The Emerald Veterinary Service is proud to announce that they are an official Cat Friendly Practice® (CFP). As a Cat Friendly Practice®, this practice has met specific criteria that demonstrates their unique ability to treat and handle feline patients gently and with respect. The Cat Friendly Practice® program helps veterinary teams stay ahead of best practices in feline medicine. As a result, cats and their caregivers will have a less stressful visit because the practice is tailored to felines’ specific needs. What’s more, Cat Friendly Practices® like Emerald Veterinary Service regard the program as being key to their practice’s ongoing success.

For their work, the Emerald Veterinary Service was recognized with a Gold level designation as a Cat Friendly Practice® by the AAFP.

What is a Cat Friendly Practice®?

The Cat Friendly Practice® program is leading the movement to make veterinary care less stressful for cats and their caregivers. The program provides support and in-depth, quality educational content to help veterinary professionals better understand the unique needs of cats. A designated Cat Friendly

Practice® has taken the extra time and steps to have the ability to consider each cat’s experience and care. All Cat Friendly Practices® must meet certain physical and educational requirements to achieve the designation.

In 2012, the Cat Friendly Practice® program was launched and since then it has continuously gained momentum and flourished. As of yearend 2019, there were more than 1,200 designated CFP veterinary clinics. According to the most recent 2019 Cat Friendly Practice® Survey, the majority of respondents experience an increase in feline visits, revenue, and patients. There is a 99 percent satisfaction rate among Cat Friendly Practices®. Top benefits reported include:

• Less stress on feline patients and team members
• Higher client satisfaction
• Demonstrates how much the practice cares about its patients
• Increased retention of clients
• Gained more new feline patients
• Increased team member feline knowledge and expertise in clinic

“We are very proud of each approved veterinary clinic for their dedication to the Cat Friendly
Practice® program in striving for improved excellence in feline care,” said Dr. Kelly St. Denis, President of the AAFP Board of Directors. “The feedback from designated CFPs has been incredible. Veterinarians report very positive results and benefits for cats, clients, and the veterinary team. Equally important, we all have one goal in mind — to enhance the quality of care for cats,” she added.

What to expect at a Cat Friendly Practice®

(for more details, visit catfriendly.com)

• Cat-friendly attitude from the veterinary team
• Team members educated in feline needs and medicine
• Gentle handling
• Feline-specific advice
• Cat comfort
• Feline-tailored waiting area
• Feline-focused hospitalization and boarding areas
• Feline-sized equipment and facilities
• Comprehensive care
• Cat-specific resources

How to Become a Cat Friendly Practice®

Clinics interested in becoming a Cat Friendly Practice® need at least one veterinarian in the practice to be an AAFP member in order to access all the essential feline resources and CFP checklist included in membership benefits. To learn more about becoming a member and the Cat Friendly Practice® program, visit: www.catvets.com.

About the American Association of Feline Practitioners:

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) supports its members in improving the health and welfare of cats through high standards of practice, continuing education, and evidence-based medicine. As a trusted leader in the veterinary community, the AAFP has a long-standing reputation and track record for facilitating high standards of practice and providing educational resources to veterinary teams, including guidelines for practice excellence and an annual conference. Over the years, the AAFP has encouraged veterinary professionals to continuously reevaluate preconceived notions of practice strategies in an effort to advance the quality of feline medicine. Launched in 2012, the Cat Friendly Practice® (CFP) program (catvets.com/cfp/veterinary-professionals) was created to improve the treatment, handling, and overall healthcare provided to cats. Its purpose is to reduce the stress of the veterinary visit for cats, caregivers, and the veterinary team and provide veterinary practices with the tools and resources to elevate the standard of care provided to cats. With the belief that cat caregivers are instrumental to feline health and welfare, the AAFP launched catfriendly.com, a consumer-focused reliable educational resource powered by feline veterinarians branded Cat Friendly Homes. This educational resource is tailored to the needs of cat caregivers who want to provide the very best care for their cat and is accompanied by a monthly newsletter, The Cat Column, as well as educational content on Facebook and Instagram.