The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Cat Friendly Practice® (CFP) Program. Established in 2012 by the AAFP and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), these professionals designed the CFP Program to elevate care for cats by enhancing the environment and experience of a veterinary visit to reduce the stress for the cat, cat owner, and the veterinary care team. The CFP designation shows that the veterinary practice has committed to provide the highest standards of care for cats and assures cat owners that a practice has taken extra time and effort to consider each cat’s experience and care.
Admit it–if you love reading and talking about cats, sharing cat stories, and (especially) providing good cat care for your special felines, the companion CatFriendly.com website is right up your alley(cat). Sorry…couldn’t resist.
In their continued effort, back in 2017 AAFP announced the launch of a “cat friendly” Internet destination, with content written by feline veterinarians. Mee-WOW! Believe me, if your cats could read, that’s where they’d hang out. And since they can’t read (and you have control of the mouse *s*) I urge you to take an eye-blink look at CatFriendly.com. The site includes a searchable database for you to “Find a Veterinarian or Practice” to help you locate an AAFP member veterinarian or Cat Friendly Practice® in your neck of the woods.
JUST ANOTHER CAT WEBSITE?
Now, y’all know I provide lots of cat care (and dog care) and behavior information here on the Bling, Bitches & Blood blog, as well as in my books. And I know a boatload of wonderful “cat journalists” members of the Cat Writers’ Association who research and provide accurate cat information and advice in a variety of ways. That info ONLY works when you also partner with a veterinarian. I’m proud that my book MY CAT HATES MY VET won the Fear Free Pets Award,and the AAFP Cat Friendly Award from the Cat Writers Association.
But too many cat caretakers avoid going to the vet at all because of the angst involved. I even wrote a short booklet about the issue, with some tips how to overcome the kitty angst (and your own!). So I’m already preaching the Cat Friendly message.
When looking for solid, credentialed information, it’s always important to know your source. You can never have too much GOOD information to get you started, and having a website designed, vetted and written by feline specialists takes all the guesswork out of the equation. So I’m delighted to have another resource to share. Trust me, your cat will LOVE you for this!
WHAT YOU’LL FIND AT CatFriendly.com
AAFP recognizes that folks often begin looking for answers to their cat questions by asking “Dr. Google.” That’s why they’ve created CatFriendly.com to provide veterinary-approved, credible information–while still encouraging you to seek veterinary advice and care. Here are some of the information topics the site covers:
Cat Care at Home
Healthy & Wellness
Why Does My Cat….?
The Toy Box (offers the opportunity to share photos, take quizzes, and other fun stuff!)
Find a vet
10 Years of Cat Friendly Practice
“Over the last decade, the foundation of the AAFP’s Cat Friendly Practice® Program has been at the forefront of advancing feline healthcare,” said Heather O’Steen, AAFP CEO. “The Cat Friendly Practice® Program provides a simple, step-by-step guide on how to create a veterinary environment and experience that reduces stress and puts feline patients at ease so that veterinary professionals can provide the highest level of care and build long-lasting client relationships. We are thrilled to have reached this milestone and applaud our members who have made this commitment and earned a CFP designation.”
To learn more about the Cat Friendly Practice® Program, visit catvets.com/cfp.
Cat caregivers can locate a Cat Friendly Practice® or a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional by visiting catfriendly.com/find-a-vet.
Today, we have many more options to find solid information, and provide the best care possible for our kitty friends. Applause and purrs to the AAFP and the Cat Friend Practice initiative–and the new resource website for us all. Please share this great information far and wide!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
I have attended every Cat Writers Association event since the beginning that celebrates cat writing awards, and almost missed the 23rd Annual Conference and Awards Banquet this past weekend. Part of that was concern about my two aging pets. Magical-Dawg at age 10 and Seren-Kitty now 21 years old are not in ideal health, and I know my colleagues understand the pets must come first.
With some gentle purr-suasion, though, I was convinced to make an appearance. So I flew to Myrtle Beach on Friday for an overnight stay, to attend the awards banquet and some of the Saturday sessions before returning home. Boy, I’m glad that I did! With 240 entries and 42 awards presented, for writers like me, this is the a-CAT-amy awards.
One of the best parts of the annual event is reconnecting with colleagues and friends like PetWorldInsider folks (above), and networking with pet products companies. This year, I had little opportunity to visit the exhibit hall, but gave and received as many hugs and greetings as possible.
Shojai Mentor Award recognizes the CWA member who has helped someone else achieve writing/publishing goals.
Wins, Wins Everywhere!
Muse presented by Conference Co-Chair Sharon Melnyk
The Friday night banquet offers a chance to BLING UP. In addition to being nominated for several awards, I also sponsored and presented the SHOJAI MENTOR AWARD (above), this year given to longtime CWA member Paul Glassner.
Muse Medallion presented by CWA Contest Chair Arden Moore
MUSE MEDALLION WINS!
I was delighted to receive recognition for my Herald Democrat newspaper column, P’ETiQuette. These medallion categories are judged by three professional CWA members, and the highest of their composite score selects the winner. It always means so much to be recognized by peers.
My second Muse Medallion recognized a cat behavior blog contributions I write for PetSafe.com Paw Print Blog. This Bling, Bitches & Blood Blog also was nominated so actually, I got to compete with myself!
The prize didn’t fit in my suitcase so I’m still waiting for it to be shipped.
FEAR FREE PETS AWARD
I’ve talked about the Fear Free Pets initiative before and I believe so much in this program, I’ve become Fear Free Certified, too. The program inspired me to write one of my quick tips books MY CAT HATES MY VET: Foiling Fear Before, During & After Vet Visits–and that booklet last Friday night won the Fear Free Pets Award, mee-wow! The prize comes with a $2000 cash award, plus that whimsical mirror shown above (Peeping Toms, LOL!). I was excited to receive the award from Dr. Elizabeth Bales (left) and CWA President Marci Kladnik (left).
Dr. Ken Labrecht and “Bug” presents the AAFP Cat Friendly Award
AAFP CAT FRIENDLY AWARD
Not only did MY CAT HATES MY VET win the Fear Free Pets award, it also was recognized by the American Association of Feline Practitioners with the Cat Friendly Award of $500 and a certificate. The Cat Friendly Practice initiative seeks to make veterinary practices “feline friendly” to increase cat health visits.
To celebrate these honors, I’ve made the Ebook version FREE for the next few days (until Friday). So please tell everyone to get a copy of the free book here and get rid of the HISSES surrounding vet visits.
The Hartz Every Day Chewable Vitamin Award
Finally, an editorial about caring for aging cats received the Hartz Award of $500 and a gorgeous glass engraved trophy. Since I have a 21-year-old kitty, this is a topic very close to my heart. My friend and colleague, contest chair Arden Moore (below, left) presented the trophy that evening.Next year’s event will soon be announced. If you love cats, it’s a conference and cat writing contest you don’t want to miss!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Hyperthyroid cats is a fact of life for people lucky enough to have an old cat. Most of y’all who read this blog know that Seren-Kitty is a senior citizen girl, and as such she’s at risk for hyperthyroid disease. At her last checkup, we ran tests to check and–thank goodness!–she’s normal and doesn’t have that issue. That makes this Mother’s Day a happy one for this “cat mom.”
Old Cat & Hyperthyroid Concerns
That’s not the case with many older cats. There are a couple of causes of the condition, with about 95% of cases due to a benign tumor on the cat’s thyroid, which is highly treatable. I write about feline hyperthryoidism signs, diagnosis and treatment in my CAT FACTS and also my COMPLETE CARE FOR YOUR AGING CAT books. (Both are way-cheap in the Ebook versions *s*).
Learning about cat care issues is an ongoing passion at my house. Maybe you know a “cat mom” that needs some solid information to keep her cat-babies healthy and happy.
Signs of Feline Hyperthyroidism
AAFP’s Cat Friendly Practice has created a feline hyperthroid disease brochure that you can download with all the details. They’ve also shared this neato infographic, below, for quick reference.
Do you have an aging cat? Has your kitty shown telltale signs of problems? Seren-Kitty had thickened claws from arthritis, and needed regular claw trims. Or maybe your feline kid has been diagnosed and gone through treatment for feline hyperthyroidism. Please share your experiences in the comments–it could help other “cat moms” out there!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? NOTE:Some links to books or other products may be to affiliates, from which I may earn a small percentage of sales, but I recommend nothing unless I feel it would benefit readers. Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
provide accurate cat information and advice in a variety of ways. That info ONLY works when you also partner with a veterinarian. I’m proud that my book MY CAT HATES MY VET won the Fear Free Pets Award,and the AAFP Cat Friendly Award from the Cat Writers Association.
MUSE MEDALLION WINS!
Next year’s event will soon be announced. If you love cats, it’s a conference and cat writing contest you don’t want to miss!
