“It is an excellent way to promote the unity of messaging to clients and humane consistency with patients. Clients love it and you can recommend readings for them. Lots of homework for the staff and you don’t need to worry that what they are learning doesn’t fit with your practice’s values. Finally the most important reason: it’s the best thing for our patients.”
Kate Knutson, DVM
Pet Crossing Animal Hospital & Dental Clinic – Bloomington, MN
“The skills and protocols developed while becoming certified substantially improve the cat’s experience in the hospital setting. At the same time, there are much fewer injuries sustained by staff. It is truly a win-win.”
Kristy Dennison, DVM
Castlegar Veterinary Hospital – Castlegar, BC
“Clients seem to really appreciate the extra steps we take to make their cats more comfortable and as a tech, I loved the additional training and tips for cat care.”
Lindsey Smith, Lead Technician
Bartonville Veterinary Center – Bartonville, TX
“It’s a great way to make sure the kitties are as comfortable as possible and have as little stress as possible. We are there for the kitty first and foremost so making their vet experience better is everything. Clients also appreciate it and it gives them a little more to trust us with their baby. We love being Gold Standard Cat Friendly Practice®!!!”
Michelle Sam, Veterinary Technician
Maricopa Wells Veterinary Hospital – Maricopa, AZ
“Cats are unique and require special attention and resources to provide them with the best veterinary experience and care. Their caregivers recognize this and appreciate the extra effort.”
Caitlin Shaw, Practice Manager
Lyndon Veterinary Clinic – Fayetteville, NY
“Since officially becoming designated, we have seen a 20% increase in feline exams and feline dentistry. We have been very pleased with the growth the Cat Friendly Practice® Program has encouraged within our hospital and will continue to use the marketing material to enhance our feline focus.”
Destiny Prezzano, DVM
Apalachee River Animal Hospital – Dacula, GA
“Overall, the changes to earn the Cat Friendly Practice® designation were simple to institute and have had a positive effect on the experience that both clients and their cats. Most general practitioners simply don’t have time to create a whole new program from scratch, and market it effectively. The CFP program helped us address the issue of feline patient compliance, and make it work for our individual situation, without having to start from zero.”
Daschelle Roice, DVM
Tatum Point Animal Hospital – Phoenix, AZ
“Our clients have always looked to us to provide a positive experience for their cats. However, by becoming “CFP,” it has made our clients more appreciative of our services, and made them realize how progressive our practice has always been by focusing on providing specialized care for our feline patients.”
Sacramento Cat Hospital – Carmichael, CA
“A benefit to being a Cat Friendly Practice® is happier cats. Happier cats lead to happier clients. Happier clients lead to increased visits for their cat to live a happy and healthy life.”
Danielle Treadway, RVT
Animal Hospital of Waynesville – Waynesville, NC
“The CFP Program has given our clients more assurance that we hold an exceptionally high standard of medicine for cats. All staff are much more aware of reading subtle behavior changes and preventing stress before it leads to fear and potentially aggression-related behavior.”
Melissa Guillory, DVM
Big Sky Animal Medical Center – Great Falls, MT
“Clients are extremely complimentary of my low-stress handling techniques, as well as the feline-friendly communication and knowledge I’ve gained from the CFP program. I’ve been receiving referrals through my clients because they’re sharing the fact that I really understand cats and am able to handle and calm them in a manner unlike their previous veterinary experiences.”
Jennifer Bledsoe-Nix, DVM
Pellissippi Veterinary Hospital – Knoxville, TN
“We are both a cat and dog practice and I was able to use the CFP standards to get a CAT ONLY exam room that is equipped with pheromone diffusers, cat trees, cat treats, and more. It is a huge deal for our clients and the majority of them love it! Equally as important as cat caregivers appreciating the cat-only room, cats do as well and I’ve seen a big difference in the cats examined in that room–many seem much calmer and less stressed out.”
Michelle Meyer, DVM
Serenity Animal Hospital – Sterling Heights, MI
“Cats can get the short end of the stick in dog/cat practices. Even if you’re a dog/cat practice, the CFP designation really says “I focus on cats” and allows dog/cat practices to compete with nearby cat-only practices. I have a cat-only practice that’s less than a mile away and I want to be able to say with confidence that I’m providing care with a cat in mind.”
Paige Garnett, DVM
Care Animal Hospital – Arvada, CO
“As a Cat Friendly Practice®, our clinic saw an increase in the numbers of feline patients and visits when nationwide there was a decline (the increase has been on average 5-16% per year). Our staff is much more “in tune” with cats so everyone is less stressed: cats, owners, and staff. We are now proud to be known as “the place to bring your cats”. The CFP program was a simple, yet thorough way to reach our goal of providing optimum feline quality care.”
Eve Richer, DVM
VCA Cascade Animal Medical Center – Rochester, MN
“Since implementing the Cat Friendly Practice® Program at our practice, we’ve gotten positive feedback from clients who appreciate and value us going the extra mile to care for their cats. The staff has been able to expand their knowledge of feline behavior and develop their feline handling expertise because of the CFP program. In addition to client satisfaction and staff development, the website exposure we receive from being listed on the “Find a CFP” locator webpage is a big plus for us since it has the potential to grow our client base in the future.”
Megan Williams, DVM
Animal Wellness of Skaneateles – Skaneateles, NY
“At our clinic, we had clients who have previously warned us about their stressful experiences taking their cats to see the vet – since becoming a Cat Friendly Practice® and instilling the program’s handling guidelines and feline-friendly techniques, those same cats are now “purring” for an exam.
Caregivers and staff can see that cats are now more at ease during visits. Clients have mentioned to our staff how much better their cats react during our exams because of CFP procedures and the program has also allowed our staff to gain a lot of knowledge on feline handling and performing procedures in a low or less stressful manner.”
Bruce Garver, DVM
Kindness Animal Clinic – Monroe, WA
“We’ve had several clients transfer to us because they heard we were a Cat Friendly Practice®. Clients are very pleased with our feline-friendly handling techniques and lower stress environment.”
Tracy Turk, LVT, Practice Manager
Animal Care Center, P.L.L.C. – Benton Harbor, MI
“The Cat Friendly Practice® Program has motivated our staff to become better caregivers for cats. Our clients appreciate the extra steps taken to reduce their cat’s stress during visits.
The CFP guidelines have helped us improve our handling techniques, which decreases the cat’s stress as well as lessens the probability of staff injuries from scratches and bites. Our cat clients really appreciate the separate waiting area and cat-only exam room.
We have had a few clients who warn us about how “bad” their cats are during exams. Using the techniques learned from the CFP Program, we have had great success examining these so-called “bad” cats because we’re able to lessen the stress of the exam for the cat, which in turn lessens the stress for the owner and our staff.
The CFP Program takes effort and commitment, but once the feline-friendly techniques and protocols are in place, our staff and clients have greatly appreciated the changes.”
Tiffany Atley, CVPM
Docton Animal Clinic – Xenia, OH
“I am extremely satisfied being a designated Cat Friendly Practice®.
As a vet owner, I find the CFP guidelines particularly beneficial because they allow for the opportunity to educate my entire staff on why we handle cats differently, why we invested in an improved, feline-friendly physical environment, and why we’re taking the time and effort to train them on Cat Friendly care and handling. This has resulted in improved staff morale, clients who are extremely grateful for our cat-only “Cat Corner” waiting room, and stress reducing exam room protocols that make everyone proud to be a part of the CFP program.”
Katy Sommers, DVM
Mendocino Animal Hospital
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