Sick cats at UC Davis now have a more dedicated space to recover. The Small Animal Clinic at the school’s veterinary hospital has opened a feline treatment and housing suite to better care for sick and injured cats. The new facility combines a hospitalization ward with examination and treatment space. Veterinarians and technicians laud the suite as the most efficient use of space and time in order to care for multiple hospitalized cats.

The veterinary hospital treats more than 5,000 cats per year, and at times during wildfires or other large community emergencies, upwards of 50-75 cats can be hospitalized at the same time. This new facility allows the veterinary team to treat and house the cats in an all-in-one suite, eliminating the need to transport them from a hospitalization ward to an examination room in another part of the hospital. That saved time will allow the team to more efficiency provide high-level care.

“I’m excited to see the implementation of the new feline treatment and housing suite,” said Dr. Kate Hopper, director of the Small Animal Clinic. “This three-room facility will completely transform our ability to provide feline patient care. The state-of-the-art treatment area will allow us to do the very best by our feline patients.”

Features of the feline treatment and housing suite include:
•    Hospitalization ward with space to house more than 20 cats
•    Large 2-table examination/treatment area connected to hospitalization ward
•    Private 1-table examination/treatment area for individual cases needing extra care
•    Animal washing table located in hospitalization ward
•    Equipment/supplies station located in hospitalization ward
•    Sound dampening throughout to decrease stress caused by barking dogs in nearby wards
•    Emergency eye wash station located at sink
•    Work stations for four technicians and veterinarians

This upgrade to the veterinary hospital is part of the renovation portion of Phase I of the future Veterinary Medical Center, that previously included renovations to add six new examination rooms, new laundry and support facilities, locker rooms, and restrooms. Phase I has also brought about the completion of the new Large Animal Support Facility, and the impeding groundbreaking of the All Species Imaging Center. Subsequent phases over the next decade will include multiple facilities that will revamp the hospital into the foremost veterinary medical center in the world. Funding for the new feline facility was provided by an anonymous donor who is dedicated to the advancement of cat health.

See highlights of the new Feline Treatment and Housing Suite at UC Davis.