A visit to the veterinarian can be traumatic for cats and owners alike, which can make cat owners reluctant to bring them in. This lack of visits results in poor feline health and welfare, and less successful practices.

Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP), an alliance of more than 100 veterinary associations, veterinary colleges, and animal health companies focused on preventive care led by AAHA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), offers free, downloadable tools to help you make your practice as cat friendly as possible.

One of these resources is the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Cat-Friendly Practice Program (CFP). The CFP program contains tools for practices to integrate a feline perspective and embrace the standards needed to elevate your care for cats. Upon completion of the program, you’ll receive the CFP designation, a recognized symbol of excellence.

The CFP program:

• Identifies trends and baseline species information essential for understanding cats
• Acknowledges the essential role of the cat owner in the veterinary visit
• Provides support to veterinarians and their teams to create a cat-friendly environment
• Outlines strategies for introducing changes in the delivery of care that incorporate a better understanding of cats’ distinct needs and behaviors

In addition, a series of cat-friendly practice videos produced by the CATalyst Council are designed to help assist veterinary teams in their efforts to enhance feline visits. Topics include the best place to examine a cat, massage to calm an anxious cat, and handling a cat for lab sample collection. Each video is less than five minutes and the series is available online to view or download.

There are also additional AAFP resources, including videos and brochures for cat owners and veterinary teams.

Use these free resources to help your practice reduce everyone’s stress (including yours).

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