NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UK – A state-of-the-art $150k feline unit is set to become the cat’s whiskers when it opens soon in Newcastle.
The region’s biggest veterinary business, Westway Veterinary Group is creating a cat-only ward, which will have an operating theatre and prep room.
It is hoped the unit will prove to be a lifeline to some of the North East’s most poorly cats.
The unit will be based at the company’s veterinary hospital on West Road, and building work is now well underway, with a completion date of this April.
The new facilities will enable the practice to keep cats separate from dogs all while they are undergoing treatment, and to handle an increase in patients.
The cat-only wing of the hospital is being built five months after the opening of a new feline waiting room, set away from the dogs.
Westway director Nick Myerscough said: “We want to provide a better environment for cats and keep them away from barking dogs to minimise the stress of being in the vets.
“We try to ensure that all animals brought here are treated with care, compassion and understanding, and we are committed to constantly improving facilities and treatment of pets.”
The North Easts biggest veterinary business, Westway Veterinary Centres, is the cats whiskers after investing £100,000 in a state-of-the-art feline unit
“We will be the only practice in Newcastle with a separate cat ward and facilities to this standard.”
“The International Cat Care charity set standards of the best care and facilities for cats and we have been working hard at making our hospital more cat-friendly.”
Qualified veterinary nurse Amy Wilkinson added: “We are really looking forward to our new cat ward opening.
“We already have a cats-only waiting room and this new facility will ensure that cats brought to the hospital will be happier and less stressed.”
The new cat wing has been designed by a man named David Kershaw, who owns Whitley Bay firm DJK Architect Limited, and the building work is being carried out by Stocksfield-based Andy Duncan Building and Roofing Contractor.
Mr Kershaw himself said: “This is the latest in a series of alterations to Westway’s hospital that I have worked on as it has quadrupled in size in the last 12 years.
“It has been a very challenging project because it is a very tight site as the hospital has grown and grown over the years.”
