ABSTRACT: Cats are becoming more popular as pets, possibly because they are seen as more suitable for households in which both ‘parents’ are working- but that is a discussion for another day! Certainly, where I am based in London, research by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) shows that the cat population has increased from 10% in 2013 to 12% in 2014 (pfma.org.uk). With this in mind, it is up to us to help our clients understand their feline pets better and in turn provide the best care for our patients. However, many owners may be disinclined to bring their cats to the veterinary practice due to worries about their pet’s mental well-being. This can be detrimental to the cat’s health, as treatable conditions may be left too long for viable treatment options to be used.

In this article, I intend to focus on stress-free handling and management of cats in the practice situation.

Author

Lauren Williams rvn isfm certFN

After working as a locum RVN for a number of years, Lauren settled down in 2010 and now works in a small animal branch practice in London as a Senior Veterinary Nurse.

In 2012 Lauren gained a distinction in Advanced Feline Nursing – a course run by the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE). She has a particular interest in pet behaviour, and completed a certificate in the Clinical Application of Pheromonatherapy in Behaviour Problems of Companion Animals. Lauren is the practice’s Cat Advocate and passed a Low Stress Handling course in 2015. She has encouraged all the staff to embrace cat-friendly handling techniques.

Lauren is dedicated to the cause of improving animal welfare and has spent much of her spare time in Vietnam helping to rehabilitate bears freed from terrible conditions in captivity, as well as working in Europe, as a member of the WVS, on animal welfare schemes for street cats and dogs.

Keywords: Clinical, Associated stress 

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 31 (03) • March 2016 pp88-93

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