2012 Winn feline health grants

2012 Winn grant review panel meeting

Earlier this year, Winn announced the funding of 10 new feline health research projects for a total of over $174,000. Each year, the Winn Feline Foundation receives proposals from veterinary researchers around the world who are interested in improving feline health. To date, Winn’s cumulative total in feline health research funding exceeds $4 million.
Winn is seeking donations of $250 and up to sponsor specific projects. Sponsors will receive progress reports as they are available and copies of any publications that result from the project that are provided by the investigators. Your help in sponsoring these projects means Winn can fund even more research next year.

Available for 2012 sponsorship:
W12-026: Anti-immune evasive therapy for feline infectious peritonitis
An effective therapy for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is not currently available and most affected cats succumb to their disease. Previous research has shown that FIP virus can evade the host's immune system and that a specific drug can act as a blocking agent to inhibit this evasion mechanism. In a previous project funded by Winn, it was shown that this drug is well tolerated when given to healthy cats. In this project, the efficacy of the drug as a treatment for FIP in 10 naturally infected cats will be evaluated. If the results of the pilot study are promising, the project will be expanded into a full trial.

W12-027: Development of tools to assess chronic pain in cats

Feline health symposium, Austin TX, 2007

It is crucially important to identify pain fighting medications that are safe for cats, so we can treat conditions such as arthritis or cancer better. Once a treatment option has been identified, studies must be designed carefully to prove that the new treatment is effective. The greatest obstacle is the need for reliable ways to measure pain in cats. The goal of this project is to develop a tool called the "Feline Brief Pain Inventory." This will be an owner-completed questionnaire that will identify and report on how the cat behaves at home, focusing on behaviors that relate to pain. The project will also evaluate the use of an activity monitor that is worn on the cat's collar while at home to determine how many days the monitor must be worn to collect reliable data.

W12-034: Decontamination of textiles exposed to ringworm
Ringworm in cats is most commonly caused by the fungus Microsporum canis. While this skin disease is curable, treatment can be challenging because infected cats shed large amounts of infected hairs and spores into their environment. Effective cleaning is necessary to prevent contamination of the environment and prevent re-infection of cats. No evidence-based information is available for cleaning of household textiles such as fabric, carpeting, and clothing. This project will determine the efficacy of decontamination options for household textiles to identify safe and effective practices.

W12-039: Pimobendan for treatment of chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common reasons that senior cats are presented to veterinarians. These investigators have administered pimobendan to cats with combined kidney and heart disease after the patients developed congestive heart failure. In some of these patients, a greater improvement in kidney values and clinical response than is typically noted occurred when they were treated with pimobendan. Pimobendan is an effective drug for management of heart failure in dogs and may support kidney function through improved heart function and improved blood supply to the kidneys. This drug is also given to cats with heart disease. This pilot study will assess the effect of administering pimobendan to cats that only have CKD compared with standard treatment methods.

More on cat health:
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