Heronden Vets: Proudly Silver Accredited and Working Towards Gold
There is something rather special about cats.
Independent, dignified, quietly observant and often wonderfully mysterious, they have a way of choosing us, rather than the other way around. They slip into our lives on their own terms and before long, somehow become the centre of our routines, our homes and our hearts.
Yet even the calmest and most confident cat can find a visit to the vet unsettling. A journey in the carrier, unfamiliar smells, new surroundings and the feeling of not quite knowing what is happening can leave even the most composed feline feeling out of sorts. For many owners, this brings its own worry. You know your cat better than anyone and you notice the subtle things: when they hide afterwards, seem quieter than usual, or give you that look suggesting they have not entirely forgiven the experience.
At Heronden Independent Vets, we understand this because we know cats are wonderfully unique. They experience the world differently and they deserve veterinary care designed with that in mind.
That is why we are proud to be an ISFM Silver Cat Friendly Clinic, and why we are now working towards Gold accreditation.
You may understandably wonder what that actually means.
Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation is awarded by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and recognises practices that meet specific standards designed entirely around feline wellbeing. It is not just about treating illness, but about improving the whole experience for cats and their owners, helping appointments feel calmer, more considered and better suited to feline needs. For Silver accreditation, practices must meet recognised standards for feline handling, hospital care, staff training, pain management and the clinical environment.
For us at Heronden, this means carefully considering every stage of your cat’s visit.
It means creating a quieter and more comfortable experience wherever possible, understanding feline behaviour and recognising that what may seem like nervousness can often be stress or fear. It means taking time to handle cats thoughtfully, recognising that each one has their own personality, preferences and tolerance for new experiences.
Our Silver accreditation also reflects the standards behind the scenes. Cats needing care in hospital are provided with feline-appropriate bedding, litter facilities, spaces to feel secure and a team trained to recognise signs of feline stress and discomfort. Pain assessment and appropriate pain relief form an important part of care, whether a cat is recovering from treatment, surgery or simply feeling unwell.
Working towards Gold accreditation is the next step in strengthening that commitment. Gold standards include even more cat-focused consultation and hospitalisation requirements, including longer consultation times, enhanced feline facilities and further refinements designed to support comfort and wellbeing throughout treatment. Though we are already practicing it, we would like to get certification for it.
We are pursuing this because we genuinely care about the experience cats have while they are with us. We know that for many owners, bringing a cat to the vet can feel emotional, particularly when they are poorly, older, anxious, or simply not themselves. You want to feel confident that the people caring for them understand not only medicine, but cats themselves.
That really matters to us. We also have cats at home, we know!
We want Heronden to feel like a place where cats are treated with patience, understanding and respect for who they are, whether they are confident explorers, quiet observers or masters of disappearing into the back of the carrier at the first hint of travel.
Silver accreditation is something we are incredibly proud of. Working towards Gold is simply part of our promise to keep improving the care we offer to the cats entrusted to us.
Because when it comes to cats, the smallest details often matter the most.