Do you ever find yourself meowing to your cat? We can all find a common language communicating with our feline friends and understanding ‘cat speak’ but there are many more languages spoken in the homes of cat-lovers.
Cat Protection values Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse community, so they have created a number of resources for speakers of languages other than English. Their website has factsheets on feline health and care written in English and Arabic; Bengali; Simplified Chinese; Greek; Hindi; Korean; Punjabi; Spanish; Tagalog; Tamil; Turkish; and Vietnamese.
On their website you can also find a series of videos in Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese and English featuring friendly advice from cats and kittens. Developed with SBS in Language these short videos aim to raise awareness about responsible pet ownership by giving cats and kittens the leading roles. With a light-hearted touch the videos deliver community-minded messages about animal welfare with a warm and furry feel. As the feline stars discuss the benefits of desexing and living indoors, these videos give us a chance to imagine how cats might perceive a visit to the vet.
As a pet owner, one of the most important relationships you have is with your vet. Over the course of your pet’s lifetime, you will visit the vet countless times; from yearly health checks when cats are younger to more frequent visits as your precious pets age – building a trusting relationship with your vet is vital to providing the best care for your pets.
With this in mind, Cat Protection recognised the importance of being able to access veterinary care and advice in languages other than English and created a directory of veterinary clinics where a staff member can assist customers in community languages. Offering over twenty different languages, from Polish to Urdu and many, many more, pet owners now have the opportunity to find a vet offering their chosen language so they can book in a consultation and discuss their pet’s health and treatment options in their preferred language.
For more information on cat care and health in community languages visit www.catprotection.org.au or phone Cat Protection Society of NSW on 02 9519 7201.
