Small World Vets:
The Cat Friendly Clinic looking after our feline friends

We are proud to have been awarded ‘Silver’ Cat Friendly Practice status by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) – the first practice in the area to earn this accreditation fiveyears ago, raising the expected standard of cat care for others to meet, for the benefit of cats everywhere.

This is your guarantee that our facilities and staff meet exacting standards set by the foremost organisation championing cat health and welfare.

We understand that cats are not the same as dogs.

They don’t like unfamiliar situations, noises or smells, and they can quickly become stressed if extra care is not put into planning their experience when visiting the vets.

That’s exactly what we’ve done, designing our clinic with the needs of cats in mind, and with every one of our team considering each of our feline patients as an individual.

What is a Cat Friendly Clinic?

The Cat Friendly Clinic programme is a worldwide accolade awarded by the ISFM.

The scheme ensures that veterinary practices have achieved certain standards for accreditation, are designed with cats in mind and ensure that the practice teams think about the specific care needs and nursing requirements of cats.

Our silver award is your assurance that we:

understand the unique needs of cats
understand how to approach and handle cats in a gentle, empathetic and caring manner
have enhanced standards of expertise and equipment needed to investigate and treat feline diseases
have excellent facilities for the comfort and care of hospitalised cats

How our practice is cat friendly

We have designed our practice with entirely separate dog and cat waiting rooms and wards, to help our feline patients feel safe and secure.

We use Feliway and Pet Remedy diffusers throughout the practice for their proven calming effect and we provide raised resting areas or hide-aways so they can choose where they feel most comfortable.

One of our team is our nominated ‘cat advocate’, responsible for ensuring that ISFM standards are maintained. However, we all undertake cat-specific training relevant to our roles every year, ensuring your cat benefits from the very latest veterinary advances.

All of our team has knowledge and experience in handling cats, to ensure they are treated with respect during consultations. We have a ‘no scruff’ rule, meaning that only minimal physical restraint is ever used, instead employing gentle handling methods, tasty distractions and, occasionally, stress-busting medication to achieve our treatment objectives.

We hope in this way to provide the happiest and safest experience to our feline patients.