Jaffa Vets Salisbury

I have written articles about local vets before and in this blog post I will be looking at one that specialises in care for cats, namely Jaffa vets which is also known as Jaffa’s Health Centre for Cats.

Jaffa Vets History

Jaffa vets first opened their doors to customers back in 2013. From the very start they have specialised in offering vet services for cats only. Family owned and independent, they seem to buck the industry trend where many vets are becoming parts of larger corporations, with either multiple branches or also owning other pet related businesses like vet labs and pet insurance companies.

The founders of Jaffa vets won’t thank me for saying that they are not younsters anymore but they still seem to have a passion for what they do. It will be interesting though to know what will happen to Jaffa vets when it comes for the founders to retire, hopefully they will have a dedicated team that wants to carry on their story.

Why Visit A Cat Only Vet?

It’s a tale as old as time but often cats and dogs don’t get on. In homes that own both they often coexist fine but that doesn’t most dogs wanting to chase cats they see in the street. Cat owners will know that visiting a vet can be a very stressful time, unlike dogs they rarely see a trip in the car as an adventure! Even trying to get your cat in a cat carrier to take them to the vet can seem like a challenge to some cat owners.

Some vets will often have seperate waiting rooms for dog owners and cat owners to try and reduce close interaction between them but a cat only vet like Jaffa vets goes much further into trying to make things less stressful for their patients, and by extension their owners. There are a number of ways that they claim to do things differently to most other vets and for those customers who agree with their stance on various issues, it might suggest that they are the vet most suited to you.

Some of the ways that Jaffa vets try and differentiate themselves include:

• Longer consultation times. An appointment at Jaffa Vets typically takes longer than at a traditional vet. The extra time is partly set aside to allow your cat to explore the premises and get used to their surroundings and the vet.
• When the sad time to say goodbye comes Jaffa vets also tries to do things differently. Rather than ending a cat’s life on a consulting table they use a room known as ‘The Snug’ which is much more homely. Alternatively they can visit your home for this purpose. They will use a sedative first so that there is no struggling or discomfort when it comes to giving the final injection.
• Neutering without skin stitches or use of collars. In rare cases they might suggest a collar is needed post surgery but they don’t do this as a matter of course.
• Policy on vaccinations. Jaffa vets vaccinate purely based on need. Some vaccinations offer protection for some conditions for multiple years so they may not suggest vaccinating every year.
• Cat nutrition. Jaffa vets are quite vocal against the highly processed foods that our pets and indeed us as humans often eat. Jaffa vets support raw feeding though they like to call it a ‘prey’ diet to highlight that it needs to include offal (such as the heart and liver) as well as protein from meat. It’s quite reassuring to see a vet who is so open to the idea of raw feeding, many aren’t. Indeed it’s always baffled me that some vets seem to be sponsored by or stock brands of kibble that often rate as ‘poor’ in studies.

They are able to offer a pretty wide range of services meaning you are less likely to need to be referred to another vet for some treatments. With full hospitalisation facilities they are able to do most things in-house including dentistry. They may need to refer for some CT and MRI scans but for most things they try and act as a one-stop shop for cat care.

Jaffa Vets Location, Opening Hours and Summary

Jaffa vets are located to the north of the town centre. Their address is:

Jaffa’s Health Centre For Cats
52 St Francis Road
Salisbury SP1 3QS

They list their opening hours as:

Monday – Friday 9am-6pm
Saturday – 9am-12pm
Sunday – Closed

If you want to contact Jaffa vets or read more about them please visit their website, link below.

Jaffa’s Health Centre For Cats

I also have personal experience of Jaffa vets with a couple of insulin dependent cats and I can’t recommend them enough. If you look at their reviews online you will find that most Salisbury cat owners feel the same. Indeed about a year ago they were not taking on new clients as they were full. I’m not sure what the current situation is but it might be worth calling them directly if you are looking for a Salisbury based vet for your cat.