New study at Cat House on the Kings to help cats worldwide

FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE) – A groundbreaking study is happening right here in the Central Valley that could help animals all around the world.

Cat House on the Kings in Parlier is partnering with Dr. Michael Lapin, a world-renowned specialist in cats, to treat stomatitis. Stomatitis is a common disease that affects cats, causing severe inflammation and pain in their mouths. CBS47’s Kathryn Herr’s cat, Mia, suffered from it.

The Cat House on the Kings is home to 700 cats, and they have more than 600 cats in their care that are up for adoption.

“This is the perfect place, we have cats everywhere. cats with everything, all the different things that cats can have, viruses, illnesses, and it’s great potential for people to study and learn the cats,” said Christine Cordova, a registered veterinary technician with the Cat House on the Kings.

Cordova is one of the reasons for this major study at the shelter because she reached out to Dr. Lapin.

“Christine made it very clear that to me that their dedication to saving and rehoming cats was equal or even greater than at Colorado State University, so it just felt like a perfect fit,” Dr. Lapin said.

Dr. Lapin, also a Colorado State University professor, had a study in the works on stomatitis. The disease causes a cat’s mouth to get red and raw, sometimes developing ulcers, making it hard for them to eat.

Dr. Lapin sent his student, JC Alvarado, to the cat house last spring to get things started.

“It’s truly amazing because we are able to see different cats from different ages, cats with disease,” Alvarado said.

Before he went to vet school at Colorado State, JC worked as a veterinary technician and saw a lot of cats with stomatitis.

“I was really frustrated because the current treatment is to take out all the teeth, you take out all the teeth, and they do better. But the reality is that only half of them do well,” he said.

CBS47’s Kathryn Herr’s cat Mia had all of her teeth removed, except her four canines. She was in the “lucky” half of cats for whom that was a cure.

The purpose of the study is to spare cats from going through that.

Dr. Lapin says their early results from their pilot study have been encouraging.

“We expect if the pilot study results are true, we will have about an 80 percent success rate with something as simple as a pill versus something as invasive as pulling all the teeth,” he said.

Those who care for the cats at Cat House on the Kings are ecstatic.

“We survive completely on donations, that’s how we survive. So, we have to treat our cats medically. We do what we can, but this is huge. This is going to help cats all over the world, and this will help our cats too,” said Cordova.

Dr. Lapin says they could have results as soon as six months. The research is funded in part by the Morris Animal Foundation. And since Cat House on the Kings operates solely on donations, they’re asking those who would like to support this research to make a donation. 

To donate, click here.