The Feline Health Center is a veterinary medical specialty center devoted to improving the health and well-being of cats everywhere by:

• Finding ways of preventing and curing diseases of cats by conducting and sponsoring breakthrough feline health studies
• Educating veterinarians and cat owners about feline health by providing timely medical information and by promoting public understanding and awareness of feline issues
• Aiding veterinarians when new or unknown feline diseases occur.

The Cornell Feline Health Center, located in Ithaca, New York, is a veterinary medical specialty center devoted to improving the health and well-being of cats throughout the world.

The concept of a feline medical specialty center began in 1973 as part of a long-range planning effort at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. In reviewing the present and anticipated future of veterinary medicine as it related to the cat, it was obvious that a concerted effort would be required to investigate the many serious diseases of cats. The Board of Trustees of Cornell University approved the formation of the center in 1974.

Feline Health Studies

Feline health studies are the cornerstone to providing better health care for cats. Veterinarians must have specific information so that they can make intelligent decisions on the best disease treatment and prevention regimes for cats. New vaccines and specific treatment protocols do not just appear-they require dedicated effort, often over several years. The Cornell Feline Health Center is committed to obtaining information about diseases and health management which will enable veterinarians to maintain healthy cats.

The Cornell Feline Health Center has contributed many important firsts to the study of feline diseases:

• the establishment of vaccine recommendations for feline panleukopenia and respiratory viral diseases

• the development of the ELISA test for detecting coronavirus antibodies (used as an aid in diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis)

• the identification of feline immunodeficiency virus in nondomestic cats
• the identification of panleukopenia as a cause of kitten loss in the endangered Florida panther
• the attenuation of feline infectious peritonitis virus to establish an experimental vaccine