Cat Friendly Clinic Certification

Our Pukekohe and Beachlands clinics are 2 of the 11 clinics in Auckland, and our Hamilton clinic is one of 2 in Hamilton, to be awarded Cat-Friendly Clinic Status.

The cat-friendly clinic is a worldwide programme from the International Society of Feline Medicine. There are specific requirements regarding the design, equipment, and facilities within the clinic, as well as the standard of care for cats, that must be met to achieve accreditation.

We recognise that, because of their unique nature and needs, a cat's visit to the veterinary clinic can be very stressful for both cats and owners. The Cat-Friendly Clinic programme is designed to help address these issues, reducing stress for cats and making veterinary visits easier for cat owners.

One of the changes we made to the clinic to achieve this accreditation was adding a separate cat waiting room. This allows cats to sit away from dogs and prevents dogs from approaching the cat’s cages. Even though you may have a dog at home that your cat is used to, having a strange dog come up to you when you are unable to run away is very stressful for a cat.

Our cat-only waiting room also features shelves for the cats’ cages, as cats often feel safer higher up than on the floor, and towels to place over the cages so the cats can’t see any other animals.

We also hospitalise our cat patients in a separate, calm, quiet ward away from the dogs as part of our ISFM Cat-Friendly Clinic accreditation. This includes “deluxe”- size cat cages for our feline patients, ensuring they are as comfortable as possible while receiving the treatment they need.

For more cat-friendly information, visit the International Cat Care website