Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Feline lonely this Valentine's Day?
Image Sheila
Battersea staff say Sheila may look tough on the outside, but she is sweet and sociable.

Cat lovers can find their purrfect match at Battersea

For those who are "feline lonely" this Valentine's Day, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is opening its doors to help singles and romantics alike find their purrfect cat companion.

As well as free canapés and a glass of bubbly, guests at the charity's free event will enjoy the chance to get up close and personal with the charity's residents in cat cuddle booths.

Battersea staff hopes visitors will find their purrfect feline match, offering a second chance for some of the thousands of cats the charity takes in each year.

Lindsay Quinlan, head of the cattery, says: "Battersea staff and volunteers hope visitors find a treasured tabby or marvellous moggy they can share a life with. Everyone is feeling the love and excited about Valentine’s Day at Battersea’s Cattery this year.

"We’re looking for homes for our beloved black cats as well – it’s so easy for people to overlook them. But don’t let superstition get the better of you, these cats need all the devotion they can get from their new owners. There are plenty of cats looking for love and we hope this is a Valentine’s Day for them to remember."

One such feline looking for love is eight-year-old Sheila, who was found wandering the streets and has had a hard time a Battersea.

Staff say she may look tough on the outside but she is a "tame tabby with a heart of gold" and is "sociable and sweet".

With Valentine's Day coming up, Battersea is appealing for animal lovers to donate red or pink knitted blankets for its residents to snuggle into during the cold winter months.

Battersea's Feline Lonely event takes place at Battersea's Cattery in London from 5.30pm to 9pm on February 14
.

Find out more about the blanket appeal here.

Images courtesy of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."