'Meowzart' and 'Für Elise': The West Yorkshire vet practice playing classical music to soothe stressed cats
A veterinary practice in Ossett is hitting all the right notes with its feline patients by playing soothing classical music to keep them calm during their visits
A West Yorkshire veterinary practice has introduced a novel way to comfort frightened felines awaiting treatment - by playing them classical music.
Inpatients at Palmer & Duncan Vets in Ossett are now purring along to the sounds of carefully selected classical compositions while waiting for check-ups or surgery in the clinic’s brand-new cattery.
While Beethoven’s Für Elise is a regular fixture on the clinic's playlist, staff joke that Bach has definitely been ‘scratched.’
The musical intervention has helped the practice achieve the prestigious Gold Standard status as a "cat-friendly clinic" from the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM).
The soothing soundtrack is part of a wider, meticulous redesign of the cattery, located at the practice's surgery on Wakefield Road.
To keep stress levels to an absolute minimum, the new feline ward features dim lighting, pheromone plug-in diffusers, and has been built well away from the sound of barking dogs in the main clinic.
The team has also introduced a dedicated, cat-only consulting room to eliminate dog scents, a variety of litter options, and a selection of different food and water bowls to suit fussy eaters.
Veterinary nurse Jo Wood, who holds an ISFM Certificate in Feline Nursing, explained that reducing stress in cats is key to providing first-class clinical care.
"Cats all have their own unique personalities, and they each respond differently to visiting the vets," Jo said. "Some are naturally confident, while others can find unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells quite overwhelming.
"By creating a calmer environment, we're not only improving their experience, we're also helping to reassure their owners that their pet is in the best possible hands.”
Jo continued: “A less stressed cat is much easier to examine. When they're calmer, we're able to carry out a more thorough assessment, which helps us make more accurate diagnoses and decide on the most appropriate treatment."
The Ossett practice is part of VetPartners, a York-based veterinary group operating clinics across the UK and Europe.