Abstract
The first issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery was launched at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association meeting in Birmingham in April. Many months of planning and commitment on the part of the publisher, editor and editorial staff were on show for you to judge. There was little doubt that a journal dedicated to the welfare, medical and surgical diseases of the cat was required. The editor and an editorial in the first issue identified the reasons for producing this Journal. You were asked to be judge and jury and let us know if your needs and expectations are being met by the Journal. The cat is the focus and it is this Journal's aim to bring review papers of relevance to feline practitioners, as well as state of the art scientific publications.
We hope the goals of the editorial board are being met: exciting papers and increasing circulation in many countries, not only Europe. Let us have your feedback, positive or negative. It is editorial policy to provide a dynamic, high quality journal which is backed by a rigorous review process.
In this issue, Professor Rick Le Couteur and Dr Karen Vernau review feline vestibular disease. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology is important to understand diseases of the vestibular system. We often forget that the cat was frequently used as a research animal in neurophysiology research. There is a wealth of basic information hidden in early publications which is as pertinent now as it was when first published. This review of the anatomy and physiology emphasises this point, brings together relevant information and presents it in a form that is easy to understand and leaves little doubt as to the function of this complex system in health and disease. Furthermore, the functional anatomy is emphasised to enhance understanding. Central versus peripheral vestibular dysfunction; the neurologists framework for localisation, diagnosis and prognosis is defined for vestibular diseases of the cat.
The second paper addresses diagnosis and specific diseases of the vestibular system. For feline practitioners these diseases are common, but frequently difficult to differentiate on clinical grounds alone. CAT scan and MRI have improved diagnostic accuracy and definitive diagnoses are now made more often. Many of the conditions described are rare but do occur. Is there an equivalent of the five-lined skink in your country?!
Each of these review papers provides the reader with a state-of-the-art summary of feline vestibular disease. There will be no nystagmus reading these reviews as they provide a balanced and objective summary of our knowledge on the cat—in and out of balance.