Jaffa's Health Centre for Cats

03/02/2026

After closing our books in Covid we are now taking on new clients! New to the area? Come and see us.
New kitten - find out the Jaffa's difference.
Ongoing problems and feeling you are getting no-where with your current vets? We love sorting out challenging cases and finding solutions that work both medically and for you as a cat owner.
Scared cat? we offer a totally different atmosphere for your cat -you may be amazed how your cat behaves differently in our care. (not guaranteed though as sometimes previous adverse experiences take some over-coming!!)

31/01/2026

diabetes in cats

we were one of the first to use and publicise the use of stick-on glucose monitors in cats. They have proved very successful and there is now a version dedicated to and standardised for dogs and cats.
https://www.woodleyequipment.com/product/925/uk-veterinary

another advance is a water fountain that measures the drinking quantities and pattern for multiple cats in a household using their microchip. So in a controlled diabetic you will almost instantly pick up any increase in thirst, suggesting that the insulin dose may need amending. Much less stressful for the cat than even the glucose monitor. Not cheap, with the extra electrinc bit but what a useful device for any diabetic owner.

https://www.surepetcare.com/en-gb/felaqua-connect?srsltid=AfmBOorKY7-aqKDfYtdm8qedGo4aeqjZQrJecOfyKUovokYXokvbhKVx

The smart way to monitor your cat's drinking

23/01/2026

Megan Buckle is a vet nursing student at Harper Adams University currently undertaking her final year dissertation. She is investigating client understanding of the clinical signs and management of arthritis in cats and is researching this via a questionnaire. If anyone wants to help her here is the link.

Many thanks from her in anticipation

22/01/2026

Cat Carriers are a nightmare - there isn't a perfect one out there as far as we are concerned. Our past favourite was the Curver basket, allowing reasonable access from front and top with a very sturdy construction. Our pet hate of all time is the traditional domed wicker basket with a front door - virtually impossible to extract a resistant cat from one of these.

We are now stocking the EZ Loader basket - with a sliding tray that gives us perfect access to any cat that hates being extracted from its basket. It does require a little knack but its a fantastic concept that should make life easier both for you loading the cat, and for us accessing it with the minimum of stress.

19/08/2025

07/05/2025

Jaffa's is currently increasing people-power to try and have 2 vets 5 days a week, and are interested in recruiting an experienced qualified vet nurse in locum or permanent position, full-time or part-time, along with a part-time locum or permanent veterinary surgeon (with interest in dentistry)

We are independant. We dont work to profit or turnover targets, we dont 'sell' foods (but we supply raw at a small profit), we minimise vaccinations, and we target anti-parasite treatments to need not to a monthly profit-generating schedule. In short we work to the new buzz-word - 'contextual' standards - and incidentally have done so for decades.

We value our staff for their skills, their compassion and friendliness. We have long consulting times allowing proper unhurried workups. Our premises are light, in a lovely estate setting on a hillside, properly equipped with everything we need. We charge fairly and properly for our work and pay our staff properly to boot!

If this is the sort of practice you would like to work in then contact Pete or Jill [email protected]

06/01/2025

Job vacancy

Millie will soon be joining her boyfriend in America so we now have a vacancy to fill. This creates an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and passionate person to join the Jaffa team.

You'll be working alongside vets, vet nurses, and our reception team, carrying out a wide range of tasks. We're looking for a team player who is willing to get stuck in, work hard, and is keen to learn. We'll provide training and support to get you going, and you'll quickly become an integral member of the team.

Your tasks will include assisting vets in consultations, speaking to clients on the phone and in person, managing stock, assisting with in-patients and keeping the clinic clean and tidy. Good verbal communication skills and basic computer literacy are essential.
Our practice is bright, spacious & part air-conditioned and offers a lovely working environment.

This role requires a minimum of 30 hours per week which may include some Saturday mornings. We understand the importance of a good work/life balance and so we are happy to discuss working arrangements. However all days will involve either the start or end of the working day (we work 8.30 am till 6 pm).
Previous experience would be desirable but not essential.

The attributes required
• You are the friendly and welcoming face for the client and their cats when they arrive at the practice.
• You are able to take instruction and follow guidelines.
• You are calm, attentive and always focus on the clients’ needs.
• You will bring enthusiasm and drive to your role. Your passion for service is matched with your love of pets.
• You can deal with everything that is thrown at you, from comforting a client who has had some bad news about their cat or sharing in the joy of a new kitten’s first visit to the vet.
• Your personality is infectious and along with your fellow colleagues, you create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere in the practice.
In short, you like to be busy, enjoy helping people and their cats and always endeavour to make a difference.

If you share our passion for delivering outstanding client and patient care and exceptional customer service and would like to join our team, then we would love to hear from you.

Benefits include a generous salary, according to experience, 20 days annual holidays plus bank holidays, pension contributions, and staff discounts.

Applications should be in writing please, addressed to Jill Coleshaw, Jaffavets, 52 St Francis Rd, Salisbury SP1 3QS

28/11/2024

here's a TV program to watch! essential viewing

Chris van Tulleken takes a personal view at why ultra-processed foods are so irresistible and how they have come to dominate food culture.

19/04/2024

It's getting warmer - at least for a day or two. Soon it will be tick season - here's a pic I took the other day - look at the saw-edged mouthpiece - which is why simply pulling wont detach them easily.

19/04/2024

The'corporate' practices have hit the news recently - and the independant vets are fighting back. Here are some very pertinent observations from some of my contempories - I am not one of the authors here!

Why use an independent vet?

27/12/2023

Lost West Grimsteas Xmas day, She is a 3 year old Bengal x Russian Blue, with about 1/3 of her tail missing. She is neutered and chipped and is nervous of strangers.
Please share

10/11/2023

my scribing but very pertinent

PLEASE SHARE THIS CRITICAL SAFETY INFORMATION WITH YOUR VET
Yesterday we learned that a random test of 35 different dry foods sold in the EU were ALL contaminated with pathogenic bacteria that can lay you on your backnot . Every single one of them.
Last month we learned a random sample of healthy, dry-fed dogs house more species of E.coli (and in greater numbers) in their guts and around their a**s than raw-fed dogs. Imagine if this had been the other way around?!
(All studies are below in the comments).
Then I'm reminded of a recent analysis of the last three years (2019-2022) of pet food recalls for hazardous microbiology in the US, conducted by the awesome Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food.
She found that 7,793,497lbs (3.5mil kilos, 3535 tonnes) of pet food had been recalled due to pathogenic bacteria contamination (excluding a large recall by the dry food company Sunshine Mills recall for which there was no data).
Dry pet food was responsible for 7,647,643 lbs – 98% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Cooked pet food was responsible for 122,526 lbs – 1.5% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Raw pet food was responsible for just 23,328 lbs – 0.3% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Note that, during all that time, dry pet food accounted for just 59% of total pet food sales.
And the net result of all this contamination? Humans are being harmed. 2006 - 2016, 132 people were poisoned by pet food in the US. Four different studies reveal every single one of them was due to dry food. Of the 132, half of them were toddlers under two years of age. Imagine again, if this was real food doing the damage?! They'd be apoplectic.
The safety of our pets apparently aside (not only do a multitude of studies indicate clear health benefits of feeding real food to pets with ZERO studies suggesting dry food is more beneficial for anything at all, but dry pet food has killed tens of thousands of cats and dogs over a multitude of instances in the last two decades. Complete raw? Less than 10. Is this not important information for the vet sector sworn to protect ANIMALS...not humans, we have a health sector for that?), it appears, for reasons best known to themselves, the veterinary industry is stubbornly pointing the fear-finger at the wrong product and people ARE getting harmed.
Enough now.
Do not let them perpetuate this myth anymore. Call it out with this information every single time you see it and it will become so embarrassing for them to lead with it that it will go away in favour of the next fear-du-jour.