What It Means to Be a Cat Friendly Certified Practice
If you’ve ever struggled to get your cat to the veterinarian—or watched your normally calm feline transform into a stressed, vocal bundle of anxiety the moment you enter the clinic—you know how challenging vet visits can be for cats. But what if there was a different way? At Amethyst Veterinary Clinic in Chandler, we’ve earned our Cat Friendly Gold certification by creating an environment specifically designed to reduce stress and anxiety for feline patients.
What Does Cat Friendly Certification Mean?
Cat Friendly certification, awarded by the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (formerly AAFP), recognizes veterinary practices that have demonstrated a commitment to feline-specific care through specialized training, facility design, and handling techniques. This isn’t just about liking cats—it’s about understanding their unique needs and behaviors.
Cats experience the world differently from dogs. They’re more sensitive to environmental stressors, have different communication styles, and require specialized handling techniques. The Cat Friendly Certificate Program trains veterinary professionals in feline behavior, low-stress handling, common feline diseases, and creating environments where cats feel safe rather than threatened.
Completing this certification program demonstrates that our team has invested in specialized education to provide the best possible care for your feline companion. It means we understand that what works for dogs doesn’t necessarily work for cats, and we’ve adapted our entire approach accordingly.
How Amethyst Veterinary Clinic Stands Out
Many veterinary clinics see cats, but few go to the lengths we do to create a truly feline-friendly environment.
Our Cat Friendly features include:
- Separate Cat Entrance and Waiting Area: Your cat will never have to encounter dogs in our feline-only waiting space. We understand that the sight, sound, and smell of dogs can be extremely stressful for cats, so we’ve created a completely separate entrance and waiting area exclusively for feline patients.
- Cat-Only Hours: We offer dedicated appointment times when no canine patients are scheduled. During these hours, your cat can visit the clinic without any exposure to dogs whatsoever.
- Dedicated Cat-Only Exam Room: We have an exam room where no dog has ever set foot. This space is designed specifically for feline examinations, with appropriate equipment, calming features, and no lingering scents from canine patients.
- Stress-Reducing Enrichment: During exams, we provide tunnels, boxes, or cubes to help shy cats feel secure. Many cats feel safer when they can observe from an enclosed space, and we accommodate this natural feline behavior. We also use food, treats, and other positive reinforcement to create pleasant associations with veterinary care.
- Pheromone Therapy: We use calming pheromones throughout our facility—in waiting areas, exam rooms, patient wards, and on bedding and towels. These species-specific pheromones help reduce anxiety and create a more relaxed environment.
- Specialized Feline Kenneling: Our cat-only patient wards feature specially designed cages with solid lower panels (no bars for cats to feel exposed through), built-in perches so cats can rest at their preferred height, and port holes to separate litter box compartments. These design elements follow Fear Free kenneling recommendations.
- Soundproof Cat Ward: Our feline patient ward features soundproof walls to minimize stress from unfamiliar noises. We also play calming music while cats are in our care, creating a peaceful recovery environment.
Why Cat-Specific Care Matters
Cats are masters at hiding illness and pain—a survival instinct from their wild ancestors. This means they’re already stressed by the time they show obvious symptoms, and a frightening veterinary visit can compound that stress significantly. High stress levels can affect diagnostic accuracy (elevated heart rate and blood pressure may not reflect true baseline health) and make thorough physical examinations difficult.
More importantly, negative veterinary experiences can have lasting effects. Cats remember stressful events, and many cat owners delay or avoid necessary veterinary care because they dread the struggle of getting their cat to the clinic. This can result in delayed diagnosis and treatment of serious health conditions.
When veterinary visits are calm and positive, cats are more likely to tolerate necessary examinations, diagnostic testing, and treatments. Cat owners are more likely to maintain regular wellness visits, leading to earlier detection of health problems and better long-term outcomes.
The Importance of Regular Feline Wellness Care
Many cats don’t receive the preventive care they need simply because their owners know how stressful vet visits are for everyone involved. However, cats age rapidly—much faster than humans—and their health can change quickly. Regular wellness exams are crucial for detecting early signs of common feline health issues like kidney disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and dental disease.
In Arizona, cats face unique health challenges, including dehydration risks in our dry climate, potential exposure to Valley Fever, and heat-related stress. Regular checkups allow your veterinarian to monitor for these region-specific concerns and provide appropriate preventive care.
Our Cat Friendly approach removes many of the barriers that prevent cats from getting the care they need. When both you and your cat can feel calm and comfortable during veterinary visits, maintaining regular wellness care becomes much easier.
Tips for Easier Vet Visits with Your Cat
Even with a Cat Friendly clinic, there are things you can do at home to make veterinary visits less stressful:
- Keep your cat carrier out year-round as a comfortable bed or hiding spot rather than only bringing it out for vet visits. This helps create positive associations.
- Place familiar bedding or a piece of your clothing inside the carrier for comfort and familiar scents. Consider using synthetic feline pheromone spray on the carrier bedding 15-30 minutes before your visit.
- Keep the carrier covered with a light blanket during transport and in the waiting room. Many cats feel safer when they can see out but don’t feel exposed.
- Bring your cat’s favorite treats to offer during the visit if they’re food-motivated.
Our Cat Friendly Certified Team
Dr. Savarese and our veterinary team have completed the Cat Friendly Certificate Program, which covers feline-specific topics including behavior, low-stress handling techniques, common feline diseases, preventive care, and creating cat-friendly environments. This specialized training enhances our ability to provide exceptional care tailored to your cat’s needs.
Combined with our Fear Free certification, our team brings the knowledge and practical skills needed to make every feline visit as calm and positive as possible. We understand cat body language, recognize early signs of stress, and know how to adjust our approach based on each individual cat’s personality and comfort level.
Making a Difference for Chandler’s Cats
At Amethyst Veterinary Clinic, we believe every cat deserves veterinary care that respects their unique nature. Our Cat Friendly certification isn’t just a designation—it’s a commitment to providing feline-specific care in an environment designed from the ground up with cats in mind.
Whether your cat needs a routine wellness exam, vaccinations, dental care, or treatment for illness, our Cat Friendly approach ensures they’ll receive compassionate, low-stress care. From our separate cat entrance to our soundproof feline ward, every detail has been considered to make your cat’s experience as positive as possible.
If you’ve been avoiding taking your cat to the vet because of past stressful experiences, we encourage you to give our Cat Friendly practice a try. Contact Amethyst Veterinary Clinic in Chandler today to schedule an appointment during our cat-only hours and discover the difference specialized feline care can make for your beloved companion.