In the February episode of Chattering With International Cat Care, host Yaiza Gómez-Mejías discusses the new consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of feline lower urinary tract disease in cats with authors Sam Taylor and Rachel Korman. They discuss the challenges and nuances of developing these guidelines and emphasize the importance of comprehensive history-taking for accurate diagnosis.

Additionally, Sarah Ellis interviews Noema Gajdoš Kmecová, the winner of the International Cat Care Welfare Research Award, about her study on the Home Feline Stress Score (HFSS). Gajdoš explains how her research, inspired by a previous study, highlights the connection between physical and mental health in cats, advocating for a holistic approach to feline veterinary care.

For further reading material please visit:

2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of lower urinary tract diseases in cats.

Development of the home feline stress score as a tool for assessing owner perception of stress in their cats at home (Pg 6 / e440) - This study inspired Noema and explores how owners can evaluate stress in their cats

For iCatCare Veterinary Members, full recordings of each episode of the podcast are available for you to listen to at portal.icatcare.org. To become an iCatCare Veterinary Member, or find out more about our Cat Friendly schemes, visit icatcare.org

Host: 

Yaiza Gómez-Mejías, LdaVet MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) CertAP (SAM-F) Acr AVEPA, Veterinary Community Co-ordinator

Speakers:

Samantha Taylor, BVetMed(Hons), CertSAM, DipECVIM-CA, MANZCVS, FRCVS, Feline Medicine Specialist and ISFM Academy Lead

Rachel Korman, ​​BVSc, MANZCVS (Int Med), FANZCVS (Fel Med), Specialist in Feline Internal Medicine 

Sarah Ellis,BSc, PGDip, PhD,Head of Cat Wellbeing and Behaviour at International Cat Care, independent feline welfare educator, writer and consultant.

Noema Gajdoš Kmecová, MVDr., PhD, Researcher at University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice