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press release
Cat friendly practices . . . what we learned
When we set out this first year to promote cat friendly practice we collected ideas and tips from many of our feline experts around the world for our guide to ‘Creating a cat friendly practice'. We also wanted to find out what was happening in practice and to learn from others in the front line of feline care. There are many individuals and practices pushing forward the importance of cats in practice and championing their care. It has been a very exciting experience – here's what we learned: • You don't have to be cat-only to be cat friendly. • It's not all about feline pheromone products. • It's not just about cat-only waiting rooms. • It's not all about fancy equipment. • Attitude (cattitude) and ‘thinking cat' can overcome many design/equipment/space problems • Very small things can make a big difference – eg, quietness, good handling, nutrition, analgesia. • Small practices can, by their nature, offer a more personal touch and be quieter for cats. It is also possible for very large clinics to achieve this - it does, however, require more thought, planning and organisation, but it is very achievable. • Making waiting areas as calm as possible for the cats does not necessarily meaning having a cat-only room. Practices are being creative with timing of cat appointments, screening, having an outside area for dogs to be walked to reduce numbers in the waiting room, bringing cats straight through to a consulting room, etc. A cat-only waiting area positioned in a busy thoroughfare may be dog-free but can still be stressful – ‘thinking cat' needs to be creative! • An impressive number of practices have recognised the importance of a quiet calm approach with minimal restraint, and less haste. This can be difficult to achieve with the time pressures of a busy practice but many are enjoying the rewards of calmer and happier feline patients, more successful management of cases and fewer feline inflicted injuries. • A very high standard of feline medicine is being practised in many clinics. • Nurses have a key role in making the practice cat friendly. A good nurse who understands the needs of cats is a key factor to the successful running of a cat friendly practice. His, or her, input is vital for optimal management of hospitalised cats and ensuring that clients receive clear information and explanations. The ‘Safari' system being used in some practices is potentially very useful for giving time to clients and their cats, eg, demonstrating administration of medications. • New graduates can be very motivated and refreshing and while they may lack experience, what some of them bring in enthusiasm, commitment and desire to improve the veterinary care of cats is far more valuable. These committed and caring individuals need to be recognised, encouraged and rewarded. • Many vets are motivated to keep improving standards of practice. It was impressive just how quickly practices were taking on board and implementing ideas that they had learned from attending CE days or reading FAB literature. • Some practices were really impressively equipped - not just the larger practices. Some 1-2 person practices were equally well equipped. • There is more to hospitalisation than we thought. A lot of practices are recognising the benefits of cat-only wards. However, equally important to the location of the cat ward in a calm and quiet area where cats can be constantly observed, is the size of the ward and layout of cages. • Size of hospitalisation cages is a very important consideration; some practices have cages which are far too small for larger cats to recover in and definitely too small for any length of hospitalisation. They have little space for a litter tray and no chance of putting food/water at any distance from it. However, some practices have been innovative and adapted two smaller cages into one, giving cats a type of ‘en-suite' area for the litter tray. Depth and height of cages also needs to be considered in terms of enabling staff to clean them effectively and take cats in and out safely. • Practices are being innovative about bedding in cages and giving cats somewhere to hide or something to sit on. • Anaesthetic monitoring equipment varies a lot between practices, from pressure monitors, pulse oximeters and ECG in some, to no monitoring equipment at all in others. Being small, cats can get lost under drapes and not easily seen, so monitoring equipment is important. • Most practices have a variety of good warming equipment for use during anaesthesia and recovery. • Cuffed endotracheal tubes are still commonly being used in cats. Ideally, larger uncuffed tubes should be used to reduce the risks of tracheal trauma. • Syringe drivers/infusion pumps are not widely used in general practice but are a useful aid in safely administering appropriate volumes of fluids to cats.
We will be pulling together our extra tips into an additional booklet to be launched at BSAVA Congress in Birmingham next April for the second year of our Cat Friendly Practice Competition. Claire Bessant BSc Chief executive of FAB Andrea Harvey BVSc DSAM(Feline) DipECVIM-CA MRCVS FAB feline expert panel and visiting judge for the awards Suzanne Rudd DipAVN (medical)VN Head feline nurse at Bristol University Feline Centre and visiting judge
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