Ninth Avenue Veterinary Clinic in Port Elizabeth has been chosen as the most Cat Friendly Practice in Southern Africa.

Visiting the vet can be a very stressful experience for cats and their owners. But recently there has been a move by vets here and overseas to become more ‘feline friendly’. The first Cat Friendly Practice competition in South Africa and Namibia was organised in response to this trend; to raise awareness amongst vets and owners of what it means to be cat friendly, give guidance on how to become more cat friendly, and identify and reward practices that are making a particular effort for their feline patients.




Dr Guy Fyvie, one of the judges and veterinary advisor to Hill’s Pet Nutrition said, “We looked for veterinary practices that work at making visits as stress-free as possible for their feline patients, because stress is not only upsetting for the cat and owner, it can also have a negative impact on diagnosis, treatment and recovery.”

Based on a similar campaign run by the UK’s Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB), the Cat Friendly Practice competition was sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Pfizer Animal Health and VetMed. It started with a public call to action and people responded enthusiastically, nominating 130 practices and casting over 4,000 votes.

Nominated practices were eligible to submit a motivation on what made them cat friendly. To select the five finalists the judges – medicine specialist Dr Liesel van der Merwe from Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dr Brett Simpson of Pfizer Animal Health and Dr Fyvie – assessed these motivations on the criteria detailed in the Feline Advisory Bureau’s ‘Guide to Creating a Cat Friendly Practice’. The judges then did on-site inspections before deciding on the winning practice and the staff member with the ‘best cattitude’.

“Separation of feline and canine patients was very important; this can be as simple as having a raised shelf in the waiting room so cat baskets can be off the floor, or having different consulting times for cats and dogs,” said Dr van der Merwe. “Certainly the staff had to handle cats calmly and gently, making sure security measures were in place so that cats can’t run away.  The staff also needed to be knowledgeable about feline specific medicine, cat nutrition, parasite control, catteries, grooming, breeders and steps the pet owner can take to make visits easier.”  

“The standards were very high at all the practices and choosing a winner has been a real challenge for the judging panel,” says Dr Simpson. “What stood out at 9th Avenue was how involved and committed they are from the very start. They run an excellent kitten socialisation programme that not only teaches owners how to care for their cat, but also gives the kittens a positive, happy experience at the vet. Dr Hayward and his entire team very clearly love cats, understand the concept of being cat friendly and really live it in all aspects of client care. Valley Farm Animal Hospital was a very, very close contender.”

Dr Charles Hayward of 9th Avenue Vet is absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the winner. “It’s been a great team effort. We’ve shared ideas on how to improve and worked together. Most of the staff including the receptionists have studied cat ethology so they are knowledgeable, but just as importantly they are compassionate and caring. Cats aren’t just patients in need of veterinary care, they also need love and TLC.” Dr Hayward says they will be using their R10,000 prize money to further improve their feline medical equipment.

“It’s been very encouraging to see the levels to which vets are willing to go for their feline patients,” said Dr van der Merwe. “Although there are still many improvements that can be implemented, we were all impressed with how far the practices that entered have already come.”

The Cat Friendly Practice winners are:

WINNER – VETERINARY PRACTICE

·     9th Ave Veterinary Clinic, Walmer, Port Elizabeth (wins R10,000 for cat friendly improvements)

WINNER – BEST CATTITUDE AND CHAMPION OF THE CAT FRIENDLY CAMPAIGN

·     Vincent Khumalo – Rivonia Village Vet, Sandton (wins R5,000)

FINALISTS (each become ‘Certified Cat Friendly’ and win a Carrol Boyes vase)

·     Florida Hill's Veterinary Clinic, Johannesburg

·     Rivonia Village Veterinary Clinic, Johannesburg

·     Steenberg Veterinary Clinic, Cape Town

·     Valley Farm Animal Hospital, Faerie Glen, Pretoria

 
HIGHLY COMMENDED (each become officially ‘Certified Cat Friendly)

·     Kilner Park Animal Clinic, Faerie Glen, Pretoria

·     Margate Veterinary Hospital, Kwa-Zulu Natal

·     Mount Street Veterinary Clinic, Bryanston, Gauteng

·     Oakfield Animal Hospital, Benoni

·     Pinelands Veterinary Clinic, Cape Town

·     Port Rex Veterinary Clinic, East London

·     Serene Animal Clinic, Garsfontein, Pretoria

·     Sunninghill Village Vet, Sandton

·     Village Vet, Kloof, Durban

 
For more information on the Cat Friendly Practice call the toll-free Hill’s Careline on (0800) 228 783.