Abstract
iCatCare
Charities unite to highlight brachycephalic health issues
iCatCare has joined with two UK charities, the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) and the RSPCA, to raise awareness that breeding cats and rabbits with exaggerated flat faces can cause health and welfare problems, just as in dogs.
iCatCare believes that cats should never be bred for any feature or characteristic that impairs their welfare. The problems that exist for some cat breeds, including those with flat faces, are highlighted at:
ISFM heads to Phuket
ISFM is holding its 2017 Asia-Pacific Feline Congress on the Thai island of Phuket. Taking place from 7–9 November, the theme is ‘new developments in feline medicine’, with keynote speakers Carolyn O’Brien and Jessica Quimby covering infectious diseases, antibiotic therapy and stress reduction, and chronic kidney disease and urinary tract infections, respectively.
The programme also includes free time for delegates to enjoy the stunning location.
Andy Sparkes, ISFM’s Veterinary Director, comments: ‘We are so excited to be holding a three-day congress in Phuket. The resort is simply outstanding and the scientific programme is extremely varied and has some very appealing topics. If you want to update your feline knowledge, there really is no better place to do it than this.’
CFC owner leaflets in additional languages
As part of the Cat Friendly Clinic (CFC) programme, ISFM has produced a series of leaflets for cat owners, providing background information on the programme and practical help with common problems or difficulties associated with veterinary visits.
The leaflets are now available in eight languages: English, Chinese, Danish, utch, Korean, Japanese, Slovenian and Spanish. To view and download the leaflets, visit:
Nursing membership reaches 10,000!
ISFM’s free veterinary nurse/technician membership continues to grow, with now over 10,000 members in 73 countries. Members enjoy access to a monthly e-journal, Feline Focus, as well as monthly webinars. To join, visit
Award
Pei Su is the winner of the 2017 International Cat Care Cat Welfare Award, presented during the Ceva Welfare Awards in Birmingham, UK, in April. Pei founded ACTAsia in 2006, a non-profit organisation with staff and volunteers working from offices in China and other parts of the world. The small charity is already laying the foundations for better welfare in Asia with its ‘Caring for Life’ and ‘Cure with Care’ programmes, which educate children and help to raise standards in veterinary care, respectively
ISFM
Cats deserve pain relief too
A UK study published in the Veterinary Record in 2015, which revealed that perioperative analgesia following neutering was only given to 33% of cats compared with 75% of dogs, has prompted the ISFM’s latest campaign ‘Cats deserve pain relief too’.
ISFM encourages the routine assessment and treatment of pain in cats; however, recognition of pain is not always straightforward and the perception that cats experience less pain than dogs with neutering may largely reflect different behavioural responses between the two species rather than genuine differences in the experiences of pain. This campaign highlights the reasons many cats are not receiving postoperative analgesia, and aims to encourage clinics to review their policies on prescribing analgesics for routine neutering procedures.
Webinar
A free webinar ‘Neutering in practice: are your anaesthesia, analgesia and surgical protocols up to scratch?’ accompanies the campaign and has so far seen over 5000 registrants.
Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of International Cat Care, the parent charity of ISFM, comments: ‘It is perhaps suprising, but very gratifying, that a webinar on neutering attracted our highest ever number of registrants. Veterinary professionals are keen to ensure that their neutering protocols are up to date, and that the postoperative needs of cats are being met. We hope that the success of this webinar will improve that shocking statistic of only 33% of cats receiving any kind of post-neutering.’
AAFP
AAFP and Winn announce 2017 joint scholarship winners
The Winn Feline Foundation (Winn) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are proud to announce the two recipients of the 2017 joint scholarships for clinical practice and clinical research scientist. Kaarin Muller, a senior at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was selected as the winner of the clinical practice scholarship and Liberty Sieberg, a junior at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, was selected for the clinical research scientist scholarship. Both recipients of the $2,500 scholarships were selected based on individual academic achievement, admirable leadership, and profound dedication to the study of feline medicine, health and welfare.
Based on the enthusiastic response to the 2016 scholarship process, the Boards of Directors of both the AAFP and Winn approved the expansion of the scholarship to include two recipients, in the categories of clinical practice and clinical research scientist. Students were asked to complete two essay questions explaining their specific interest and background in feline health and welfare, and their plans for future participation in feline medicine.
Kaarin Muller, recipient of the 2017 clinical practice scholarship
Liberty Sieberg, recipient of the 2017 clinical research scientist scholarship
CFP program has two new endorsers
The AAFP welcomes the endorsement of the Cat Friendly Practice (CFP) program by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and the CATalyst Council – both of which join the Winn Feline Foundation in supporting the program in North and South America. The Cat Friendly Practice/Clinic program is a global initiative designed to elevate care for cats by reducing the stress for the cat, its caregiver and also the entire veterinary team. The AAFP is sincerely appreciative of the support of these organizations in advancing the cat-friendly movement.
New client brochures
The AAFP’s new client brochures on feline arthritis and feline pain management appear on pages 771–774 of this issue of JFMS. They are also available to download from the AAFP website at:
