From time to time Feline Practitioners will respond to emerging new knowledge or issues that are of concern to veterinary professionals caring for cats. These position statements represent the view of our association. Position Statements are below (click on title to read full statement)

General Principles of Feline Welfare

1. Animal welfare principles are derived from moral, ethical, philosophical, and cultural considerations. In specific circumstances, animal welfare may be measured and evaluated by the scientific method. The AAFP recognizes that construction of scientific models must have inherent moral and ethical values incorporated into them, and that subjective evaluations are almost always necessary in the implementation of the scientific process.
2. The AAFP endorses the internationally recognized "Five Freedoms":
   1. Freedom from hunger, thirst, and malnutrition.
   2. Freedom from physical and thermal discomfort.
   3. Freedom from fear and distress.
   4. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease.
   5. Freedom to express normal patterns of behavior as long as it does not cause injury to them or another species.
3. The AAFP endorses the internationally recognized "Three R's" applied to the use of animals in research:
   1. Reduction in the number of animals.
   2. Refinement of experimental methods.
   3. Replacement of animals with non-animal techniques.
4. The AAFP believes that all cats should be provided the opportunity to live out their natural lifespans in accordance with the Five Freedoms.
5. A high priority should be placed on ending the destruction of cats for animal control purposes.
6. The AAFP recognizes that cats are sentient animals. This distinction requires that all diagnostic, medical, and surgical procedures must be performed in such a way as to minimize distress, anxiety, pain, and suffering. The AAFP considers this a moral and ethical imperative. If it is anticipated that any diagnostic, medical, or surgical procedure will cause pain, then appropriate and effective pain management should be initiated prior to, during, and after the procedure.
7. Physical handling of cats should be performed in such a way as to minimize distress, anxiety, pain, and suffering.
8. When necessary and appropriate, cats should be provided a benevolent and humane death.
9.  It is the responsibility of veterinarians to recognize, correct, prevent, and report cruelty, abuse, and neglect of all animals.
10. The AAFP recognizes there are significant disagreements among animal welfare experts about what animal welfare is in the first place, and these disagreements are largely ethical in nature. The AAFP recognizes that these arguments are constantly changing and controversial as well.
11. The AAFP is determined to constructively cooperate with all of the relevant stakeholders in the animal welfare arena. This includes animal welfare scientists, ethicists, philosophers, veterinary professional organizations, academic and industrial institutions, animal welfare organizations, and regulatory agencies.
12. All offical documents produced by the AAFP including Guidelines, Panel Reports, and Position Statements must express consistent animal welfare principles.

To create pleasant veterinary visits and keep cats calm, the veterinary team must understand normal cat behavior, body postures associated with fear in cats, how cats learn, training cats to carriers, and respectful and effective patient handling.
full statement pdf 7 pages

Special note: The following AAFP Position Statement is meant to represent ideal goals in shelter environments. The AAFP recognizes many shelters will be unable to achieve all of these recommendations due to resource limitations.
full statement pdf 2 pages

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) opposes the deliberate breeding of nondomestic cats to domestic cats with the purpose of producing exotic looking or novel hybrid cats.

The AAFP recognizes that hybrid cats are gaining in popularity. Commonly seen hybrid cats include the cross between the domestic cat and the Serval called the Savannah, the cross between the domestic cat and the Asian Leopard Cat known as the Bengal, as well as Geoffroy’s cat and Jungle Cat crosses.
full statement pdf 2 pages

The American Association of Feline Practitioners strongly believes that cats should carry both visible and permanent identification so that they may be returned to their owners if they become lost or stolen...click on title for complete statement

This AVMA (AAFP) policy statement strongly encourages owners of domestic cats in urban and suburban areas to maintain them indoors, or allowed outdoors only if strictly supervised or in a properly constructed and maintained outdoor enclosure...click on title for complete statement

The American Association of Feline Practitioners strongly believes it is the obligation of veterinarians to provide cat owners with complete education about and alternatives to feline onychectomy. Declawing is highly controversial and client education about all options often provides clients with good alternatives...click on title for complete statement

The Feline Welfare Committee of the American Association of Feline Practitioners was formed to better address feline-only welfare issues important to the AAFP membership, and to formulate Position Statements on relevant welfare issues. 

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