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Battersea collaborates with iCatCare to improve cat welfare
The plans will support long term, global cat population management.
The CFH programme aims to promote more strategic rehoming.

Battersea has collaborated with International Cat Care (iCatCare) to develop a new programme, which hopes to promote more proactive and strategic working with rehoming.

The Cat Friendly Homing (CFH) programme will work to assist the rescue sector with becoming more professional and sustainable.

The CFH programme’s principles state that each cat should be treated as an individual case, with only suitable pets being rehomed and no cat being worse off from human intervention. It aims to limit the time cats are spent in rescue centres or confinement, and neuter all cats at the earliest opportunity.

The plans will see veterinary training provided on key subjects such as neutering and shelter medicine. It will also see experts and organisations from different disciplines contributing to handle cat population management together.

It is hoped that that these plans will support long term, global cat population management.

The programme has been funded by a three-year grant from Battersea, as the rescue charity marks its 140th anniversary. It forms part of Battersea’s Global Programmes strategy, which sees it work with organisations across the UK and internationally.

Last year saw Battersea award 20 grants to rescue centres and organisations across six countries, helping nearly 350,000 dogs and cats.

Vicky Halls, head of unowned cats at iCatCare, said: “Now is the time for us to adapt, stop the never-ending cycle of reactivity and make a change for cat welfare.

“Cat Friendly Homing, an iCatCare initiative, represents a shift to a more proactive way of working that will not only tackle the problem at a population level, but also help more unowned pet cats to achieve the outcome that best suits their needs.”

Roxanne Nazir, head of grants and programmes at Battersea, said: “We are proud to support such an ambitious programme and as we mark our 140th anniversary of helping cats, there couldn’t be a better time to announce this collaboration.

“We cannot wait to see the impact this work begins to have on feline welfare and the rehoming sector over the next three years and beyond.”

Image © Battersea

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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."