International Cat Care reaches 1000 Cat Friendly Clinics

International Cat Cat has accredited 1000 clinics as 'Cat Friendly Clinics'. In 2012, International Cat Care launched a project to raise the standard of feline care in the veterinary clinic: the ‘Cat Friendly Clinic’ programme. One of the main aims of this accreditation scheme is to reduce the stress experienced by many cats (and consequently their owners) when visiting clinics. In order to be accredited as a Cat Friendly Clinic, a clinic must not only meet high standards of cat care in terms of facilities and equipment, but staff must also demonstrate an understanding of the needs and behaviour of cats and put in place measures to ensure that visits to the clinic are more cat-friendly. The programme, run by the charity’s veterinary division, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), quickly became a well-recognised, award winning global standard in feline veterinary care, with accredited clinics all over the world. The scheme is supported by six official partners: Boehringer Ingelheim, Ceva, Elanco, Idexx, Merial and Royal Canin. Just six years after its inception, the programme has reached a landmark in the form of accrediting its 1000th clinic. The 1000th clinic is the Classic Animal Medical Center in South Korea, which achieved Gold status, the highest level of accreditation in the programme. Park Sungwon, owner of the clinic and Chief of Surgery, told ISFM, "Since more and more Koreans are having cats as their companion animals, there is growing interest in the Cat Friendly Clinic programme. So many veterinarians who have just started or want to start their own clinic share information about becoming a Cat Friendly Clinic. "I also found out about the Cat Friendly Clinic scheme on the vet internet community. When I decided to open my clinic, I planned to become a Cat Friendly Clinic. So I took ISFM’s requirements into consideration when I designed my clinic." Sarah Endersby, International Cat Care’s veterinary development manager, says "We are delighted to have accredited the 1000th Cat Friendly Clinic. It is fabulous to know that many veterinary clinics around the world are thinking about how they can make feline visits less stressful, benefitting not only the cats themselves, but their owners and the veterinary team. "We have many clinics looking to become a Cat Friendly Clinic, so the community is growing quickly - hopefully we will be welcoming the 2000th clinic in the not too distant future!’