Davies keeps cats comfy with handmade cat pillows
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A patient care assistant at Davies Veterinary Specialists (DVS) near Hitchin in Hertfordshire is keeping feline patients extra comfortable in the cat ward by making them special cat pillows. The safe, super-soft pillows, which are all made from recycled materials and sprayed with a stress-relieving cat pheromone, have been given a definite ‘paws up’ by patients so far.
Davies is a ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) Gold Standard Approved Practice, which means the practice already adheres to a rigorous set of criteria aimed at reducing feline stress while providing the very best in health care. But the feline team are always looking for new strategies to make the practice even more cat friendly. This is why Rebecca Stevens, one of the patient care assistants, came up with a new idea to help reduce anxiety in hospitalised cats.
“We know that a trip to the vet can be very stressful for cats,” said Rebecca. “They all like to snuggle up to something soft so I came up with the idea of a pillow for each patient that can be sprayed with a special pheromone to help reduce anxiety and keep them cosy and calm.”
In the true sustainability spirit of Davies, Rebecca recycled old pillowcases and blankets to make small cat pillows. Each pillow is stuffed with old pillow wadding, meaning that they are fully machine washable, which is important for infection control. When a cat is admitted into cat ward, they are each given a pillow which has been previously sprayed with a cat pheromone spray.
“They are a huge hit with our feline patients, who often snuggle up to them.” said Rebecca. “It’s been such a rewarding project and pillows are now standard issue in the cat ward!”
Visit www.vetspecialists.co.uk to learn more about Davies Veterinary Specialists.