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Charity highlights brachycephaly in cats
Rucca's eye had become irreparebly damaged due to chronic ulceration.

Battersea takes in six ‘flat-faced’ cats at its London rescue centre

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is raising awareness of the health issues faced by brachycephalic or ‘flat-faced’ cats.

The charity says that cats, much like their canine counterparts, are needlessly suffering because they have been bred to look a certain way. The warning comes after Battersea took in six brachycephalic cats at its London Rescue centre, with all but the youngest two requiring medical treatment.

Head vet Shaun Opperman said: “At Battersea, we treat our animals for a wide variety of health issues, a number of which are specifically related to how these animals have been bred to look. In an apparent quest to make them look increasingly photogenic or fashionable, these cats can sadly spend their whole lives suffering with a range of health problems ranging from matted fur and eye infections to difficulty breathing and degenerative diseases.”

Four-year-old Persian CeeCee is currently awaiting at Battersea’s London cattery for surgery to help her breathe. When CeeCee first arrived, she was suffering from excessively watery eyes and matted fur.  

It did not take staff long to notice that whenever CeeCee moved, her breathing became laboured. Vets are now considering whether to operate on the CeeCee’s nose to widen her nostrils in a bid to make breathing easier for her.

The same vets recently performed surgery on a male four-year-old Persian named Rucca (pictured) to remove one of his eyes, which had become irreparably damaged due to chronic ulceration.

Shaun added: “If it weren’t for the unrelated circumstances that brought these cats to Battersea, they would have potentially continued suffering for the rest of their lives, possibly without their owners ever believing anything was wrong. With many of the pedigree cats that are brought to us, we can see that the owners clearly loved their pets, however, their lack of breed knowledge means that they have unknowingly neglected their care, such as not grooming often enough or failing to consult a vet at the right time.

“As with any type of cat, pedigrees can, of course, make wonderful pets for the right owners, however, we would urge anyone thinking of adding a cat to the family to first consider adopting from a rescue like Battersea."

Image (C) Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

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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."