The cat friendly practice program

Cats and veterinary clinics may not be natural companions – indeed all veterinarians will have encountered more than a few unwilling feline patients. Paula Monroe-Aldridge briefly describes a scheme designed to make things a little less traumatic for all concerned.
 

Introduction

The Cat Friendly Practice^® (CFP) program originated as a contest by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and in 2012 was developed into a worldwide initiative involving a partnership between ISFM (1) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) (2). There are currently over 1200 recognized CFP’s in North and South America, and the AAFP program is actively being expanded into other regions of Latin America. ISFM runs the Cat Friendly Clinic (CFC) scheme in the rest of the world, and currently has 1270 accredited clinics in total, with around 590 clinics in the UK and 324 in the rest of Europe, 77 in Australasia and 279 in Asia.

The main purpose of the program is to cater to the cat’s unique behaviors and needs, and ultimately to decrease the stress of the veterinary visit for the cat as well as the cat caregiver. It also decreases the stress of the veterinary team by providing the tools and resources needed to properly manage their feline patients. According to the 2018 Cat Friendly Practice^® (CFP) survey results, 88% of accredited practices reported positive team dynamic when it came to handling, treating, and caring for cats (3). All of these factors lead to better care for cats, and result in longer, happier, and healthier lives.

This global initiative to improve the feline veterinary experience for all cats is a collaborative effort that involves the entire veterinary team. A hospital located in North, Central or South America will follow the program managed by the AAFP. Hospitals located elsewhere in the world follow the ISFM’s Cat Friendly Clinic program. AAFP/ISFM membership is a requirement for either program, which is provided as a member benefit.

What does the program involve?

The program is a self-assessment exercise in which practices have a list of requirements they must fulfill in order to be recognized as a CFP. Requirements address feline-specific needs within 10 main topics, as shown in Box 1 .

There are educational resources that provide in-depth information on the importance of each checklist item, and also provide creative ways to integrate them into the practice. Upon approval, the practice receives access to a marketing toolkit in order to promote their new status, as well as ongoing educational resources. [...]