The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host a symposium to help mark the opening of the Feline Health Center, a facility designed to initiate innovative research and expert clinical care for cats.
The Feline Health Symposium, scheduled for April 29 and 30, is the first of many educational opportunities being planned for veterinarians and cat owners, according to the university. Details are at bit.ly/3NaF9cn.
The Feline Health Center’s co-directors are Alex Lynch, BVSc, DACVECC, MRCVS, an associate professor of internal medicine and emergency critical care, and Margaret Gruen, DVM, MVPH, Ph.D., DACVB, a behavioral medicine associate professor.
“The gist is, [the center] has two streams,” Dr. Lynch said. “One is veterinarian to veterinarian, meant to be an opportunity to share more cutting-edge, newer stuff that’s coming out, but then the other stream is really for owners. They are our big priority. The goal is to address topics on the real-life questions we get from cat owners.”
The United States is home to about 86.4 million pet cats. An estimated 45.3 million families own at least one cat, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
North Carolina State created the Feline Health Center partly to support cat research and medical care.
“We and our colleagues are excited by the idea of bringing all of the professionals doing incredible work in feline issues together in a structured way,” Dr. Gruen said. “Seeing all the interest and excitement can really move something forward when you reach this critical mass of people all interested in the same thing.”
“We are thinking critically about what cats need for the entire experience,” Dr. Gruen said. “What are cat needs for entering into the clinic and hospital? What are cat needs for hospitalization and exam rooms? We’re trying to take the cat-eye view of every piece because how we handle cats is how we show clients we are dedicated to excellent feline care.”