Broadway Veterinary Hospital is located at: 1824 12th Ave on Capitol Hill.

Cats are becoming the pet of choice and the number of cat owners is increasing at a faster rate than the number of dog owners.

In 2011, more than 86 million cats were pets, compared to 78 million dogs. Only 41% of cat owners visit the veterinarian for vaccinations and only 39% of cat owners say they would only take their cat to the veterinarian if they were sick.  60% of cat owners report that their cat hates going to the veterinarian and 38% of cat owners report they get stressed just thinking about bringing their cat to the
veterinarian. Most cats do not like the carrier and traveling to the practice. Some cat owners feel practices may not be aware of how to handle fearful or stressed cats.

In order to help provide the same opportunity for preventative health care that dogs now enjoy the American Association of Feline Practitioners has developed a certification for practices to achieve called the “Cat Friendly Practice.”  Practices that achieve this certification have met stringent standards, some of them include:

 

• Physical Design & Environment. The layout of the practice waiting and exam rooms must be conducive to cats. To keep stress to a minimum, facilities must have separate cat waiting and kennel areas.
• Acquisition of Appropriate Equipment to meet feline needs. There must be good lighting throughout. There must be adequate safeguards to ensure that cats cannot escape.  Stethoscopes should be of appropriate sized for feline use (e.g. human pediatric stethoscope with small diaphragm). Accurate and properly calibrated scales that is appropriate for feline use.
• Designation of the “Cat Advocate”, the point person for educating the whole practice and encouraging everyone to be vigilant about the special needs of cats. To help staff understand cat owners and the challenges of transporting cats. Helping staff to become  familiar with cats and can take note of their behavior. Teaching how to handle cats using minimal restraint techniques.

The staff and doctors at Broadway Veterinary Hospital invite you stop by for a tour of their cat friendly practice today.  Call them at 206.322.5444