Cat Clinics & Behavioural Support

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At Park Farm we are proud to have been accredited with The International Society of Feline Medicines ‘Cat Friendly’ status.

As cat owners ourselves, we understand how stressful a visit to the vet can be for your cat, and we want to make it as stress free as possible for you and your feline friend. It is so important that your cat has regular routine appointments with us to ensure that they are up to date with all of their Preventative Health treatments, such as vaccines, flea and worm treatment, dental checks and nail clips. We also offer 6 monthly Healthy Pet Checks, Wellness Screening and Geriatric Screening.

Our aim is to make the visit experience as calm and relaxed as possible for both you and your cat, so we offer Cat Friendly Clinics every Tuesday morning at our practice, either Vet or Nurse lead.

There will be no dogs in the building, reducing anxiety as your cat won’t see, hear or smell a dog
We spray pheromone to reduce stress and play calm, quiet music
You can help yourself to Pet Remedy and spray a blanket to cover your carrier, further reducing anxiety
We practice ‘Fear Free’ handling techniques to allow your cat choices as to how they feel happy to be examined
We use crunchy treats, liver pate and cat yoghurt to both help distract and reward your cat whilst in examination
As part of our ‘Fear Free’ technique, should your cat become distressed we will advise rescheduling your appointment and can dispense prescription medication to give your cat whilst at home, prior to your next visit.

Regular visits will help your cat acclimatise to the environment and our vets, so they are less anxious should you need to visit us for any other reason.

Call us today to book your cat in for our next Cat Friendly Clinic.

Veterinary visits can sometimes be quite worrying for cats, however, there are steps that owners can take to help make the journey to the vets as calm as possible. Here are some of our fear free tips:

Before your visit

A few weeks prior to your appointment, place the cat carrier in an area of the house that your cat likes to relax in. Place a fleecy blanket in the bottom that they can curl up into, spray with pheromone to make them feel calm, and scatter some favourite treats inside. Encourage frequent use to ensure that your cat identifies the carrier as a safe, happy space.
Gently tempt your cat into their carrier with treats prior to their visit. We’d rather you ring us to reschedule your appointment than stress your cat by physically manoeuvring them into the carrier when they are resisting your attempts.
Please inform a member of staff in advance of your appointment if your cat has a history of anxiety associated with veterinary visit or car sickness – medication can be given in advance of their visit at home to help make their trip more relaxing. We have lots of suggestions on how to give medication to your cats such as the use of putty or paste.

During your car journey

Secure travelling: please ensure that the cat carrier is placed in the foot well behind the passenger seat of the car to prevent them slipping around.
Try not to hold the carrier by the handle when your cat is inside – they can become quite nervous/queasy if it swings around – handle the carrier like a box containing a delicate item (put two hands underneath and hold it close to your chest).
Place a blanket over the carrier so your cat can only see out through one side. This will help them feel safe. You can spray this blanket with pheromone (this is provided in the waiting room at our practice).
Play calming classical music (cat specific playlists are available) to help relax your cat during their journey.

At our practice

Take a seat in our specifically designated cat waiting area, to reduce exposure to dogs. If your cat gets particularly anxious, wait in your car and our reception team can call you when the vet or nurse is available to see you.
Please do not place your carriers on the floor in the vets – either place them on the seats next to you or on one of our designated cat carrier parking bays. Cats like to be up high this helps them feel more secure in new environments.
A carrier with an easily removable top allows your cat to be examined whilst in the carrier, where they can feel most safe, and allows us to gently lift nervous cats from their carriers in their snuggly blanket to be weighed on the scales.
Keep an eye out for our ‘cat only clinics’-we are lucky enough to be able to offer cat only consultation times on Tuesday mornings at our Park Farm practice. This reduces any stress caused by the scents and sounds of dogs in the waiting room.

Many of our staff are Feline Advocates, which means they have a special interest in making feline veterinary visits as fear free as possible. Please follow our guide above to support your cat’s visit to us.

If you would like support with any of the following behaviours, please call us at Park Farm on 01332 554422 for more information and prices:

Urine Spraying
Cat Aggression
Over Grooming
Idiopathic Cystitis
Introducing another cat into your household
Moving House
Rehoming a Rescue Cat
How to transport your cat to the vet or a cattery

An initial consultation will be required with Kat our Behaviour Expert. Your cat will not need to attend this. For more complex behavioural cases, a home visit with Kat may be required. Please discuss this with Kat at your initial consultation.

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