In this episode of the podcast Sandra, one of the vets at Cats Protection, has a chat with Daniel Cummings, Behaviour Manager at Cats Protection.

The topic of conversation is pain in cats, in particular in a behavioural context. Cats are very adept at hiding signs of pain and discomfort and often subtle changes in every day behaviours can be an indicator that a cat is experiencing pain.

Links to CP resources:

Behaviour section on CP website: https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/cat-behaviour

Kitten socialisation page: https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/pregnancy-and-kitten-care/kitten-socialisation

In this episode of the podcast Sandra, one of the vets at Cats Protection (CP), has a chat with Vanessa Howie, CP’s Head of Clinical Services. The topic of conversation is welfare and covers welfare in a broader sense, but also in a feline and specifically in a shelter context. At Cats Protection we put cat welfare at the heart of everything we do and as such have various tools and resources to help and guide us, starting with a Welfare Strategy and a Welfare Guide.

In this episode of the podcast Sandra, one of the vets at Cats Protection, has a chat with two of the Field Veterinary Officers, Lucinda and Jocelyn. After a brief introduction of both themselves and their roles, the discussion moves onto the role protocols play when working in a shelter environment. Lucinda and Jocelyn explain how they go about deciding which topics to cover, the process of protocol development, roll-out across the charity and the review process. The chronic kidney disease protocol is discussed in a bit more detail during the podcast to give an overview of the approach of chronic renal disease for cats in care.

Protocols developed to be used for cats in Cats Protection care can be found here: https://www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/vets-info.

In this episode of the podcast, Sandra Milburn, one of the vets at Cats Protection (CP), has a chat with Daniel Cummings, CP’s Behaviour Officer. Delving into more specific behavioural aspects of cat care, Daniel sheds some light on the all-important topic of kitten socialisation – what this process entails, who should know about it, who needs to get involved, potential pitfalls, how the process works and what it is trying to achieve. Daniel further introduces the Kitten Socialisation section of the CP website, which contains all the information required to successfully socialise kittens between the age of 2-8 weeks and giving them the best start for a life as a pet cat wherever possible.

Useful links mentioned in the podcast:

Kitten socialisation section of CP website: https://www.cats.org.uk/kitten-socialisation

This contains all the information needed, including soundbites, the kitten socialisation chart download and easy to follow ‘how to’ instructions.

In this episode of the podcast, Sandra Milburn, one of the vets at Cats Protection (CP), has a chat with Nicky Trevorrow, RVN and Behaviour Manager at CP. We chat about the route Nicky took to becoming a behaviourist and RVN, before touching on the behavioural approach taken for cats in CP’s care, bearing in mind that the behavioural aspect of any animals care is a central part of its overall welfare.

Useful links:

https://www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/cat-behaviour-hub Here you can find further information on cats’ needs, various behavioural issues, feline interactions and cat communication.

https://www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/cat-behaviour-hub/behaviour-guide : downloadable PDF version of Cats Protection’s The Behaviour Guide.

http://learnonline.cats.org.uk/content/ufo/index.html CP’s online course where you can learn more about the origins of feline behaviour.

In this episode, Sandra and Lucinda, two vets working in the Cats Protection Veterinary department, explore the topic of kitten neutering. With thousands of unwanted cats in the UK, one of Cats Protection's key aims is to champion the neutering message. Neutering (collective term for both spaying and castrating) is widely recognised as the only effective way to reduce the number of unwanted cats being born in the UK. Cats are effective breeders, so making sure they are neutered is particularly important. At Cats Protection we recommend that kittens are neutered at four months of age or younger to prevent unplanned and unwanted litters that so often end up in shelters across the UK.

Visit the Kitten Neutering Database (KiND): http://www.kind.cats.org.uk/

This contains information on:

- Cat Population Control Group (CPCG)

- Evidence and articles on the topic of kitten neutering, including the RSPCA cat crisis report

- Anaesthetic protocols and early neutering principles

- Link to the Kitten Quad app

- Kitten neutering video

- Databases

- Training pack for the veterinary team

This is the very first episode of Cats Protection’s Shelter Medicine podcast for vet and vet nurse students. Sandra Milburn and Lucinda Alderton-Sell, two vets working in the Veterinary Department at Cats Protection (CP) chat about CP, a cat-only charity that has been in existence for over 90 years. Cats Protection's main aims are the neutering (spay/castration)and rehoming of cats and the provision of education and information to the public. This work is carried out by 36 adoption centres and over 250 volunteer-run branches across the UK.

Useful links:

For Vets and Nurses section on CP website: www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/vets-info

Student hub: www.cats.org.uk/student-hub

Vet Guide: www.cats.org.uk/uploads/documents…ry_Guide_2015.pdf

Behaviour Guide: www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/cat-beha…b/behaviour-guide