Please also see the other sections on the ‘For Vets and Nurses’ section for information on other relevant topics, such as vet protocols, pre-pubertal neutering and CP Clinic.
Please also see the other sections on the ‘For Vets and Nurses’ section for information on other relevant topics, such as vet protocols, pre-pubertal neutering and CP Clinic.
This section contains documents produced for veterinary staff providing care to cats in the care of Cats Protection (CP). The guidance applies veterinary shelter medicine principles to issues not infrequently faced by CP.
The guidance is not a substitute for specific clinical judgement and veterinary advice for individual cats, as it is appreciated that all cases are different.
The guidance and protocols do not translate to owned cats, where husbandry, infectious disease risks and feline stresses can differ significantly.
You may also find other sections on the website of specific interest, such as the neutering section and our public ‘essential’ and ‘veterinary’ guides.
Are you studying to become a vet or vet nurse? If so, complete your pre-clinical Extra Mural Studies (EMS) placements with Cats Protection, the UK’s leading feline welfare charity.
Throughout your placement, you will develop animal handling, husbandry and communication skills. You will be introduced to CP’s minimum veterinary standards (MVS) and the principles of shelter medicine and learn about the importance of kitten neutering and population control. You will get the chance to meet and learn from our amazing team and will also have access to Cats Protection’s online learning platform and resources on topics such as cat behaviour, infectious diseases and their control, cat care and welfare and our Veterinary Guide.
For several years now, we have offered a limited number of subsidised places for students to undertake clinical EMS with the CP veterinary team.
Placements are available at the National Cat Centre (NCC) in Chelwood Gate, West Sussex RH17 7TT. The NCC is the largest cattery in Europe and consists of 202 pens, enabling up to 500 cats to be housed at any one time
In practice, you are highly likely to treat cats housed in rescue centres and knowledge of shelter medicine will be invaluable when dealing with these cases. Hundreds of thousands of cats are funnelled through the various national and independent rescue establishments every year and the appropriate management and provision of veterinary care can improve the health of the national herd through optimal husbandry, treatment and rehoming strategies.
Access CP’s Shelter Medicine Podcast here. With both vet and nurse students in mind, these podcasts highlight different job roles within CP, discuss CP protocols and explore shelter medicine, cat behaviour and other relevant feline issues.
This site contains useful resources regarding kitten neutering, including evidence to support neutering at or before 4 months of age.
You can also find tips and advice regarding anaesthesia and the actual procedure here.
Cat behaviour is often subtle, potentially ambiguous and not always easy to understand.
Our dedicated behaviour section contains a huge selection of useful information and resources.
Cats Protection have produced The Behaviour Guide – this exciting new guide discusses a variety of topics on cat behaviour. The guide has been written with particular reference to the ‘shelter behaviour’ approach, however many of the principles covered by the guide can be applied to cats in environments other than rescue.
While it is aimed primarily at CP volunteers and staff, as well as the vet profession that are involved in the care of CP cats, it is hoped that this guide will also be useful for other animal welfare charities and boarding catteries as well as veterinary, vet nurse, behaviour and animal welfare students.
Read our Behaviour Guide
