SCVMA and Hill’s Present:

 

What’s New Pussycat-

A Feline Focused Symposium

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**Click Here to Register**

 

 

Sunday April 27th 2025 

 

Provided FREE for SCVMA Members!

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Doors Open at 8:15 for Registration and Breakfast
**Breakfast and Lunch Included**

 

6 hours of CA Statutorily Approved CE

 

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The morning will kick off with 3 lectures on Feline Friendly Handling, Feline Diabetes, and FIP.

 

Lunch and Learn Topic on Feline Enrichment Provided by KONG.

 

We’ll finish off the day with Hannah Shaw, “The Kitten Lady” who speak on care for neonatal kittens.

 

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SPEAKERS:

 

Creating Feline Friendly Interactions and Environments

Presented By: Dr. Lisa Restine, DVM, DABVP (Feline)

Bio: Dr. Lisa Restine grew up in New Jersey and earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Rutgers University. She received her DVM degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Southern California in 2014. Dr. Restine had been practicing feline medicine exclusively at a cat-only practice in San Antonio, Texas since graduation and achieved board certification with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in feline medicine in 2020. In 2022, Dr. Restine started work at an ER/Specialty Center and practiced on both dogs and cats in an emergency setting. However, her real passion is feline medicine, and she has dedicated many hours to lecturing other veterinarians on both a national and international level, as well as being a co-editor of a veterinary feline textbook.

Outside of work, Dr. Restine has a strong interest in all things active – she is often found running or hiking and is currently enjoying the challenge of training for a marathon. Caring for her five cats takes up the rest of her time. Dr. Restine is passionate about feline medicine and sharing her love of practice and knowledge to help improve feline care – she is excited to be a part of the Hill’s team as the Associate Feline Professional Veterinary Affairs Manager.

 

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Feline Diabetic Updates with a Focus on SGLT2 Inhibitors

Presented By: Dr. Victoria Hare, BSc BVMS, practice Limited to Internal Medicine

Bio: Dr. Hare, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, earned her veterinary degree from the University of Glasgow Veterinary School in 2014. She completed an intercalated program, which included a Bachelor of Science in Animal Behavior and Welfare from the University of Bristol, along with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow. Over the next four years, Dr. Hare worked as a primary care physician in England, the United Kingdom, and Northern California. After her time in the primary care field, she transitioned to specialty and emergency care. Dr. Hare completed her rotating internship at Ironhorse Vet Care in Dublin, CA, and spent the following year working in emergency medicine. She later completed her Internal Medicine residency in August 2024, before joining VCA WLA.

While Dr. Hare enjoys all aspects of Internal Medicine, her special interest is in immune-mediated disease and renal disease. Additionally, she loves the opportunity to teach students and interns!

Outside of Internal Medicine, Dr. Hare’s hobbies include traveling, fitness, drinking coffee, and caring for her four pets.

 

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FIP: An Updated Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment

 

Attendees of this talk will be able to:

• Understand the pathogenesis of FIP
• Effectively and efficiently diagnose FIP in cats
• Know how to treat FIP in cats and understand the current antivirals available

 

Presented By: Emma Cosaro, DVM, DACVIM

Bio: Dr. Emma Cosaro was born and raised in California in the Bay Area. She received her veterinary degree from Tufts University in Massachusetts and completed a one-year small animal rotating internship at VCA Alameda East. She went on to complete her small animal internal medicine residency at UC Davis.

Dr. Cosaro enjoys all aspects of internal medicine, but has a particular interest in immune-mediated, infectious, endocrine, and renal/urinary disease. She also enjoys endoscopy and minimally invasive interventional procedures and has a special interest in feline medicine.

 

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Lunch and Learn Courtesy of Kong:

The Five Pillars of Feline Environmental Needs: How to Optimize Feline Wellbeing in our Homes and Hospitals

Presented By: Dr. Danielle Graziano, DVM

Bio: Dr. Danielle Graziano graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012 and earned her veterinary degree from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016. Though she grew up as a devoted “dog person,” it wasn’t until vet school—when she lived with a cat for the first time—that she realized these fascinating creatures are often just misunderstood. Since then, she has pursued her passion for feline medicine and behavior, dedicating her career to improving the lives of house cats through clinical practice and her work as a staff veterinarian for KONG.

At home, Dr. Graziano shares her life with three adventure-loving cats—Micetro, Tchaicatsky, and Beanthovan—who join her and her fiancé on hiking and camping trips throughout Colorado. Tchaicatsky also works as a therapy cat at her fiancé’s dental office, comforting patients, while Micetro enjoys “meowdeling” in costumes and making appearances at art fairs and other bustling events.

 

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Saving Neonatal Kittens

This talk will include:

• Overview on the state of the neonatal kitten; data overview; what makes neonates vulnerable and how shelters and foster parents are helping them
• Guidance on training and supporting clients through the basic care of orphaned neonatal kittens
• Discussion of developmental milestones, proper husbandry from 0-8 weeks, biosecurity protocol, and science-backed insights that improve life saving strategies
• Discussion of kitten morbidity and mortality, common causes of decline, and guidance on supportive care methods every kitten caregiver should know

 

Presented By: Hannah Shaw, aka The Kitten Lady

Bio: For those not familiar with Hannah Shaw, better known as “The Kitten Lady”, you can check her out at https://www.kittenlady.org/.

Hannah Shaw is an award-winning kitten rescuer, humane educator, and New York Times bestselling author who has dedicated her life to innovating kitten care and protecting the most vulnerable felines.  Her project, Kitten Lady, provides educational media, training resources, and instructional workshops that help individuals and animal shelters learn how to save the lives of kittens–in a fun and engaging format.

Shaw is the author of Tiny But Mighty (Penguin Random House, 2019), Cats of the World (Penguin Random House, 2024), Kitten Lady’s Big Book of Little Kittens (Simon and Schuster, 2019), Kitten Lady’s CATivity Book (Harper Collins, 2022), the Adventures in Fosterland chapter book series (Simon and Schuster, 2021 – 2025), and Cat Got Your Tongue? (Penuin Random House, 2025).  She has been featured as an expert on Animal Planet and has received several awards for her advocacy work, including the 2019 Cat Advocate of the Year award by ASPCA.

Kitten Lady has amassed a viral social media following of over 4 million engaged cat lovers.  Shaw shares inspiring, instructional and adorable content on her Instagram and Facebook, and a library of educational videos about kitten care through her YouTube channel which are used as a training resource for rescues, shelters, and foster parents across the globe.

Shaw is also the founder of Orphan Kitten Club, a 501(c)3 charitable organization transforming the landscape of kitten welfare in America through shelter grants, ethical pediatric research and the hands-on care of vulnerable neonates.  Since 2019, her nonprofit has provided more than $3 million in targeted funding to shelters to build innovative programs that save little lives.

She lives in California with her husband Andrew Marttila, their cats, and an endless rotation of foster kittens.

 

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