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The 2023 Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (AAFP/IAAHPC) Feline Hospice and Palliative Care Guidelines’ are authored by a Task Force of experts in feline hospice and palliative care convened by the AAFP and IAAHPC. They emphasize the specialized communication skills and ethical considerations that are associated with feline hospice and palliative care, with references to other feline practice guidelines for a more complete discussion of specific diseases, feline pain management best practices and cat friendly interactions. A comprehensive, multi-step hospice consultation allows for tailoring the approach to both the cat and the family involved in the care. The consultation includes establishing ‘budgets of care’, a concept that greatly influences what can be done for the individual cat. The Guidelines acknowledge that each cat and caregiver will be different in this regard; and establishing what is reasonable, practical and ethical for the individual cat and caregiver is important. A further concept of the ‘care unit’ is introduced, which is extrapolated from human hospice and palliative care, and encourages and empowers the caregiver to become a part of the cat’s care every step of the way. Ethical considerations include a decision-making framework. The importance of comfort care is emphasized, and the latest information available about how to assess the quality of a cat’s life is reviewed. Emotional health is as equally important as physical health. Hence, it is fundamental to recognize that compromised physical health, with pain and/or illness, impairs emotional health. A limited discussion on euthanasia is included, referring to the AAFP’s End of Life Educational Toolkit for recommendations to help the caregiver and the veterinary professional ensure a peaceful passing and transition - one that reflects the best interests of the individual cat and caregiver.

About the FVMA:  The Feline Veterinary Medical Association, formerly the Assication of Feline Practitioners, works to improve the standards of feline health, in part by providing its members with progressive research and valuable resources which include, but are not limited to, peer-reviewed scientific research in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, breakthrough continuing education offered at conferences and other feline tracks, and the well-respected and highly utilized practice guidelines and position statements compiled by the FVMA. 

About the IAAHPC: International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care promotes comfort care that addresses the physical, psychological, and social needs of animals with chronic and/or life-limiting diseases. They promote physical, emotional, and spiritual support for caregivers. They also educate professionals and advance research in the field of animal hospice and palliative care.

Keywords: Quality of life, care unit, ethics, pain, chronic kidney disease, degenerative joint disease, cancer, end-of-life, palliative care, hospice care, budgets of care, euthanasia, grief, communication, evaluation, consultation, bond, comfort care, cats, feline care