A new online hub offers quick tips, client handouts, and practical guides to help veterinary teams both make clinic visits easier on cats and get more in for routine care.
The Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FelineVMA) has released a free collection of online tools to help veterinary teams reduce stress for cats during clinic visits and bring more feline patients in for routine care.¹ The Cat Friendly Resource Center was announced September 25, 2026. It includes short tips, printable client handouts, quick-reference materials, and longer guides based on the organization's Cat Friendly approach to practice.
The launch comes as cats continue to receive less routine and preventive care than dogs. FelineVMA cited CATalyst Council research showing that cat ownership and feline visits are both growing, even as many cats still go without the care they need.¹ According to the organization, common obstacles include getting cats to the clinic, stress during the visit, and how owners view feline health care.
"Veterinary teams have a tremendous opportunity to improve feline health outcomes and engage more cats in routine care. Cats are often underserved not due to a lack of care, but because many barriers to care exist throughout the veterinary visit," Heather O'Steen, CAE, CEO of FelineVMA, said in a news release announcing the launch.¹ "When veterinary teams understand the experience from the cat's perspective, they can make practical changes that reduce distress, improve care, and strengthen relationships with caregivers."
FelineVMA pointed to a 2023 study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery as evidence that the approach makes a measurable difference.¹ The researchers compared practices with the Cat Friendly Practice designation against conventional clinics. They analyzed financial data from 320 designated practices and 4195 practices without the designation, along with diagnostic testing data.²
Wellness visits made up a similar share of visits in both groups. However, designated practices averaged more visits per feline patient each year and ran diagnostic tests at 12% more clinical visits.² They also identified clinically relevant abnormalities in more cats, including endocrine, renal, and electrolyte abnormalities.² Ashlie Saffire, DVM, DABVP (Feline), FelineVMA's immediate past president, is one of the study's authors.²
FelineVMA president Hazel Carney, DVM, MS, DABVP (Canine/Feline Emeritus), said reducing distress starts with reading the patient.¹ "Cats can show fear, pain, and frustration in ways that are easy to miss or misread," Carney said. "When we look at each step of the visit with the cat's experience in mind, we often identify opportunities to reduce distress and improve communication."
The materials cover the whole visit, from before the cat leaves home until after it returns.¹ Topics include:
Saffire said practices don't need to start from scratch to make progress.¹ "Being Cat Friendly does not require a practice overhaul," she said. "Many aspects of the veterinary experience were never intentionally designed with cats' unique needs in mind. … Small, practical changes can reduce barriers to care, improve the quality of veterinary visits, and help more cats receive the routine healthcare they deserve."
The resource center is part of FelineVMA's broader Cat Friendly Campaign and is available at catvets.com/CatFriendly.¹ Team members who want more training can enroll in the role-specific Cat Friendly Certificate Program, and practices can apply for Cat Friendly Practice designation at catvets.com/cfp.
On October 20, 2026, Saffire will present a free webinar, "Elevate the Feline Experience: Implementing Optimal Cat Friendly Care." Registration is at catvets.com/eLearning.¹
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