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Feline charities launch preventative healthcare campaign
The CatCareforLife programme aims to help keep cats healthy and encourage trips to the vet.
CatCareforLife offers best practice guides for recommended health checks

A programme to help generate partnerships between vets and owners on preventative healthcare has been launched by the International Society of Feline Medicine and International Cat Care.

The CatCareforLife programme was launched at BSAVA Congress (5-8 April) to help keep cats healthy and encourage trips to the vet. Provided in partnership with IDEXX and Royal Canin, the programme will be promoted to both veterinary practices and owners.


‘Clearly with a substantially lower number of veterinary visits than dogs, cats represent a considerable opportunity to veterinary practice, as well as presenting a significant unmet health need,’ said an International Cat Care spokesperson. 'Experience with the Cat-Friendly Clinic programme has demonstrated that increased knowledge and understanding of cats pays real dividends in the clinic’.

The CatCareforLife programme encourages owners to understand cat life stages and offers best practice guides for recommended health checks. Set out in a clear and simple way, the information is based on independent studies and data developed by feline experts.

To promote the campaign, International Cat Care and ISFM have produced a practical guide to the CatCareforLife programme, which includes posters, charts and clinical sheets. This guide, together with owner resources and checklists for veterinary protocols, can be found at catcareforlife.org

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

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Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.