HS Cardiology have become the first peripatetic specialist service in the UK to be accredited as a Cat Friendly Clinic, as part of a worldwide scheme from the International Society of Feline Medicine.
HS Cardiology are a specialist-led mobile veterinary cardiology service that has grown in size since 2013 to support over 140 practices across the northwest of England.
Their Bronze Award (the highest available to practices without their own premises), recognises their focus on providing experienced cat friendly care and the efforts they go to in understanding and assessing the environment from a cat’s point of view.
The team all pride themselves on being feline-friendly.
They use numerous techniques such as low stress handling methods and the use of special sleeves, which help ensure minimal restraint is required as patients are free to move and nurses are protected from the odd scratch.
Feline synthetic pheromones are also used to help ensure their feline patients feel at ease and each pet is given plenty of time to acclimatise to their environment before they have their examination in a dark quiet and calm room.
The team provide simple suggestions to owners and host practices, that can help create a relaxed environment for feline patients.
HS Cardiology director, RCVS and European specialist Hannah Stephenson, said: “One reason we feel so passionately about providing a peripatetic service is it enables us to travel to our patients seeing them in their own clinic, close to home, minimising stress for both them, and their owners.
“We love caring for our feline patients and feel it’s important to recognise and work with each cat as an individual.
“Providing a cat friendly environment is something we believe all feline patients should benefit from, and we are very proud we have shown this is possible for both cardiology examinations and a mobile specialist service”.
