Abstract
Awards
This year we are delighted to announce winners of two journal awards: the 2017 JFMS Resident Best Paper Award and, on page 264, the inaugural JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award
2017 JFMS Resident Best Paper Award
Katherine (Kat) Pankratz, of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, USA, has won the 2017 JFMS Resident Best Paper Award. This annual award recognises quality and excellence for early career authors in veterinary science.
Kat’s paper was selected from 33 eligible for the award. In addition, two papers have been awarded ‘highly commended’ status:
‘Evaluation of incubation time for Microsporum canis dermatophyte cultures’ by Rebecca Stuntebeck et al, published OnlineFirst on 18 September 2017
‘Previously undescribed vitamin D C-3 epimer occurs in substantial amounts in the blood of cats’ by Megan Sprinkle et al, published in the February 2018 issue
The criteria used for evaluating the studies are benefit to cats, direct usefulness to practitioners, quality of science, originality and standard of writing. Kat’s study ‘Use of single-dose oral gabapentin to attenuate fear responses in cage-trap confined community cats: a double-blind, placebo-controlled field trial’, published OnlineFirst on 18 July 2017, was ranked highest overall.
The panel of judges commented that it was an ‘exceptionally well designed and presented study, and an outstanding contribution to feline medicine’.
Kat was thrilled with her award, commenting ‘This is an immense honor – thank you for the opportunity to publish my research in JFMS and further enhance feline behavior and welfare. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your consideration and the judges’ thoughtful comments.’
2017 JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award
The inaugural JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award has been won by Nicola Council, a veterinary practitioner at Hillside Animal Hospital, Arizona, USA. This award, which will be run annually, recognises quality and excellence for veterinary practitioners who submit papers to JFMS’s online, open access sister title, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports.
Nicola’s paper was selected from six eligible for the award. Two further papers were awarded ‘highly commended’ status:
‘Dynamic chronic rectal obstruction causing a severe colonic dilatation in a cat’ by Sofia Caría-Pertierra et al, published in August 2017
‘Tuberculosis joint infections in four domestic cats’ by Stephanie Lalor et al, published in July 2017
The criteria used for evaluating the papers are benefit to cats, direct usefulness to practitioners, originality and standard of writing. Nicola’s case report ‘Bilateral patellar fractures and increased cortical bone thickness associated with long-term oral alendronate treatment in a cat’, published in August 2017, was ranked highest overall.
The panel of judges commented that this paper was a ‘very interesting report of an unusual fracture that is highly relevant to practitioners’, and that ‘it will help to inform safe use of bisphosphonates in cats’.
Expressing her pleasure, Nicola responded ‘Thank you so much for this very unexpected honor – I am delighted! I so appreciate the opportunity to have this case published and share the information that we have learned about bisphosphonate use in cats with other veterinarians and scientists around the world.’
Interviews with the award winners, discussing how they hope their paper might influence future research and their advice for others embarking on publishing research or a case report, can be found at bit.ly/AwardBlog2017
iCatCare/ISFM
Diamond anniversary celebrations
This year marks the 60th anniversary of ISFM’s parent charity International Cat Care, which was founded in 1958 as the Feline Advisory Bureau. In celebration of this anniversary, iCatCare is carrying out a number of projects in 2018, all aimed at helping unowned cats. These include iCatCare’s new International Declaration of Responsibilities to Cats (see below) and the Cat Friendly Homing programme, which aims to develop a set of free tools and training for the thousands of homing organisations around the world.
Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of iCatCare, comments ‘As iCatCare celebrates its 60th anniversary, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has been involved over the past six decades. Thanks to everyone’s knowledge, skill and commitment, the world is a better place for cats. Major challenges remain, however, and we continue to work towards our vision of a world where all cats, owned and unowned, are treated with care, compassion and understanding.’
Over 6000 sign new welfare initiative
iCatCare has developed the ‘International Declaration of Responsibilities to Cats’ (see page 265) to provide a clear framework to help different entities protect and improve cat welfare. The declaration will help those responsible for cat welfare to understand how to ensure that all cats, owned and unowned, are protected from suffering and are given the opportunity to live a good life.
iCatCare is asking people to show their support for improving feline welfare by signing this declaration. At the time of going to press the declaration had gathered over 6000 signatures, but the more it receives, the better it will show just how many people care about cats and their welfare, and the bigger an impact it can have.
Pledge to go ‘scruff-free’
ISFM and iCatCare are against the use of scruffing as a method of restraint, because of the stress and distress it can cause to cats. Although scruffing may successfully restrain a cat, it can be highly intimidating, causing fear and panic, and often provoking or escalating defensive aggression. Gentle handling techniques are much less stressful and allow the cat to have some sense of control, which is important for the cat’s wellbeing.
iCatCare and ISFM are encouraging clinics to improve the welfare of the cats in their care by pledging to not use scruffing. See page 267 for more information on this campaign and the free ‘scruff-free’ clinic posters.
iCatCare provides educational resources such as videos and written guidelines to help veterinary staff and others caring for cats to use handling techniques that are better for the animal’s welfare. See
ISFM congress heads to Italy
This year, the ISFM European Congress is heading to beautiful Sorrento, Italy’s ‘city of citruses’. For 2018 there will be another first-class scientific line-up, with the two main themes of feline oncology and feline urology. Leading international experts (including David Vail, Nick Bacon and Heidi Sjetne Lund) will provide state-of-the-art information covering some of the particular challenges these topics present in day-to-day clinical practice. The main lecture programme will also be complemented by masterclasses and several sponsor-led symposia.
As usual, there will be plenty of opportunities to socialise, relax and enjoy the location, with delegates being treated to drinks receptions, as well as an afternoon off to explore the stunning location. Look out for the Sorrento programme inserted in this issue of JFMS. Details at:
‘Kittenhood’ photography competition
iCatCare’s annual photography competition is back for 2018, this year with the theme of ‘Kittenhood’. The 12 winning images will be featured in the 2019 iCatCare calendar and the overall winner will receive £500. The competition opens on 1 April and closes on 1 May. Further details can be found at:
JSFM annual symposium
ISFM’s National Partner, the Japanese Society of Feline Medicine (JSFM), will be holding its fifth annual symposium, with the main topic of the key differences in usage of medicine in dogs and cats, on 24 June 2018. This intends to build on the success of their fourth symposium (pictured below), which was attended by 437 delegates in July 2017, and had the topics of management of diabetic ketoacidosis, and acromegaly and diabetes mellitus. For information, visit:
AAFP
Cat Friendly Practice 2017 survey – 99% satisfaction rate
The AAFP is proud to announce the results of the 2017 Cat Friendly Practice (CFP) survey, which clearly demonstrate the positive effect the program is having on feline healthcare and the veterinary industry.
While the impressive satisfaction and recommendation rates speak for themselves, there was also an overwhelming number of comments that told a more impactful story. Numerous practices wrote about how their staff are now more confident when working with cats, and their whole team has adopted the use of cat friendly techniques to reduce stress during the visit. This feedback supports the goal of the CFP program to create a more welcoming environment and experience for cats.
Implementing just a few cat friendly strategies can make a huge difference in the experience for the cat, caregiver and entire veterinary team.
Learn more about the CFP program in North and South America and the Caribbean at
Call for abstracts
The AAFP is soliciting proposals for abstracts from practitioners, academicians and researchers passionate about advancing feline medicine for presentation at the 2018 AAFP Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC, USA from September 27–30.
Abstracts should contain original research or comprise case reports/series containing novel information. All accepted abstracts will be presented in poster form at the conference and published in an issue of JFMS.
ABCD
Keeping updated on feline infectious diseases
For more than 12 years the European Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), consisting of up to 19 scientifically independent veterinarians and now supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, has been providing veterinarians in Europe with state-of-the-art information about various infectious diseases of the cat as knowledge grows and epidemiological situations change.
