Kelsey Stover, DVM
Lazy 5 Vets
info@lazy5vets.com
Raising the Bar in Feline Care as a Cat-Friendly Practice®
Veterinary professionals encourage routine care for all cats to ensure a happy, healthy life.
Salisbury, NC (January 1, 2022) – Lazy 5 Vets is proud to announce that they are an official Cat-Friendly Practice® (CFP). As a Cat-Friendly Practice®, this practice has met specific criteria that demonstrate its unique ability to treat and handle feline patients gently and with respect.
The Cat-Friendly Practice® program helps veterinary teams stay ahead of best practices in feline medicine. As a result, cats and their caregivers will have a less stressful visit because the practice is tailored to felines’ specific needs. What’s more, Cat-Friendly Practices® like Lazy 5 Vets regard the program as being key to their practice’s ongoing success.
To make Lazy 5 Vets more comfortable for all of its furriest friends, Kelsey Stover, DVM, and Rebekah Frick Julian, DVM has worked over the past year to become a CFP to implement changes to make the hospital more “cat friendly.”
For their work, Lazy 5 Vets was recognized with a Gold level standard designation as a Cat-Friendly Practice® by the AAFP.
“Whether it’s a routine checkup or special visit, the staff at the Small Animal Hospital is committed to ensuring that cats get the best care. To further its dedication, the hospital recently implemented the Cat-Friendly Practice® (CFP) program to offer pet owners more at every phase of the cat’s health care process,” said Practice Owner.
“We encourage everyone with cats to get them checked out by a veterinarian at least once a year. It’s simple to make an appointment with us by calling 704.636.1100 or requesting one on our website, www.lazy5vets.com.”
What is a Cat-Friendly Practice®?
The Cat-Friendly Practice® program is leading the movement to make veterinary care less stressful for cats and their caregivers. The program provides support and in-depth, quality educational content to help veterinary professionals better understand the unique needs of cats. A designated Cat-Friendly Practice® has taken the extra time and steps to have the ability to consider each cat’s experience and care. All Cat-Friendly Practices® must meet certain physical and educational requirements to achieve the designation.
The Cat-Friendly Practice® program was launched in 2012 and has continuously flourished and gained momentum. As of year-end 2019, there were more than 1,200 designated CFP veterinary clinics.
According to the most recent 2019 Cat-Friendly Practice® Survey, the majority of respondents experienced an increase in feline visits, revenue, and patients. There is a 99 percent satisfaction rate among Cat-Friendly Practices®. Top benefits reported include:
- Less stress on feline patients and team members
- Demonstrates how much the practice cares about its patients
- Increased team member feline knowledge and expertise in clinic
“We are very proud of each approved veterinary clinic for their dedication to the Cat-Friendly Practice® program in striving for improved excellence in feline care,” said Dr. Kelly St. Denis, President of the AAFP Board of Directors. “The feedback from designated CFPs has been incredible. Veterinarians report very positive results and benefits for cats, clients, and the veterinary team. Equally important, we all have one goal in mind — to enhance the quality of care for cats,” she added.
What to expect at a Cat Friendly Practice®
(for more details, visit catfriendly.com)
- Cat-friendly attitude from the veterinary team
- Team members educated in feline needs and medicine
- Gentle handling
- Feline-specific advice
- Cat comfort
- Feline-tailored waiting area
- Feline-focused hospitalization and boarding areas
- Feline-sized equipment and facilities
- Comprehensive care
- Cat-specific resources
About the American Association of Feline Practitioners: The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) supports its members in improving the health and welfare of cats through high standards of practice, continuing education, and evidence-based medicine. The American Association of Feline Practitioners has sound experience and a long-standing reputation for developing high standards of practice and providing educational resources to veterinary teams, including guidelines for practice excellence and an annual conference.
Over the years, the AAFP has encouraged veterinary professionals to continuously reevaluate preconceived notions of practice strategies in an effort to advance the quality of feline medicine. Launched in 2012, the Cat-Friendly Practice® (CFP) program (catvets.com/cfp/veterinary-professionals) was created to improve the treatment, handling, and overall healthcare provided to cats.
Its purpose is to reduce the stress of the veterinary visit for cats, caregivers, and the veterinary team and provide veterinary practices with the tools and resources to elevate the standard of care provided to cats. With the belief that cat caregivers are instrumental to feline health and welfare, the AAFP launched catfriendly.com, a consumer-focused reliable educational resource powered by feline veterinarians branded Cat-Friendly Homes.
This educational resource is tailored to cat caregivers who want to provide the very best care for their cat. The Cat Column, a monthly newsletter, as well as educational material on Facebook and Instagram, are included in this collection.
