Dr Richard Gowan  BVSc(Hons), MANZCVS

Feline Practitioner 

I have worked in feline only practice almost entirely since my graduation in 1998. I realised early on that finding one thing, preferably that you love and trying to do it well, was likely going to be my key to having a long and rewarding veterinary career, then I found cats – the rest is history.

I was fortunate enough to be mentored by Dr Vic Menrath, he instilled a passion for all aspects of feline medicine and general practice. He gave me the support to start The Cat Clinic in 2005 with my wife Dr Amy Lingard – herself now a registered Feline Medicine Specialist. Through Vic’s early work, I found a professional interest in chronic pain in cats, its recognition and therapy. I was fortunate enough to publish several papers regarding chronic NSAID use in cats, which led to many speaking opportunities and chapter publications. In practice, I thoroughly enjoy the day to day of feline GP practice. I have a professional interest feline dentistry and feline behavioural medicine.

I am interested in the clinical aspects of better understanding feline temperament models and how these influence behavioural adaptions to acute and chronic pain. These may be an important part of defining how varied temperaments cope with and manifest their physical pain & well-being. This could lead to better recognition of the expression of chronic pain in cats, in particular how it relates to observable outcome measurements. This has obvious ramifications for acute and chronic pain management.