We Are Feline Friendly
There’s a reason why veterinarians see more dogs than cats at their clinics. Cats like routine! It’s common for owners to have difficulty getting their cats to veterinary appointments because their cat has run and hid somewhere. We understand that veterinary visits can be stressful for any pet, but with felines, they can be especially difficult. This is why we’ve made it our mission to provide your feline with the gentlest, most professional care possible. We have taken extra steps to implement feline-friendly standards here at Whitney Veterinary Hospital to accommodate their unique needs, making us the first Gold Level Cat Friendly Practice® in Peoria.
The Cat Friendly Practice® (CFP) program was created by feline practitioners to help veterinary clinics integrate a feline perspective into their practices. This involves altering both the physical environment and the method in which medical treatment is provided. To ensure that your feline lives a long, healthy life, we want to encourage more periodic vet visits so they can receive the best preventive care.
Benefits of a Cat Friendly Practice
Gold Level is the highest tier in the Cat Friendly Practice program. This means that we have incorporated the optimum level of Cat Friendly Criteria at our clinic to best serve your feline family member. Some of the ways we work to make your cat comfortable at our practice include:
- Advising methods for reducing your cat’s stress before and after visit
- Designing a physical space with your cat’s preferences in mind
- Ensuring hospitalization and operating areas include feline-appropriate equipment
- Training staff to catch subtle indications of pain and sickness
- Continually educating our staff on the most current feline research
- Using feline-only examination rooms to help them feel safe
- Having separate cat waiting and check-out areas
- Having an optional separate entrance available to avoid contact with dogs–please let us know when you arrive
Elevating Feline Care
In the United States, there are millions more cats living in peoples’ homes than dogs, yet cats see their veterinarians far less frequently. By implementing CFP standards, we can improve this trend by making vet visits less frightening for our feline companions, and helping them live longer, happier lives.
Think our Cat Friendly Practice® can benefit your feline? Give us a call today at (309) 685-4707 to make an appointment! We’d love to see you. For more information on the CFP program, visit http://www.catvets.com/cfp/cfp.