By Donald F. Smith, Cornell University
With co-authors Julie Kumble and Melena Hagstrom
Cats are aloof,
independent, and capable of dealing with pain on their own. These false
assumptions still abound, and contribute to the startling figures: cats,
despite being the number one companion animal in the US, are brought to veterinary
clinics half as often as dogs. No one is more familiar with this situation than
Dr. Jane Brunt, eminent feline expert and cat advocate.
It may come
as a surprise that the cat was not the focal point of Dr. Brunt’s first strides
in her career as a veterinarian. A Jersey girl-turned-Kansas resident, she
completed her undergraduate and DVM degrees at Kansas State University (KSU).
The strong agricultural presence at the university and the surrounding state
gave Dr. Brunt a thorough background in ruminant medicine, and her initial
inclinations after her 1980 graduation were to work with small ruminants, or perhaps
go international.
A year
later, after doing some dairy work and general small animal medicine, Brunt
emerged an independent veterinarian, finding ways to work without direct
guidance or constant mentoring. “I know I did things that weren’t necessarily
the optimal way each time, but I learned independence.” As to continuing to do large animal work for
a career, she opined, “I could treat a cow with a prolapsed uterus in the
middle of the night as well as any new veterinarian. I knew I could do it, farm calls and that
lifestyle, but I also knew I didn’t have to.”
So Dr. Brunt
changed course, and for the next three years, worked at a five-doctor cat and
dog practice in Baltimore.
Then into
her life walked the cat! Feline medicine
had been lurking in Dr. Brunt’s mind for a while, a ghost in the form of a cat nutrition
sophomore project at the KSU veterinary college under her former professor, Dr.
Russ Frey, and a chance experience during fourth-year clinics where she amazed
herself by successfully placing an intravenous catheter in a sick cat. “That
was a pivotal moment for me,” she says.
“Somebody let me do something and recognized my accomplishment, and I suppose
it became a seed that grew.”
To confirm
her new career interest, she visited four veterinarians who owned feline
practices: Drs. Marcia Levine in Buffalo, Joanna Gugliemino in Rochester, Sue
MacDonough in Philadelphia, and Tom Elston in Boston. Dr. Brunt was inspired by
their quiet and calm surroundings, the colleagues’ gentle ways, and their
gracious hospitality. With the realization that she could do this as well, and
her fascination with the quieter and more mysterious species, she engaged in “shoe-leather
market research” and picked a place in Maryland where she felt a practice could
thrive.
Here, she
founded the Cat Hospital at Towson (CHAT), the first feline-exclusive clinic in
the state. As with any practice, there were unexpected setbacks. “My associate
fell in love with the contractor of the new practice location and they moved
away,” she laughs. But she was successful nonetheless, and eight years later
opened the Cat Hospital Eastern Shore (CHES), an hour from the first. (1)
These
clinical efforts earned her recognition as a feline expert, and it opened new
and interesting doors. Her current interests lie with the non-profit CATalyst
Council, (2) formed from grassroots organizations within veterinary medicine, the
shelter/animal welfare movement, and related Industry entities such as
foundations, Cat Fanciers, the media, and commercial companies. As chair of the
CATalyst Summit in 2008 and later her appointment as executive director of the
Council, she attempts to further improve feline medicine and address the
importance of feline care to the wider public. By virtue of open and inclusive
structure of the CATalyst board, and Dr. Brunt’s direction, its associated
bodies are able to represent a broad range of diverse stakeholders in feline
healthcare and welfare.
In addition
to her feline medicine interests, Dr. Brunt’s career has included her
leadership in many aspects of organized veterinary medicine, including the
Maryland Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), American Animal Hospital Association,
and a delegate in the AVMA House of Delegates representing the American
Association of Feline Practitioners. In 1996, she founded Animal Relief, Inc.,
to assist organizations in the healthcare of animals, and cats in particular.
Dr. Brunt’s life
with the cat reflects the modern version of such legendary feline veterinarians
as Louis Camuti, (3)
Jean Holzworth, (4)
Fred Scott, (5) and Jim Richards. (6) Though
she dismisses those comparisons too quickly, she does know her strength of
character.
I know that I’m driven and directive, but my personal core values are of
integrity and honesty and a sense of humor.
I believe that everyone has a gift.
That’s my basic value and maybe should go on my headstone some day!
Inspired by
the aloof creature that is the cat, Dr. Brunt has lifted the veil and made the
cat more accessible, personal, and, ultimately, less of a mystery.
(1) Dr. Brunt sold this second practice eight years later.
