Abstract
This year marks an exciting new beginning for the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. The American Association of Feline Practitioners and the European Society of Feline Medicine share common aims and goals. We are absolutely delighted, therefore, that this year marks a new start for the Journal with the title now being jointly owned by the ESFM and the AAFP — meaning that all members of both societies will automatically receive the journal. This has come about through discussions that have taken place behind the scenes for some time, and our hope is to provide a journal that serves the needs of all our members, together with the wider community of veterinarians with a specific interest in feline medicine and surgery. This is the start of a true partnership between the two societies, with both groups having joint ownership and control of the journal. This means that there will be some changes to the journal to give it a broader appeal and to serve all our readers better. I am thrilled to be able to welcome Dr Margie Scherk as the new co-editor for the journal, representing the AAFP and North America, and she has already been helped enormously by Dr Dick Brown who is the North American editorial assistant. Together, Margie and Dick have established a North American editorial office for the journal, which is now running in parallel with the European office. Together, we have also revised our instructions for authors to give the journal greater international appeal and, we hope, to allow easier assimilation of information from the papers that are published. These new guidelines are contained in this issue of the journal and I would draw your attention to them. Over the past three years a hard-working and very dedicated editorial board has ably assisted us, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to each and every one of those individuals. Again, to reflect the new balance of the Journal, you will see over the next few months some significant changes to the editorial board, and this will incorporate many more veterinarians from North America. We also aim in the near future to increase production to six issues per year and thus to maintain our ability and record for publishing accepted papers in a rapid and timely manner.
We hope and believe that all of the changes being made to the Journal will be for the benefit of our readers. The JFMS, particularly with these new changes, has become established as a truly international journal serving all those with an interest in feline medicine and surgery. Our aims for the journal have not changed — it is a forum for dissemination of information that impacts the way we undertake clinical practice, and ultimately, therefore, should benefit the health and welfare of our feline patients, and the bond between our patients and our clients. Increasingly, the success of this Journal means that it becomes an indispensable resource for feline practitioners, drawing together information from around the world. We all have so much to learn from each other, and it is a real honour for me to be able to work alongside Dr Margie Scherk and the AAFP in the future development of this Journal.
In August, 2001, the first joint meeting of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the European Society of Feline Medicine (ESFM) took place at the World Small Animal Veterinary Congress in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. This meeting was extremely well attended and proved to be a great success. It was the first expression of the desire for the AAFP and ESFM to work closer together, and it is my hope that this inaugural educational and social event will provide a springboard to build a future of working (and playing) together for the two societies. As two organizations dedicated to promoting the understanding and advancement of feline medicine and surgery, we have much to share.
I continue to be amazed at how different the perspectives of veterinarians from different countries are in the understanding of feline medical conditions and approaches to therapy. Yet we are all dealing with the same species! This joining of forces will allow us to share and benefit from the research findings and experiences of our colleagues from whom we have, up until now, been separated.
While I was pursuing my own mission of globalizing feline medicine, Andy Sparkes had also been looking toward North America to enhance the scope of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery by discussing with the AAFP the chance of making this a joint venture. The new joint ownership of the Journal is further evidence therefore, both of the desire for closer links between the AAFP and ESFM, and also of the benefit we can all gain by sharing our knowledge with each other. It is with great pleasure that I join Dr Andy Sparkes as co-editor for the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery! Our common hope is that by sharing our veterinary questions and knowledge, and by broadening our awareness of feline research, we will benefit our patients and contribute to our clients.
Cheers!