Visits to the veterinarian are often traumatic for cats, which can make cat owners reluctant to bring them in. Although some veterinary practices are exclusively dedicated to the care of cats, others would like to develop an increased focus on feline healthcare.

Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP), an alliance of 100+ veterinary associations, veterinary colleges, and animal health companies focused on preventive care led by AAHA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), is offering free, downloadable tools to help your practice maintain or develop a strong emphasis on felines.

The Feline-Friendly Practice series offers tools to help you start or continue this journey, including the American Association of Feline Practitioners Cat-Friendly Practice (CFP) Program. The CFP program equips practices with the tools, resources, and information to improve the treatment, handling, and overall healthcare of cats by:

• Laying the groundwork for the delivery of care to the underserved feline population.
• Identifying trends and baseline species information essential for understanding cats.
• Acknowledging the essential role of the cat owner in the veterinary visit.
• Providing support to veterinarians and their teams to create a cat-friendly environment.
• Outlining strategies for introducing changes in the delivery of care that incorporate a better understanding of the cat’s distinct needs and behaviors.

The AAFP also has many informational resources to help veterinary teams become more knowledgeable about feline behavior and cats’ unique needs, like print-ready brochures for cat owners. Topics include Getting Your Cat to the Vet, Feline House-Soiling, Environmental Needs and more.

Also available is a PDF of the article “Pouncing on Opportunity” from the May issue of AAHA’s Trends magazine, which provides additional discussion related to the Cat Friendly Practice Program.

Handling cats takes a certain kind of knowledge and discipline, and these free, downloadable tools from PHP will assist your team gain what you need to become or continue being feline friendly.

Photo credit: © iStock/Bill Oxford