164 © T. Atkinson, 2018. Practical Feline Behaviour (T. Atkinson)11b Advice for Veterinary
Professionals
Part 2 – Advising Clients:
Prevention and Treatment of
Feline Behaviour Problems
Veterinary professionals, especially nurses/technicians, can be in an ideal position to
advise and educate clients on how feline behaviour issues may be avoided or man-
aged. But first it is important to have sufficient knowledge yourself, gained from a
reputable source. Hopefully this book and others listed in the recommended reading
list at the end of the book can help, but further study is always advisable. The
International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) is a reputable organization which is
free to join (https://icatcare.org/isfm-membership) and provides a worldwide education
and information resource, including free journals, for vets and nurses/technicians.
ISFM also runs a distance education certificate course in feline behaviour specifically
designed for vets and nurses/technicians (https://icatcare.org/learn/distance-education/
behaviour/advanced). Relevant information, advice and education can then be passed
on to clients in a number of ways.Talks
Talks for clients, by members of the practice and/or invited guest speakers, can be a
part of practice open days or education evenings and can be targeted at specific
groups, e.g. breeders, new cat or kitten owners, or to the general cat-owning public.
As well as passing on important information, these sessions can provide an opportu-
nity for clients to meet and get to know the practice staff and each other and can help
to promote the practice and increase client ‘bonding’.Nurse/Technician Behavioural Clinics
These provide an opportunity for one-to-one advice to be given to the client and can
be most useful when practical ‘hands on’ procedures need to be demonstrated and
practised by the client, such as:
● Training the cat or kitten to become accustomed to veterinary examination (see
Appendix 14).
● Teaching the client how to medicate their cat (see Appendix 13).