Cornell University Offers Informational Phone Service

We really lucked out when we found our talented and charming veterinarian, Dr. Erin Holder. At her clinic, Florida Wild Veterinary Hospital, located in the charming town of Deland, Dr. Holder provides  traditional and alternative care, both Eastern and Western medical medicine, including acupuncture, laser therapy and nutritional guidance. The clinic also offers home call visits once a week, which are extremely convenient not only for clients, but supportive to those furry and feathered companions who do not respond well to travelling.

And while our kitties simply adore this soft-spoken, compassionate and friendly lady who deeply loves animals, unless I take special precautions to confine “the boys” in a secure area, the moment when they hear the doorbell ring and the sound of her voice, they rapidly disappear and, of course, hide under our king size bed, making it extremely difficult for us to extricate them.

Now I completely understand what the late Dr. Louis J. Camuti, affectionately known as "THE CAT DOCTOR,” went through when he made his rounds, treating his feline patients. Dr. Camuti was the first veterinarian in the United States to have an entire practice devoted only to cats. He made house calls for over 60 years, treating kitties in the Big Apple. Dr. Camuti started his feline-only specialty practice between 1922 and 1932, at a time when most veterinarians did not offer many services to cats.

There is a legend surrounding this feline-only practioner which may explain why he became so deeply involved with the species. He was stricken with Typhoid fever when he was about 11-years-old. According to the story, his mother left the house with food cooking on the stove. Sick and too weak to get out of bed, when the pot boiled over, the escaping gas filled the house. The family cat leaped onto his chest, moving her head back and forth on his body. This kitty administered “massage” he received, whether inadvertently or purrhaps done on purpose in an effort to help young Camuti, may have saved his life. I prefer to think the cat's behavior was the latter and inspired him to “paw it forward” with the choice of his career.

The Dr. Louis J. Camuti Memorial Endowment Fund was started by friends to honor his life's work upon his death in 1981 and the Dr. Louis J. Camuti Memorial Feline Consultation Service was established by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

With the enormous amount of information concerning feline health care and diseases over the recent years, it is often difficult for both cat owners and practitioners to keep up with the latest developments. This service attempts to provide updates in an accessible and timely manner with Cornell Feline Health Center's consulting veterinarians answering specific questions with the most up-to-date advice.

The service is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 A.M. to noon, and 2 to 4 P.M. Eastern Time (excluding holidays) and is available to both veterinarians and cat owners. A staff member will help callers get information, and, if a consultation is required, will walk the caller through a short intake process. After reviewing the information, a consultant will directly contact the caller generally within 48 hours (excluding weekends). Around the holidays, some inquiries may take 72 hours or longer. These calls are strictly for informational purposes, since, of course, consultants cannot diagnose or make treatment recommendations by phone.

For further information about the service, how to contact the Cornell Feline Health Center, and fee schedules, visit their website.

Do you think this service is useful to cat owners and their veterinarians? Leave a comment and share your opinions.