In practice, you are highly likely to treat cats housed in rescue centres and knowledge of shelter medicine and a pragmatic treatment and management approach will be invaluable when dealing with these cases. Hundreds of thousands of cats are helped by the various national and independent rescue establishments in the UK every year and the appropriate management and provision of veterinary care can improve the health of the national herd through optimal husbandry, treatment and rehoming strategies.
In a survey 94% of UK veterinary practices indicated they were involved in some form of rescue charity work. Veterinary care of cats in rescue centres is both challenging and rewarding, and requires consideration of many elements that can be very different to treating owned animals. During a placement at Cats Protection’s National Cat Centre, students may gain experience in the following areas:
Our clinical placements run from January to December and you can apply by submitting an application form at the beginning of the previous autumn term. From mid-September we make new application forms available to the EMS team at your university, or you can obtain one at that time by emailing us directly. Applications close at the end of October.
If you are interested in completing your clinical EMS placement with Cats Protection or would like further information or an application form, please do get in touch with us by emailing veterinary.clinic@cats.org.uk