Every cat owner on the planet should be sending a thank you note, or at least an anniversary card, to the Winn Feline Foundation. The mission of the Winn Feline Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th year, is to fund cat health research.

To say cats have benefited from Winn's funding is an understatement. Some examples are pretty dramatic. In the 1980s, cats were increasingly suffering serious health affects and many dying due to a form of heart disease called dilated cardiomypathy. In 1987, veterinary cardiologist Dr. Paul Pion, of the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, approached Winn for funding to prove his theory that manufactured cat foods were missing an essential amino acid called taurine. It turned out he was right and taurine was immediately added to all cat food diets. The result is that dilated cardiomypathy is rarely seen today.

Joan Miller, now vice president of the Cat Fanciers' Association, joined the Winn Foundation board of directors in 1978 and served as president from 1980 through 1996. "There's little doubt in my mind that the seed money (from Winn) made a difference for feline leukemia research," she says.

There are many additional examples of Winn providing funds for medical breakthroughs. In 2003, Dr. Deborah Greco, then at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colo., discovered that for many diabetic cats, a diet of high protein and low carbohydrates may lessen or even eliminate insulin dependency.

Another example that matters daily for cats is knowledge about the impact of high blood pressure. Today, high blood pressure is diagnosed in about 20 percent of cats with chronic kidney disease using readily available equipment; Winn provided funding to help researchers understand the medical implications of high blood pressure in cats (including blindness and stroke-like events), as well as the technology to measure their blood pressure.

The Winn Feline Foundation began with the passion of cat breeder Robert Winn to fund cat health research -- which no one was doing 40 years ago. To get the foundation off to a rousing start, the Cat Fanciers' Association made the first, whopping contribution of $125.

"Can you believe it all began with $125?" Miller recalls.

Since no one else seemed to care about funding cat health studies, Winn easily attracted the top feline researchers. "I have worked with the Winn Foundation since its inception," says Dr. Neils Pederson, legendary cat health researcher and director of the Center of Companion Animal Health, Director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California-Davis. "They (Winn) have provided me with a tremendous amount of support for my various FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) studies through the years. Although we have not found a way to prevent or cure this devastating disease, I believe that our research has contributed greatly to understanding this complex infection."

While lots has been learned, Peterson admits FIP remains a mystery with no known cure or treatment. Susan Gingrich lost her kitty, Bria, to the devastating disease, which mostly kills kittens. In 2005, she initiated a fund devoted to finding answers.

"Experiencing Bria's life and death from FIP changed our lives forever," Gingrich says. "Unfortunately, Bria's sad story is not unique. FIP is a problem worldwide, affecting not only domestic cats, but also some wild species. Thanks to the generosity of my brother, Newt Gingrich, and the Center for Health Transformation Foundation, the (Bria) fund was created."

Arguably, the most prevalent killer of middle-aged indoor cats, and unquestionably the most common heart disease in cats today, is called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Sometimes, cats with HCM live a normal lifespan, but usually they die at around middle-age. There's no effective treatment. In 2002, I established a Winn fund named for my, Ricky, who died of the disease. In 2004, Dr. Kathryn Meurs, Washington State University Richard L. Ott Chair of Small Animal Medicine and Research, discovered a gene responsible for HCM in Maine Coon cats. Three years later, Meurs found a different mutation causing HCM in Ragdolls. These discoveries make it possible for breeders to conduct a DNA test using a simple cheek swab and determine which cats shouldn't be bred. Research in other breeds, as well as mixed-breed cats, is ongoing.

"With support, I'm optimistic about discovering more," Meurs says.

But it does all come down to support, meaning dollars. Research, of course, costs money.

While there are more cats than dogs in America, the sad fact is that funding for cat health initiatives doesn't come close to matching that for their canine cousins.

"Dogs are given preferential dollars for research," says Dr. Anna Worth, president of the American Animal Hospital Association. "(As a result), veterinarians have more tools to treat dogs than cats. For example, while there is pain medication for cats, it's been slow in developing and not nearly as many options as there are for dogs."

Dr. Susan Little, president of Winn, says one of the foundation's current goals is to shrink the gap between funding for dog and cat health initiatives. "There's no question we're playing catch up," says Little. "In recent years, with help from generous supporters we've accomplished a great deal. But we still have so much to do."

The Winn Feline Foundation website offers pet owners reputable technical information concerning cat health issues. There's also a news blog. Learn more at www.winnfelinehealth.org.

Dr. Ron DeHaven, CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association says, "The nearly 82 million pet cats, along with their owners and veterinarians, have benefited greatly from the knowledge gained by the exceptional research funded by Winn."

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