Practice terms & conditions
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your cat to The Veterinary Cat Clinic. This leaflet details our Terms and Conditions. We would request that you ask for further explanation or clarification of any points if required.
Hours
The Clinic is open between 8.30am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 12noon on Saturday. Opening hours may be altered on bank or public holidays. Consultations are by appointment for your convenience. Routine surgery (e.g. dental procedure, neutering) is carried out in the mornings, Monday to Friday. Emergency procedures will take place as soon as possible regardless of the time of day. Details of our out-of-hours emergency service are available on ouranswering machines.
Fees
All fees, drug charges and diets are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials, consumables and diets used. Our written fee list is available on request and is displayed in our waiting rooms and website.
Out Of Hours
If your cat has a problem when the clinic is closed, emergency care is provided by Vets Now (www.vets-now.com), the UK’s leading provider of out of hours emergency veterinary care. Our Vets Now service is located at the PDSA PetAid Hospital, 2b Hutchison Crossway, Gorgie, Edinburgh, EH14 1RR, Telephone: 0131 444 0990. You should always call The Veterinary Cat Clinic in the first instance for current details of our emergency service. We have a very close working relationship with our emergency service in order to provide the same level of care and treatment for our patients.
The Vets Now staff receive ongoing training in critical care. Please remember the service is also available for advice even if a problem does not appear to be urgent. A dedicated out of hours emergency service is expensive to run – prices for the initial consultation will be advised by Vets Now before you attend and an estimate will be provided for any treatment required. Medical health insurance will usually cover the costs of a genuine emergency attending the out of hours service.
In Patient Care
If your cat needs to be admitted, he or she will be housed in our cat ward in an individual hospital cage with appropriate bedding, food, water and litter tray. If a patient requires overnight attention, a decision will be made as to whether the patient is best to receive this in our clinics, at home with one of our vets or with our emergency service. An in patient at the clinic will receive visits as necessary from our veterinary surgeons. The Vets Now emergency service is fully staffed overnight.
Medicines
In order for us to prescribe drugs classified as POM-Vs (Prescription-only medicine-veterinarian) we must have the cat under our care and carry out a clinical assessment. On occasions the appropriate medication may not exist in a licenced form. The use of any non-licensed preparation will require your written permission once we have discussed the situation. Further information about the rules surrounding the supply of veterinary medicines is available on request.
There is a fee for providing a private prescription.
Repeat prescriptions may be obtained for a maximum of 6 months. Re-examination of patients on long term medication is required at least every 6 months and more frequently depending on the patient’s condition or illness. A fee is chargeable for the re-examination, clinical assessment and review of medicines.
Medicine Returns
Any unused medicines and medicine containers which we have supplied can be returned to us for safe disposal at no extra charge. We regret we are unable to offer a refund on any unused medicines unless in sealed blister packs. A small charge will be made to arrange the safe disposal of any unused medication which has been supplied elsewhere.
Procedure for Second Opinions or Referrals
The Veterinary Cat Clinic provides acomprehensive first opinion clinic for the majority of feline medical and surgical conditions. On occasions, we may consider a referral to access specialist knowledge and/or equipment. A referral centre will only consider an approach from a veterinary surgeon. If a client wishes a referral they are welcome to ask us to arrange it. Please note: referral centre fees may be considerable.
Methods of Payment
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your cat or upon collection of drugs or diets. You may settle the account using:
CASH or CREDIT/DEBIT CARD – Switch Maestro, Solo, Visa, Mastercard, Delta
Estimate of Treatment Costs
We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course.
Settlement Terms
Should an account not be settled within 28 days then a reminder will be sent. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent out, an additional accounting fee will be incurred. This however, may be deducted if payment is made promptly. After due notice to you, the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance in court, phone calls, home visits, etc. Any cheque returned by our Bank as unpaid, and Credit Card payment not honoured and any Cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the principle sum.
Inability to Pay
If for any reason you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that instalments or part-payments of any account may ONLY be sanctioned with the express permission of our Practice Manager or Clinical Director.
Pet Health Insurance
The Veterinary Cat Clinic strongly supports the principle of insuring your cat against unexpected illness or accidents. Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your account and then reclaim the fees from your Insurance Company. You should always confirm with your insurance company that any proposed treatment will be covered. We will endeavour to complete claim forms within two weeks but as we must obviously prioritise the medical management of our cases over paperwork, thiscannot be guaranteed. If your claim needs to be submitted urgently, please alert a member of staff when you hand it in.
Use of Client Data
The information we hold on clients is used for the purposes of providing health care for their cats and for informing of any new products or services available from the clinic. We do not forward details to any third party. The clinic is registered in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Please ask for our Privacy Notice for full details.
Ownership of Records
Case records including radiographs and similar documents are the property of and will be retained by The Veterinary Cat Clinic. Copies with a summary of the case history will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon attending to the patient. Clients may request a copy of their cat’s case records.
Complaints & Standards
We hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from The Veterinary Cat Clinic. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments in the first instance to our Practice Manager.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice partners. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in anyway.
Information correct February 2026 but may be subject to change at short notice. Please contact the clinic for our current terms and conditions.
THE VETERINARY CAT CLINIC
38 Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh, EH9 2PP.
Phone: 0131 466 7110
E-mail: enquiries@catclinic.co.uk