About prescriptions.

The Cat Pharmacy can dispense your cat's medicines using a prescription issued by your veterinary surgeon. 

As a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the welfare of cats we are able to offer you the lowest feasible prices on medications (without giving it away for free or making a loss), especially those which usually are considered to be expensive.

If your cat has been prescribed any medication please contact me here, and I will happily give you a quote and talk you through the dispensing process. If you are happy with the quote I will email you confirming the details and asking for you to send the prescription.

To order any medications, you will need to post your prescription to the address below, along with a contact phone number so I can give you a call to confirm the order and take payment:

The Cat Pharmacy

Cygnus House, 9 Plough Close

Shillingford

Wallingford

Oxfordshire

OX10 7EX

All prescriptions are dispensed from the pharmacy, which is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons registered veterinary premises, number 7717289, by myself, a fully registered veterinary surgeon (RCVS number 0310023) since 1981. 

If you have any questions regarding your medication please speak to your own veterinary surgeon. For questions regarding ordering the medicine then contact me, Stephen Cooke.

Veterinary Prescription FAQs 

Specials or extemporaneous medicines + human medicines

As well as veterinary medications your vet may choose a human or a Special medicine (extemporaneous medicine) – this is called 'prescribing under the cascade' and is very common where a medication is proven to be safe and effective for use in pets, but a licensed veterinary equivalent doesn't exist. 

All the "Specials" we supply on prescription are sourced directly from the manufacturer, BOVA UK or Summit, and are guaranteed not to originate from unlicensed, shady internet or unregulated sources. This ensures that UK Government regulatory processes have been adhered to in the production of the medicines we supply and that you can be certain of their content, provenance, safety and efficacy (otherwise your vet would not prescribe them).

What is a veterinary prescription?

A veterinary prescription is the same as a medical prescription you might be given by a doctor, except it is for your cat. In order to be valid, it must have the following details:

  • Name and address of prescribing veterinary surgeon.
  • Their professional qualifications.
  • The date the prescription was completed.
  • Details of the animal to be treated.
  • Name and address of the owner.
  • Details of the medication prescribed, including drug, presentation, dose and quantity.
  • How many times the prescription may be repeated (if any)
  • The Phrase "For animal use only, for an animal under my care" or similar.
  • Signature of the prescriber (in ink).

Attempting to purchase veterinary medicines using a prescription that has not been issued by a veterinary surgeon and/or tampering with a prescription issued by a veterinary surgeon, is an offence and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Can I email a copy of the prescription to you?

No, we must receive the original prescription signed by your vet. You can email a copy so we can verify the details and get the medication ready, but we must receive the original in the post before we can send the medication to you.

How do I get a prescription for my pet's medication?

Ask your vet. They will provide you with a written prescription. 

Repeat Prescriptions

If your vet writes you a prescription that is repeatable it will be kept on our files, and you can order against the prescription as and when required up to the maximum number of repeats stated (or until 6 months have passed from the date of issue). Please note prescriptions for Controlled Drugs (such as Gabapentin, Phenobarbital and Tramadol) are not repeatable and are only valid for 28 days from the date of issue. 

Can my vet refuse to issue a prescription?

No, they cannot refuse to issue a written prescription for medication that they have established your pet requires. They may however charge a fee for writing the prescription, a cost which is now being capped, due to the CMA investigation, at £21.00 for the first medication and £12.50 for other medications included on the same prescription. 

It is a legal requirement that the animal detailed on the prescription must be registered with the practice and be under their care (the latter is usually satisfied by your cat being examined by a vet at the practice every 6 months or so - the interval varies).

Please note that by UK law, we are not allowed to advertise many of the drugs that are commonly used by veterinary surgeons to treat cats under their care.

These drugs are known as prescription only medicines, comprised of those licensed for veterinary use (POM-V and POM-VPS), drugs used for human use and the specials or "extemporaneous medicines". 

These are all supplied through a pharmacy (most commonly within the veterinary premises you attend) on the instructions from your veterinary surgeon - either by them giving you the medicines directly, or via a prescription so that a pharmacist can dispense them.

You are probably aware of the 'sort' of medicine that your cat is receiving, even if you do not know all the names that it is sold under. Common types include "blood pressure drugs", "blood thinners", "antibiotics", "antivirus drugs", "steroids" and so on, so feel free to contact us and we will be able to help.

You can contact me by email here or by phone 07565 737400 and I will be able to discuss the actual medicine you require, and give you a quote to supply it.