Feline medicine clinical research is very active in study recruitment via the Langford Vets Feline Centre

Much of this research integrates multiple disciplines (e.g. cardiorenal disease – where heart disease affects kidney function and vice versa) – with collaborations formed between multiple world-leading research groups within the University of Bristol and internationally. We are also interested in comparative research with cats providing a useful model of naturally occurring disease such as chronic kidney disease and coronavirus. Recent and on-going research studies aiming to improve our knowledge of cat disease from diagnosis through to treatment include:

• Infectious disease – including mycobacterial disease (e.g. tuberculosis), feline infection peritonitis, haemoplasmosis (i.e. a blood-borne bacterial infection that causes anaemia), and viral respiratory disease ‘cat flu’ (e.g. feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus)
• Heart and cardiovascular disease
• Hyperthyroidism (i.e. overproduction of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, typically due to benign overgrowth of thyroid gland tissue within the neck) including comparison of sedation protocols for hyperthyroid cats, and a prospective study evaluating changes in thyroid, kidney, and heart function after curative treatment with radioactive iodine.
• Feline acute and chronic kidney disease – including evaluation of the utility of biomarkers
• Haematological (i.e. related to the blood) disease as well as variations between individuals as a result of their genetic background
• Genetic causes of inherited traits and diseases (including susceptibility to complex diseases)
• Development of molecular diagnostic assays for inherited traits and infectious disease
• Antimicrobial stewardship – including urinary tract infections and antimicrobial resistance
• Cohort studies (e.g. Bristol cats; studying a large number of cats over the course of their lifetime – looking for risk factors for common problems)
• Skin and joint disease – including immune-mediated polyarthritis (inflammation of multiple joints, which can be a painful and debilitating condition)
• Experiences and attitudes of veterinary students working with cats in a teaching hospital environment

A selection of recent publications

Whole-Blood Taurine Concentrations in Cats with Intestinal Disease
A UK-based survey of cat owners’ perceptions and experiences of antibiotic usage
Clinicopathological features and comorbidities of cats with mild, moderate or severe hyperthyroidism: a radioiodine referral population
Vitamin D toxicity of dietary origin in cats fed a natural complementary kitten food
Exploring early life events including diet in cats presenting for gastrointestinal signs in later life
Focused cardiac ultrasound and point-of-care NT-proBNP assay in the emergency room for differentiation of cardiac and non-cardiac causes of respiratory distress in cats
Feline non-regenerative immune-mediated anaemia: features and outcome in 15 cases
Thyroid and renal function in cats following low-dose radioiodine therapy
Unusual presentation of vitamin D3-dependent rickets type II in a kitten
The effect of non-absorbent hydrophobic sand litter on urine protein-to-creatinine ratio in feline urine in press