Qualifications

Qualifications

RCVS Veterinary Nursing Qualification (credit) – 1997
D32/33 Assessor Award (updated later to Clinical Coach) – 2001
City and Guilds Certificate in Small Animal Nutrition – 2008
RCVS Examiners Certificate – 2009
ISFM Feline Friendly Nursing Certificate (distinction) – 2010
ISFM Feline Nursing Diploma (distinction) – 2013
ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour (distinction) – 2018

I think there is a common misconception that every

I think there is a common misconception that everyone else you see on social media is living their 'best life' (I don't like that phrase) 😕
The reality is that every single person has their own set of challenges and nothing is perfect - why should it be anyway? What is perfect? (apart from Mr Monkey Business, he's purrfect!) ❤️🐱
About 8-9 years ago I almost gave up my career as a veterinary nurse, because it wore me down. I was physically and mentally struggling. 😢
A combination of chronic illness, burnout and sheer frustration made me want to hang up my nursing uniform for good - and I almost did.. except that I didn't. 🙂
It was a difficult time for me and never would have believed that my career would have taken the road it has. It has not been an easy journey and that road has been very tough at times! 😅
I still have challenging days and just like everyone else I frequently think 'I could never do that, I don't have the right skills, knowledge, confidence etc etc'
But.... If I look back at what I've overcome I realise that I can and I will 💪
Sometimes it's good to look back at what you have overcome in order to move forward 💪
You got this. Peace, love and cheese ✌️❤️🧀

I am so excited about giving this webinar for @isf

I am so excited about giving this webinar for @isfmcats on the 23rd July! 🤩🐱
Low-stress handling of feline patients (and any patients for that matter) is very important if you want compliance and improved patient care ❤🐱
This webinar is FREE for ISFM nursing members. Go to https://icatcare.org/education/ scroll down to this webinar and click on view to register 😻😻
If you have not registered for a webinar before do this once you have registered as a nurse member:
Click on resources, repository, nurse documents, and then up and coming webinars 👍🐱

Trying to work (unsuccessfully) with this scamp ha

Trying to work (unsuccessfully) with this scamp hanging around 😁❤️

Humans see eating as a social experience, a way of

Humans see eating as a social experience, a way of showing love and gratitude to each other, but it is very different for cats!
🐈This may come as a bit of a shock to some, but domestic cats prefer to eat alone. Why? Because they are programmed, as self-sufficient survivalists to hunt AND eat by themselves.
🐈This can be a bit confusing for cat owners, as many cats will eat together if that is the only way they can obtain food. In other words - their instinct to get food overrides their need to eat alone. This is especially true if the food being offered is super tasty!
🐈However, this can be problematic as they will see each other as competition for such a valuable resource (food), causing conflict
🐈This can also result in cats bolting their food, causing problems such as regurgitation, overeating, or some cats not eating enough.
🐈Cats like choice and even cats that are part of the same social group (i.e. show friendly behaviors towards each other) should be given the opportunity to eat on their own, away from other cats in the household.
🐈Just because two cats are eating next to each other it does not mean they are best buddies! Providing each cat with its own feeding station can help to prevent conflict in a multi-cat household.

Really looking forward to speaking at the @vetcpd_

Really looking forward to speaking at the @vetcpd_ Virtual Congress for Nurses on the 15th August this year! 🤩
There are lots of great speakers lined up, covering a range of diverse and interesting subjects including :
✳️Anaesthesia
✳️Canine behaviour
✳️ECGs
✳️ECC in rodents
✳️Feline idiopathic cystitis
✳️Wound management
✳️Blocked bladders in cats This event is worth 8 hours of CPD. You will be able to ask the speakers questions at the end of each lecture, which can be watched again on-demand after the event 💻
Go to vetcpd.co.uk/product/virtual-congress-aug-20/ for more details and to book 👍

This makes me happy ❤️❤️

This makes me happy ❤️❤️

Now you can start to introduce the cats properly.

Now you can start to introduce the cats properly.
🐱Keep the cats separated, but either side of a door. Allow them to sniff under and around the door. It's best to have an assistant for this process.
🐱Play with each cat either side of the door
🐱Offer each cat treats that they really enjoy either side of the door.
🐱Keep the cats separated, but open the door just a couple of centimeters so that they can just see each other. If the cats are playful, you could play with each cat either side of the door too
🐱You can also give each cat some treats with the door slightly open, but throw the treats a few feet away from the opening so that they don't compete for the treats (may cause conflict)
🐱Monitor each cat for any negative reactions. If you see or hear anything that indicates either cat isn't happy, such as ears back, fixated stare, growling, hissing, etc shut the door and go back to the previous stage
🐱Once each cat is accepting the presence of the other cat with the door ajar, you can gradually increase the gap in the door
🐱Do this a couple of times each day, monitoring each cat throughout and just for short periods of time (a few minutes)
🐱Eventually, the door can be left fully open for a few minutes, during which time you should keep calm and continue to play with the cats and offer them treats (away from each other)
🐱Have something ready to place between the two cats (such as a cushion or some cardboard) should you start to observe any negative reactions. If this happens, separate them again and leave it for that day before trying again the next day
🐱Eventually, you will be able to leave them unsupervised, but this process may take several weeks and should not be rushed
🐱Don't forget that cats are not good sharing, so each cat should have access to its own resources (food, water bowl, litter tray, resting areas)
Bibliography anf further reading:
Horwitz, D., & Pike, A. (2016). Introducing a new cat into a household. In I. Rodan & S. Heath, Feline behavioural health and welfare (p. 423). ELSEVIER

So once the new cat has settled into its new room

So once the new cat has settled into its new room you can start to think about introducing it to your resident cat.This needs to be done slowly, and sense by sense to try and help prevent any serious conflict.
Start with more scent swapping :
🐱 Providing each cat has accepted the scent of the other cat's bedding (as described in part 1) You could try swapping their bedding again once the cat has been in its room for a few days. Once both cats are used to the smell of each other's bedding and are not reacting negatively, you use some material, such as a clean cotton sock or a cloth to stroke around where the new cat it releases its facial pheromones.These are found so under the chin, on the cheeks and on the bald patch under the ears.
🐱 Take the material to the resident cat to investigate and observe its reaction. If you see any negative reactions such as hissing or growling this could indicate that the resident cat will not accept the new one, or that the introduction is going to take much longer than hoped
🐱Once the resident cat has accepted the scent of the new cat, take the material and gently stroke the resident cat the same way, mixing the scent of the two cats
🐱 This material can then be taken to the new cat to sniff and investigate - again, watch for any negative reactions
🐱Repeat this process several times a day
🐱Use the sock with the scent of both cats to rub and disperse their combined scent around the house, on furniture etc to make it more familiar for both cats
🐱Once each cats is relaxed and comfortable with the scent of the other cat you could try swapping rooms
🐱This involves allowing the new cat to explore the rest of the house and the resident cat exploring the new cat's room. This needs to be without any contact between the two cats
In part 3 we will be going through the actual introduction of the two cats!
Bibliography and further reading :
How to introduce a new cat to your resident cat. Blue Cross. (2020). Retrieved 24 June 2020, from https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/introducing-cats.
Introducing an Adult Cat to your Cat | International Cat Care. Icatcare.org. (2020). Retrieved 21 June 2020, from https://icatcare.org/advice