To ensure all attendees were involved in activities relevant and specific to their role, the day consisted of 3 streams. There was a stream for vets, one for vet nurses and another for those working in cat clinics. Each stream consisted of a variety of talks and practical sessions, which aimed to give those involved in veterinary medicine confidence when dealing with cats and their owners.
The history of the centre
For those participating in both the nursing and the clinic streams, the day started with a talk from Suzanne Rudd, Head Feline Nurse, who spoke about how the Feline Centre first came to be 50 years ago.
The history of the Centre starts with an individual called Joan Judd who was extremely passionate about cats and concerned about the dismal lack of information about cat health and welfare. In 1958 she established the Feline Advisory Bureau. From here, she began working with a virologist at the University of Bristol called Bob Johnson who helped her to set up the Central Fund for Feline Research. Together, they also identified the need for a dedicated clinical scholar.
Professor Chris Gaskell became the first ever Feline Clinical Scholar in 1973 and it was from this point onwards that dedicated research into cats was seen as paramount. The Feline Centre was set up at Langford the following year and Bristol became a leader in feline medicine, in part because of Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones who has been a professor in feline medicine since 1988.
Linking it back with Bristol Veterinary School
Over the years, Bristol Veterinary School has worked with Langford Vets to educate the next generation of veterinary medical professionals. One key part of both the veterinary science and the veterinary nursing courses is undoubtedly the feline medicine rotation. Since this has been set up, the team have trained 3,687 veterinary science undergraduates and 339 veterinary nursing graduates. Students now also have the option to take part in feline medicine electives should they wish to become more specialised in this field.
There is no doubt that the team at Langford have been pioneers when it comes to feline care and passing this knowledge on to future leaders. In fact, the teams at Bristol and Langford have become so influential in the world of feline medicine that 12 of the 15 current RCVS Feline Medicine Scholars and Residents trained or worked at the Feline Centre.
Highlights of the day
With so many brilliant sessions taking place throughout the day, they all deserve a mention but undoubtedly one of the highlights of the day was the talk from Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones and Sam Jack who spoke about the Bristol Cats Study. Tim was one of the founders of the study whilst Sam is currently involved and both offered a unique perspective on the importance of the project.
In a similar fashion to the Children of the 90s study, the team recruited 3,000 cats and has been collecting information on their lifestyle since they were 6 weeks old. The team have been comparing cats and analysing how factors such as cats who live outdoors vs those who reside indoors affect behaviour and health. The hope is that this project will provide vital information on all types of cats and provide data and evidence on how we can improve cat health.
Get involved
Keen to find out more about how the University of Bristol collaborates with our amazing partners such as Langford Vets? Why not head on down to Bristol and get involved with our Community Fun Day on Saturday 20th July where you will have the opportunity to learn what really happens behind closed doors of the Veterinary School. Book your free ticket using the link below. We hope to see you there.
Bristol Veterinary School | University of Bristol Online Shop