Ohio State's Veterinary Medical Center provides gold level cat friendly clinic services for feline visitors
Article by: Allison Burk
Originally Published
The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) prides itself on providing the highest level of professional veterinary medical care for more than 45,000 animals each year. The innovative and impactful feline work happening across all departments at the VMC touches on all aspects of feline care, from clinical care to specialized care, to research specific to our feline patients.
We are very fortunate to have several clinicians who belong to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and have extensive experience treating feline patients with feline-friendly handling. Our most experienced feline-focused clinicians pass along their knowledge to other clinicians in order to decrease the stress of our feline patients as much as possible when they visit the VMC.
Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center meets all required criteria for Gold Level Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation. This is the highest level of accreditation that a veterinary clinic can achieve, and an extreme amount of effort was put forth in meeting these qualifications.
Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center has a dedicated feline ward within the small animal care wards where only cats are allowed to be housed. The cages are kept covered for low stress, and each cage has its own private litter box. It is the only ward with one entrance instead of two and has its own temperature control and a dimmer switch on the lights so that the cats can have a darker, warmer, and quieter place during their stay. The ward is also soundproofed to decrease loud noises like barking in other wards from reaching cats.
The VMC also has a feline exam room that has two exam tables, a mini fridge for patient medications and all of the supplies that might be needed for patient treatments. There are also kitty condos that have several compartments and levels for cats to explore and enjoy. They have the ability to do things that come naturally to them, like hiding or being up high while clinicians look them over, causing less stress than if clinicians had to constantly go into the cages in the ward to visualize the patients.
Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center provides a wide variety of care for cats:
• vaccinations and wellness visits
• kidney and bladder disease
• GI problems
• nutritional consultation
• hormonal issues (hyperthyroidism, diabetes)
• skin issues
• liver problems
• pancreatitis
• anemia
• nasal and respiratory diseases
• systemic infections
• neurological disorders
• cancer diagnosis and treatment
• behavioral issues
Feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common diseases in elderly cats. Our world-renowned feline experts are on the cutting edge of clinical research dedicated to exploring more about this disease and improving the lives of affected cats. Additionally, Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center provides extracorporeal therapies such as dialysis and therapeutic plasma exchange to feline patients impacted by acute kidney injury.
Numerous feline studies take place throughout various departments at the VMC. These studies play a critical role in better understanding how particular diseases and issues impact the health of cats and advancing treatments to better tailor therapy for cats facing these challenges.
The Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center is also home to the Indoor Pet Initiative (IPI). The IPI acts as a hub of valuable resources and information for feline owners. By giving caregivers the information and tools needed to recognize thriving in their pets and creating an environment that permits them to thrive across their lifespan, the IPI aims to sustain the highest quality relationship possible between pets and their owners. The IPI provides a foundation for pet owners and veterinarians to create plans tailored to promote thriving that are based on the soundest, most up-to-date science available.
The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center continues to provide exceptional care for its feline patients by tailoring each visit across a wide variety of services to meet feline-specific needs and through the advancement of feline-centered clinical research.