 |
|
Winn Feline Foundation News
|
|
Winnie's Corner
Meow...
April showers might bring May flowers but they sure do put a damper (yes, I said that) on outdoor exercise. Even my human who is dedicated to putting me in a harness and insists upon a brisk, daily walk has allowed me to stay inside during the recent downpours. That's a double meow!
As usual my human devotes way too much time at her desk staring at a funny lighted box with pictures and tapping her fingers instead of giving me the worship I am due. Today she was again tap, tap, tapping and lulling me to sleep when she suddenly uttered a shocked "Winnie look at these!" and stopped tapping. Why I almost fell off her lap!
On the screen were several of the cutest pictures of kittens and cats available for adoption at the local shelter. News flash - Winnie (that's me) is a big fan of the one cat household. But after hearing several "Oh he's so cute" and "Isn't she pretty" comments from my human, I can tell this doesn't sound good.
Memo to cat owners:
April is Adopt a Shelter Pet Month. It's a great time to check out what your local shelter does to find homes for temporarily homeless kittiens and cats. Most shelters can always use volunteers and opening your home to a foster cat is a rewarding and loving act. Who knows, your committed "one cat household" might find a new friend and companion.
|
|
Quote of the Month
With the qualities of cleanliness, discretion, affection, patience, dignity, and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of being cats?
Author
|
|
|
|
|
Every Cat, Every Day Benefits from Winn -Funded Research ~ April, 2017
|
|
Winn's 2017 Grant Awards...
|
|
|
Eleven feline medical research grant awards totaling $214,017 were announced on April 12 by Winn Feline Foundation.
Winn's Ricky Fund is devoted to the funding of feline HCM and related heart disease research. Special recognition is due the sponsor, Ms. Holly Aglialoro, of this year's Ricky Fund study in memory of her cat, Augustus. Winn also awards periodic support for cancer research through the Speckles Abdominal Cancer Fund. Kitty Kollar™ and owner Donna Garrou, in memory of her cat, Quasimodo, have provided key sponsorship for this year's Speckles lymphoma study.
Funded through generous donations by private and corporate sources world-wide, the awards were for the following studies:
GENERAL STUDIES
Generating and using adult stem cells to treat feline diabetes. (W17-004)
Principal Investigator: Mandi Lopez DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS; Louisiana State University; $23,825.
Evaluating new treatments for feline hepatic lipidosis.
(W17-015)
Principal Investigators: Hedwig Kruitwagen, DVM, Bart Spee, PhD; Utrecht University, The Netherlands; $12,987.
Evaluating the prolonged use of an antacid, famotidine, in cats.
(W17-017)
Principal Investigators: M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, Adesola Odunayo, DVM, MS, DACVECC; The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine;
$19,668
.
Evaluating the effect of probiotic therapy on feline
Tritrichomonas foetus infection. (W17-018)
Principal Investigators: M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, Rachel Dickson, DVM candidate; The University of Tennessee; Jody Gookin, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, North Carolina State; $17,864.
Mechanisms by which feline mesenchymal stem cells regulate T-cell activation and proliferation. (W17-026)
Principal Investigator: Dori Borjesson, DVM, PhD, DACVP; University of California-Davis; $13,000.
Cryopreservation of feline red blood cells for transfusions using different solutions. (W17-030)
Principal Investigators: Marcelle Hon, MS, DVM, Elizabeth Thomovsky, DVM, MS, DACVECC; Purdue University; $11,666.
Shelter cat adoption in families of children with autism. (W17-031)
Principal Investigators: Gretchen Carlisle, PhD, Rebecca Johnson, PhD; University of Missouri;
$24,996.
Foraging behavior under threat and enrichment in confined cats. (W17-033)
Principal Investigators: Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, DACAW, Tony Buffington, DVM, PhD, DACVN; University of California-Davis; $24,780.
BRIA FUND STUDY
Analysis of plasma to identify biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of FIP. (W17-021)
Principal Investigators: Gregg Dean, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Kelly Santangelo, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Colorado State University; $25,000.
Ricky Fund Study: Sponsored by Holly Aglialoro in memory of Augustus)
Growing heart muscle cells in a dish in the lab to test HCM treatments. (W17-008)
Principal Investigators: David Connolly; The Royal Veterinary College; Debbie Guest; The Animal Health Trust; Cesare Terracciano, Imperial College London;$17,158.
Speckles Abdominal Cancer Study: (Sponsored by
Kitty Kollar™ in memory of Quasimodo)
A viral gene expression analysis towards preventing feline lymphoma. (W17-011)
Principal Investigators: Julia Beatty, PhD, Mahdis Aghazadeh, PhD, Vanessa Barrs, PhD; University of Sydney; $23,073.
Sponsorships are easy:
Simply pick one of the projects below seeking sponsors ($250 minimum donation).
Go to our
website
for more information on the project and to make your sponsorship donation online or download a donation form to mail to: 637 Wyckoff Ave., Suite 336, Wyckoff NJ 07481.
W17-011: Preventing gammaherpesvirus1 and lymphoma in cats
W17-021: Plasma analysis to identify biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of FIP (Bria Fund)
W17-031: Shelter cat adoption in families of children with autism
|
|
Cats 'Winn' with NoBowl
|
|
|
Cars or coyotes are not likely to be a threat to truly indoor cats. However, indoor cats do require an enriched environment, and that may start with what cats do every day: Eat.
How we feed our cats is just as important as what we feed our cats. Veterinary experts are beginning to converge on the idea that we should be feeding our cats in a far more enriching manner than leaving out food 24/7 or feeding cats as we do ourselves, twice a day "sit down meals."
Elizabeth Bales, VMD invented a solution to best mimic natural feeding for indoor cats, called the NoBowl Feeding System.™
NoBowl objects are like little mice, which kibble is deposited into. The objects consist of a soft outer skin to simulate prey and plastic inner container which holds 1/5 of the cat's daily ration. There are two holes on the back of each the five NoBowl™ objects or "mice." When the cat rolls a NoBowl "mouse,", food is dispensed. The idea is to hide the NoBowls, ultimately teaching cats to hunt indoors.
A percent of proceeds from each purchase will support the Winn Feline Foundation. Use the 'discount code CATSWINN at the NoBowl online store to help cats everywhere.
You can read more about this WINNING collaboration here.
|
|
The Winn Symposium ~
Ending FIP - Is There Hope?
|
 |
|
My kind of town,
Chicago Is
Just a reminder to register and attend t
he 39th Annual Winn Symposium!
The program will be held on
June 29th from 4-6:30 p.m. prior to the CFA annual meeting at
The Fairmont Chicago,
200 N. Columbus, Chicago, IL 60601
Our distinguished speaker is:
Dr. Niels Pedersen - "Current prospects for diagnosis and treatment of feline infectious peritonitis"
The presentation is approved by AAVSB RACE for 2 CE credits for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists.
|
|
|
|
In Memory of Augustus
Last September, we told you about Holly Aglialoro and her wish to honor the memory of her cat, Augustus.
Augustus had passed away abruptly from heart disease, specifically hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Through a generous gift to Winn, the 2017 Ricky Fund research grant was sponsored by Holly in memory of Augustus.
|
|
|
Kitty Kollar™ Cares
Also last year, Donna Garrou, the owner of Kitty Kollar, wanted to
help fund research on cancer, especially small cell lymphoma, in cats.
Her cat, Quasimodo, had developed low-grade small cell lymphoma. Donna, through her determination and ingenuity, developed a medical device, the Kitty Kollar, as an aid for his required esophagostomy feeding tube.
The Speckles Abdominal Cancer Campaign research grant was generously sponsored by Kitty Kollar in memory of Quasimodo.
Learn more about Quasimodo's story.
|
|
|
Important Planned Giving Tip for April
|
|
|
While volunteer services for a charity aren't tax deductible you may be able to deduct expenses. You may deduct your actual costs of using your vehicle for charity or use the standard mileage rate.
For 2017 the standard mileage rate for operating your personal motor vehicle in service of a charity will be 14 cents per mile driven. In addition to either your actual costs or the standard mileage rate, you may also deduct your parking and tolls.
You must keep reliable records and itemize your deductions to claim charitable car expenses.
For any questions, please contact
info@winnfelinefoundation.org
.
|
Have questions about your cat's behavior? Challenged by any litter box "issues?" Join VetVine contributor and veterinary behavior expert Dr. E'Lise Christensen in a free, 30 minute webinar on
May 17, 2017 where she'll be answering audience questions related to problem behaviors in cats.
|
pre-submit a question, photo, or a video for our expert's consideration).
*VetVine is an accredited continuing education provider for veterinary professionals by the AAVSB RACE program, NY State, and the NJVMA.
|
|
|
|
New Orleans Cat Art & Film Festival
A Cat Art Contest
Winn is sponsoring the Cat Art Contest at the 4th New Orleans Cat Art and Film Festival in May.
Submit your
original feline themed artwork in one of the following CATegories for a chance to win a gift card to Amazon.com! First place in each of the Five Major Categories will win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com and you may see your artwork included in an international celebration to benefit cats!
The deadline is May 5th. Additional details about contest and submissions is found
here.
|
|
|
|
Honored Donors for March 2017
|
|
|
A special Thank You and recognition to
Zoetis and The Cat Fanciers' Association
for their generous gifts in March
| Holly Aglialoro |
Jason/Rachael Benion |
Lina Bianco |
| Patrick Bowers |
Dr. Marcus Brown |
Jill Burgholzer |
| Harriett Butts |
Susan Gingrich |
Lena Gubarev |
| Hawkeye State Cat Club, Inc. |
Cat Hospital of Tucson/Dr. Minta Keyes |
Carol Chang |
| Karen Dahl |
Ronald/Kathryn Emmerson |
Shelly Finley |
| Garden State Cat Club of NJ, Inc. |
James Hill |
Dr. Arnold Plotnick |
| Bridgette Hyde |
Lorraine Shelton |
Dr. Larissa Taylor |
| Robert/Dr. Vicki Thayer |
Dr. Dan Lewer |
Robert Lugowe |
| Janet/Otto Wolf |
Susan MacArthur |
Marilyn Michaels |
| John Marino |
Scott/Jacqui Polakoff |
Dr. Renee Rucinsky |
| Francine Simmons |
Dr. Wendy Simpson |
Dr. Raj Singh |
| Shehan Vestrhelm |
Dr. Danile Watson |
Dr. Christa Williams |
| Jeanne O'Donnell |
|
|
Thank You!
|
|
Thank you for your continued support.
Winn Feline Foundation Board of Directors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone: 201.275.0624, ext 701
637 Wyckoff Ave., Suite 336
Wyckoff, NJ 07481
|
|
|
