists between the two organisations. The programmes were also developed in cooperation with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the UK, which runs a Practice Standards Scheme that has been operating for a number of years. The self-assessment/accreditation is thus based on carefully defined criteria that, while being substantial and meaningful, are also readily achievable by most veterinary clinics with motivation and creativity. Client-orientated materials will be provided to clinics to explain to cat owners why and how the clinic has become cat friendly.
The aims of the programmes are simple – to encourage clinics to become more cat friendly and to provide them with the tools to enable this, and to demonstrate their cat friendly credentials to their clients or potential clients. The benefits are also simple but equally profound, with an improvement in feline health and welfare within the veterinary clinic, an encouragement to cat owners to come to the clinic, and a commitment to treat and manage cats differently compared with dogs. In the current economic climate, and with a growing proportion of cats being kept as pets, the timing of these programmes is perfect.
Once participating clinics go through the self-evaluation process for their respective region (European and North American programmes vary slightly), they will receive a multitude of appropriate marketing materials to promote their practice. Following the launch of the programmes, both organisations will continually provide additional educational materials to clinics, as well as a marketing campaign to cat owners and the public to encourage them to bring their cat to an ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic or AAFP Cat Friendly Practice. Information will also be provided on the importance of wellness visits and planning a lifelong preventive healthcare programme for the cat. Further, both organisations, together with their commercial patrons, are committed to disseminating the information needed to help clinics achieve the Standard as widely as possible.
This is an exciting initiative. It is momentous that two international feline veterinary organisations – ISFM and AAFP – have cooperated in the development and promotion of a Standard that we believe will have a major impact in veterinary clinics for years to come. The need for veterinary clinics to become more feline friendly is greater than ever before, but now, for the first time, there are programmes with the tools you can use to demonstrate your feline friendly credentials to your colleagues and clients alike. Welcome to a more cat friendly veterinary world!
The mark of feline distinction: logos that can be proudly displayed by AAFP Cat Friendly Practices (top) and ISFM Cat Friendly Clinics (bottom)
