Just for cats: Clinic cat advocate and vet nurse Margaret Loh and Loki hunker down in Remarkables Vets' specialised cat ward

Frankton’s Remarkable Vets has the ‘purrfect’ approach when it comes to cat care.

The clinic’s been awarded gold-level ‘cat-friendly clinic’ status by the International Society of Feline Medicine.

Clinic operations manager Anna Harding-Shaw believes theirs is the second clinic in the South Island to get the golden seal of approval.

The goal is to reduce as much stress as possible for cats, with a raft of measures introduced, including educating owners around transport ing their cats, ‘‘because, often, the car ride is the most stressful part’’.

At the clinic, there are separate, off-ground waiting areas, and cats have their own consultation room, with an anti-anxiety pheromone plug-in.

If an overnight stay’s required, they have ‘‘their own little ward’’, with specific cage sizes, lighting and temperature control.

‘‘It’s got a little cuddle corner in the back of [the ward] because cats like being visited by their owners when they’re in hospital,’’ Harding-Shaw says.

There are also four ‘cat-friendly’ advocates on staff, who stay on top of the latest medical advances and handling practices.

Harding-Shaw says the clinic was in a ‘‘unique position’’ in the fitting-out phase last year, and, led by Dr Orla Fitzpatrick, they decided to go for gold.

While Queenstown’s a dog-loving community, she anticipates the cat population will grow, particularly given smaller section sizes mean less room for dogs and ‘‘with more people renting, you’re not allowed to have a dog, but you can have a cat’’.

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