Cats to benefit from a pool of expert knowledge

An exciting new initiative has brought together the country's leading feline experts to exchange information on the latest developments in feline medicine, with the aim of providing answers and advice for those in the front line of veterinary practice.

The core group of the FAB feline expert panel consists of current and recent past FAB funded post holders. Additionally, well-known FAB names such as Andy Sparkes, Tim Gruffydd-Jones and Danièlle Gunn-Moore will contribute to the work of the panel as key opinion leaders in feline care. The panel is also developing a list of feline speakers from all over the world who can input on specific topics.

FAB currently supports two lectureships and three three-year residencies at the feline centres at Bristol and Edinburgh Veterinary Schools and co-funds an epidemiology post at the Animal Health Trust. The charity is also currently recruiting for a lectureship at Glasgow (co-funded with Hill's Pet Nutrition) and a residency at Liverpool veterinary school.

‘FAB funded post holders, past and present, will now meet on a regular basis to pool ideas and discuss the latest developments in the feline world, be they emerging diseases or treatments, strange cases or welfare issues,' said FAB Chief Executive Claire Bessant. ‘The panel will help to develop advice based on shared knowledge that practitioners will be able to tap into.'

The panel is also available to assist marketers from animal health companies, and other organisations, to clarify and inform on clinical issues, to advise on practitioner behaviour and to help identify market opportunities – whether as a group or as individuals. For market research purposes, the panel can also operate as a dedicated focus group to field a wide variety of consumer questions on feline behaviour, ownership and disease patterns.

One of the first tasks the panel had to tackle was in choosing recipients for FAB's new 'Easy to Give' campaign where the charity recognises the efforts of industry to produce products or medicines which make medicating cats less traumatic and thus help to ensure that cats do not receive subclinical doses of medicine or miss out on preventive health care.