How becoming a feline-friendly veterinary practice could increase profits
Have you ever wondered if there’s any point in becoming a feline-friendly veterinary practice? With cats visiting the vets less often than dogs, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s not worthwhile. After all, there seem to be any number of certifications out there for veterinary practices these days, and they all have their own requirements – is becoming a ‘Cat Friendly Clinic’ just another set of hoops to jump through? But a study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery suggests that feline friendly practices have a whole host of benefits to the practice as well as to their feline patients. With that in mind, let’s look at what we know about the benefits of feline friendly techniques and protocols to veterinary practices.
What is a ‘Cat Friendly Clinic’?
The International Society of Feline Medicine created the Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation scheme in 2012. It’s awarded to practices that meet a certain standard of feline friendliness, including their facilities/equipment, communication, and handling techniques, and has so far been awarded to over 4100 practices worldwide. That said, in this article we’ll focus more on the principles of being feline-friendly, rather than on practices that have the actual seal of approval from ISFM. While accreditation is a fantastic thing to aim for, everyone has to start somewhere – and small steps can make a big difference to our feline patients.
What are the benefits of feline friendly practice?
Obviously, both cats and their owners feel benefits from feline friendly practice. But what are the benefits to staff – and to the clinic’s bottom line?
Happier clients
In a UK survey of cat owners (Caney et al, 2022), 96.4% of owners said a calm, stress-free environment was important to them. 94.7% felt that witnessing their cat being stressed affected them, and 31.3% said that witnessing their cats being stressed put them off visiting the clinic, with owners delaying boosters and dental appointments as a result. A feline friendly practice, therefore, improves client bonding and likelihood of keeping up with preventative care. It also increases the chance they’ll attend the practice ‘sooner rather than later’ for non-routine appointments.
Increased revenue
In a USA-based study (Denis et al, 2023), a financial analysis was performed on practices, comparing Cat Friendly Clinics with normal clinics. The feline friendly veterinary practices had more wellness visits per patient, more diagnostic testing per visit, and a higher annual revenue per patient. While this might be because highly attached owners are drawn to clinics that handle their beloved pet with care, there’s no doubt that clinics can benefit from attracting more of these highly bonded owners.
Decreased risk to staff
Many people think that cat-friendly handling techniques are more dangerous than the aversive methods (eg scruffing), but this is offset by the fact that calmer cats are less likely to lash out and those trained in these techiques are more aware of feline body language. In fact, a news report in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery shows there were fewer employee insurance claims in Cat Friendly Clinics vs normal practices, and the cost of them was lower. This suggests fewer, more minor injuries in Cat Friendly Clinics.
Improved compliance
Cats that show less stress in the clinic are more likely to be returned for follow ups. Cat friendly clinics are also more likely to offer empathy and cat behaviour advice, which increases compliance.
Principles of a cat friendly veterinary practice
If you’re thinking those benefits sound worthwhile, you might be wondering what sort of effort it’s going to take to make some cat-friendly changes in your practice. While you can get a full list for accreditation from the ISFM, the main principles are:
Facilities
Waiting Room
Ideally, you should have a separate waiting room for cats, but if this isn’t feasible then consideration should be given to ways to reduce feline stress during vet visits. This could mean a cat-only consult room, where cats can be directed while they wait, screens to separate dogs and cats, high spaces to place carriers, and more. You should also review your pheromone usage – you may find you haven’t enough diffusers, they’ve run out, or they aren’t in the most important areas. Even where you have a cat-only waiting room, consider ways to reduce direct eye contact between cats eg screens and blankets.
Hospital
Cats should ideally have a separate hospital ward from dogs, and if it can have its own thermostat then this allows the environment to be kept at a warmer temperature. The cages should be large enough to accommodate extended stays, and ideally not facing one another to avoid stressing the cats. A shelf or ‘fort’ should be used to provide a raised area to increase their feeling of safety, and you should provide blankets, ‘caves’, or boxes to help them hide.
Pharmacy
A range of drugs in the right formulations and sizes for feline patients is essential. Look for the ‘easy to give’ award from ISFM for products that are better tolerated by feline patients.
Equipment
Consulting Rooms
Don’t forget the cat treats!
Inpatient
You’ll need a range of cat litters and foods for tempting fussy cats. It’s sensible to consider placing a naso-oesophageal tube in patients who haven’t eaten for more than two days.
Surgical
Most surgical equipment suitable for small dogs is also suitable for cats, but clinics hoping to become more cat friendly should ensure they have dental x-rays, uncuffed ET tubes, and small-bore cannulas suitable for tiny kittens.
Handling Techniques
A large part of being ‘cat friendly’ revolves around handling. Sometimes it feels like it might take too long to handle cats calmly, slowly, and with respect, but with all things cat it’s better to “go slow to go fast”. A less stressful visit today will pay dividends in every future visit, so it’s worth taking the time to do properly. It’s a good idea to have a ‘cat advocate’ in the practice, who understands cats and feels they can shout out if they see areas where improvements can be made. The AAFP/ISFM have produced guidelines to veterinary interactions with cats – see here.
Feline Practice Certificates and CPD
Of course, having a member of staff (or two!) that has additional training in feline medicine and surgery is ideal. We all know that ‘cats are not small dogs’ and a feline practice certificate holder can make all the difference in diagnosing and treating cats. Our Certificate in Feline Practice programme provides the teaching for the ISVPS GPCert and – if you wish – the PgC from Harper Adams University, which is suitable for application to RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status. We also offer a Nurse Certificate in Feline Nursing programme, perfect for training up your feline friendly nursing team.
Regardless of whether you have postgraduate certificate holders in your clinic, ISFM recommend that all staff (vets and nurses) take at least 3 hours of feline-specific CPD each year. This is because ISFM understands the importance of up-to-date clinical skills, knowledge, and handling techniques. Our practical vet CPD courses and short courses for nurses are perfect for fulfilling this requirement!
Conclusion
If your vet practice is one of the ~30% that (according to owners in Caney et al) hasn’t got any feline-friendly features, it might be worth looking at. Recent research has shown that cat-friendly veterinary practices have happier clients, do more diagnostic tests, and have higher revenue than those that aren’t cat friendly. And don’t forget the importance of CPD and further education for the whole veterinary team, wherever you are on your road to feline friendliness!
If you enjoyed this article, we think you might like…
