Bath vets’ practice Ashman Jones Vets has opened a cat-only clinic with a dedicated waiting and consultancy room with the support of a five-figure loan from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
The funding has also enabled the award-winning practice to open an additional consulting room at its London Road base, which opened in 2010.
The loan from Lloyds Bank has also helped upgrade the staff room and allowed it to introduce the feline-friendly clinic, which will minimise the chances of cats being startled by other animals.
It is also is part of the practice’s work towards becoming an approved surgery of the Feline Advisory Bureau, a charity that works to help improve the health and wellbeing of cats.
Ashman Jones, which has a second site in Widcombe, specialises in small animals such as dogs, cats and rabbits and employs 12 staff.
In September it won a High Achievement award at the 2016 Vet Dynamic conference, which celebrates the achievement of the UK’s independent veterinary practices.
Ashman Jones Vets owner Murray Jones said: “It’s been a busy six years for us with the opening of our two surgeries, and it seemed like the right time to renovate our first site and trial a cat-only clinic, supporting new research from the Feline Advisory Bureau that cat-only clinics make the experience less stressful for cats.
“We’ve enjoyed a continued relationship with Lloyds Bank since we first opened, and the team fully understood what we were trying to achieve with our new venture and we’re looking forward to working with them again in the future.”
Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking relationship manager Sharon Hillier said: “The team at Ashman Jones Vets is renowned locally for providing the highest quality care for animals, and with the introduction of the new cat-friendly clinic, it can continue to make sure that the experience is as comfortable as possible for all of its patients.
“We’re committed to supporting small to medium-sized businesses like Ashman Jones Vets and, to underline this, we have increased our lending to SMEs by £1.2bn in the past 12 months.”
Pictured: Sharon Hillier of Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking with Murray Jones of Ashman Jones Vets.
