International Cat Care 3.9

Advice: ICatCare offers information on virtually every aspect of cat care. the website www.icatcare.org has over 500 pages dedicated to cat health, care and behaviour. Information sheets are downloadable from our website and advice is available from our UK office, which can be contacted between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, on +44 (0)1747 871872.

Conferences: We organise study days and conferences for vets, vet nurses, breeders and cat-loving members of the public. Reduced rates are available for our members.

Funded posts and projects: ICatCare funds vets to specialise in feline medicine and, over the years, this has had a major influence on advances in veterinary treatment for cats. We currently fund lecturers and residents at several UK universities as well as funding specialist veterinary projects and the development of veterinary nurses with a specific interest in cats.

International cat welfare projects: It's not widely known that we are delivering hands-on work with cats in many countries around the world to support sustainable cat population management programmes. We run a residential training centre in Portugal offering free training to vets and workers from developing animal welfare countries; work on the ground in Sudan to develop feline knowledge and wider animal welfare alongside charities, universities and central government. Our project officer in Sudan is delivering real change in the community. We support and teach at the ITC vet training centre in India, and we have since 2012 worked with welfare groups in Greece, Spain, Tanzania, Ireland and many others

Boarding catteries: ICatCare offers training schemes for those planning to open their own boarding cattery and advises on all aspects of building and running a cattery. It also operates a listing scheme for establishments that meets its rigorous standards of hygiene, comfort and care.

International Society of Feline Medicine: ISFM (formerly ESFM) was established by the then FAB in 1996 as an organisation to provide a focus for vets throughout Europe with a special interest in feline medicine. ISFM produces a highly regarded monthly journal, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) and runs the largest feline medicine congress in Europe, as well as a number of other feline medicine study days.