Cat Friendly Clinic

At Highgate Vets, we’re so proud to be an accredited Silver level ‘Cat Friendly Clinic’ and a member of the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM). This means that we are going to extra lengths to improve the veterinary experience for your cat which can otherwise be very stressful- with all its unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells.

The Cat Friendly Clinic programme was established in 2012 by ISFM to help veterinary teams adapt the clinic environment and the way they interact with their feline patients to reduce cats’ stress and, in turn, benefit their mental wellbeing and physical health.

We are doing this by providing separate calm and quiet spaces for cats within our clinic, employing specialist feline veterinary equipment and through gentle and respectful handling of all of our feline patients.

All of the team here at Highgate Vets are well trained and up to date with the latest information on the veterinary care of cats and dedicated to looking after our feline patients in practice. Our Feline advocate is Kerry-Anne Griffiths who is on hand to provide specific information and advice on caring for your cat.

In order to achieve our Silver Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation, we have had to meet carefully selected criteria as stipulated by International Cat Care.

We have demonstrated that we:

Understand the needs of cats and strive to make visits to the vet clinic cat friendly
Approach and handle cats gently and with care through ongoing staff education
Follow the ISFM Feline Friendly Handling and Nursing Care guidelines and have made the pledge to be ‘Scruff free’
Have invested in equipment to manage the specific care requirements of cats
Have an appointed Cat Advocate to oversee our cat friendly clinic status

Our cat friendly facilities include:

A separate cat waiting area in reception where there are raised tables on which to place your cat carrier screened by plants and away from other animals
Tasty cat treats to help reduce stress and blankets to place over carriers for privacy
The use of feline pheromone diffusers, sprays and wipes to help calm and reassure
A quiet, well-equipped feline only consulting room specially adapted for cats
A range of equipment such as blood pressure monitors and cat-specific weighing scales to provide a high level of care to our feline patients
A separate hospitalisation ward for cats with comfortable, soft bedding, calming music and cat hide boxes to allow your cat privacy during their stay with us
Facilities for surgery, dentistry, lab testing and diagnostic imaging to allow procedures to be performed to the highest standards for all feline patients

Please find a selection of useful resources below – click on the links to download.

What is a cat friendly clinic? (PDF)

Bringing your cat to the clinic (PDF)

Taking your cat home from the clinic (PDF)

Changing your cat’s food (PDF)

Giving tablets to your cat (PDF)

Giving skin, ear or eye drops/ointment (PDF)

Chris Thornhill

2024-09-04

Rex, Chris and Veronica moved to Highgate as they were walking distance and Rex (12 years old Golden retriever) had a terminal prognosis due to Laryngeal Paralysis. Bridget and team has comforted us, done some palliative surgery and treatment to keep Rex as comfortable as possible so we could all enjoy his last days as best possible. Apart from the necessary surgery costs, Bridget and team has taken an almost daily interest in Rex and never charged for additional consultation, phone calls, advice. We will never forget the kindness shown. Rex is still hanging on and sometimes makes a b-line to Highgate if at all possible. Lots of love and gratitude. 😍🐕

Kate A

2024-08-29

I registered my spaniel at Highgate vets a few months ago. She has a fear of going to the vets so started taking her for social visits. The staff are kind and caring, they have done their best to try and help my dog overcome her fears. When she went in to be spayed I was confident she would be well looked after, which she was. Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Helen Evans

2024-08-23

I came down to visit my mum in Swavesey and unfortunately, it very quickly became obvious that my fifteen year old border terrier cross was very poorly. He was struggling to bear any weight on his back legs, was very shakey and generally weak. He wasn’t eating and barely drinking either. I honestly feared the worst. A friend of my mum’s said she had heard good things about Highgate, so I phoned them first thing in the morning. They offered an appointment within the hour and I took him along. From start to finish they treated our dog with so much love and care. He stayed there for the full day, undergoing various tests and receiving treatment. I was kept updated throughout from Bridget (vet) herself, which really helped lessen my worry. She explained everything in detail, including the cost involved at each stage. Thankfully, our lovely boy responded to treatment and is now almost back to his old self again. I really cannot thank the team at Highgate enough, as I honestly thought he wasn’t going to make it. Bridget has given lots of advice about his general health and how we can best look after him in his senior years. I would thoroughly recommend bringing your pet here - they are lovely people and are incredibly skilled at what they do.

Maisie Lamont

2024-08-09

Wouldn't chose anywhere else to take my pets. Lovely people & lovely atmosphere.

Carrie Robinson

2024-07-05

Great service and always good advice!

Lisa S

2024-05-23

Fantastic caring service from Highgate Veterinary Clinic. Our elderly Westie Lottie was terrified of vet visits throughout her life until she attended Highgate, from the first time she visited she remained calm. Huge thanks to Bridget and the whole team for your excellent and compassionate care looking after Lottie, accommodating emergency appointments when she was unwell and for looking after us when it was time to say goodbye. I highly recommend Highgate Veterinary Clinic.

Garry Haire

2024-05-22

Can I just say a big thank you to all the staff who were excellent in the way they helped with the sad passing of are beloved pet Kenzo .Truly professional in everyway Would Highly recommend Many thanks

Richard Law

2024-05-21

The saddest decision for any caring animal owner is to have their pet put to sleep - which is exactly what we had to do last week with our beloved G S x mountain dog Rosco of thirteen years. We are so grateful and would like to thank Bridget for coming to the house, along with Eloise and putting our beautiful Rosco to sleep. We were devastated, but your kind and caring manner helped us through a sad time and Rosco crossed the rainbow 🌈 bridge so peacefully and dignified on the lawn in the sunshine after a very long, happy and healthy life. Thankyou so very much. Richard and Pat