Re: Stress in the veterinary waiting room, and the ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic Programme

Dear Georgina,

I read with interest the article on ‘How to reduce stress in the veterinary waiting room’ by Stuart Greenfield (The Veterinary Nurse4(8): 494–501). This was a timely and important article, and contained many useful insights in helping to reduce the stress involved in veterinary visits for both dogs and cats.

Unfortunately, given the scope of the article and inevitable restraints on space, some of the critical differences between dogs and cats could not be fully explored. However, it is undoubtedly true that in general stress during veterinary visits is much more profound for cats and cat clients than it is for dogs. Much of this relates to the fact that, unlike dogs, the domestic cat, Felis catus, is by nature largely a solitary hunting species and as such is self-reliant, highly sensitive to smells, and highly dependent on its territory for security.

The many differences between cats and dogs results in veterinary visits that are often highly challenging for cats and their owners, and unless clinics appreciate this problem and take steps to address the unique needs of cats, owners will simply avoid veterinary visits (because of the associated stress) and cats will not receive the level of routine care they need.