Cats are very different from dogs in many ways. From their nutritional needs to the diseases that they develop, cats are a very unique species. This uniqueness, especially associated with personality and behavior, is one of the reasons that many of our clients are so attracted to cats as companion animals. Most of our feline patients are treated as family members by their owners, playing important roles in providing joy and companionship in their homes. The faculty and staff of the feline internal medicine service understand and respect this important relationship as we make recommendations about the medical care of our patients.

To our knowledge, the feline internal medicine service in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University is one-of-a-kind in the United States. As an academic service, our activities are focused on patient care, education, and the advancement of knowledge concerning health and disease in cats. Fourth-year veterinary medical students, post-graduate interns, and internal medicine residents work and study closely with senior faculty members and technicians on the service in a team approach to provide gold-standard patient care in a creative learning environment. Our annual feline medicine seminar helps veterinarians in practice keep up with the most current knowledge about the health issues of cats.

This team approach is extended to our partnership with our colleagues in general practice, who refer feline patients to us for second-opinion evaluation. Our focus on feline internal medicine, convenient access to academic specialists in a wide variety of disciplines, and the availability of advanced diagnostic equipment, allow us to offer a comprehensive approach to the care of sick cats.

Patients are seen by appointment-only, and must be referred to the service by their local attending veterinarians. Appointments may be made by calling 979-845-2351 during regular business hours. Following discharge from the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, patients are returned to the care of their local attending veterinarians, who receive a complete report of our findings and recommendations. We encourage our colleagues in practice, and our clients, to continue to communicate with us after the patient is discharged, in order to ensure long-term continuity of care.