CATS visiting a Buckinghamshire veterinary practice are feline less stressed after a revamp of the surgery.
Hampden Vets has created a waiting area especially for moggies at its Watermead surgery in Aylesbury.
The aim is to make visiting the practice as stress-free as possible for cats and their owners.
The feline waiting area is designed to keep cats away from the noise of barking and whining dogs, which can make them anxious. It also includes shelving above ground level where their cat carrier boxes can be placed to make them feel safe.
Being more relaxed means the cats are easier to examine or have their blood pressure taken, while practice visits are becoming a less fraught experience for many owners, who often dread taking their cat to the vets.
The new waiting area, which includes cat merchandise and useful information for owners, was officially opened by client Amanda Hubbard, whose cat Taz is a long-standing patient of the practice.
Hampden Vets hopes that the £6,000 improvements will lead to them receiving accreditation from the International Society of Feline Medicine as a cat-friendly clinic.
Practice manager Anne Asprey said: “We recognise that because of their unique nature, taking cats to a veterinary surgery can be a stressful experience for them and their owners.
“We have a lot of feline clients and we want to give them the best possible experience so they are relaxed and chilled before they go to see the vet.
“We have already found that patients are much easier to examine since the changes to the surgery and it is a better experience all round for everyone, including them.
“Blood pressure readings can be more accurate if they are less stressed and they are able to undergo a more thorough examination.”
The cat-friendly practice will be run by three vets with an interest in cats – Lizzie Youens, Kelly Gore and Anna Bach.
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