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The current VIN date & time: Eastern

SASX303-0224: Feline Surgery – Cats Are Not Small Dogs

The lectures for this course will be presented via Zoom.

Presenter: Avery Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVS
Course Open: February 14-March 23, 2024
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Wednesdays, February 21, March 6, and 13, 2024; 6:00-8:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 6
RACE Category: 6 hours Medical


Enrollment is closed.  

Tuition: Member $138 ($124 early bird special if enrolled by January 31, 2024)
Non-Member $231 ($208 early bird special if enrolled by January 31, 2024)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


Course Information:
Sometimes it seems surgery courses focus on surgical procedures in dogs more than they do in cats. There are a variety of surgical conditions that occur frequently in cats but are rare in dogs. Additionally, management of post operative pain in cats is quite different from that in dogs. In this course I will cover various options currently available for postoperative analgesia in cats. I will cover wound healing and the difference between wound healing in cats compared to dogs. Idiopathic megacolon is a surgical condition in cats almost exclusively and will be discussed in this course. Additionally, intestinal linear foreign bodies which do occur in dogs, are more common in cats and seem to present less acutely often times. TECAs are commonly performed in dogs but in cats we more often perform ventral bulla osteotomies for nasopharyngeal polyps as chronic ear infections are uncommon in cats. I will review the condition and the surgical approach for ventral bulla osteotomy in cats. While urolithiasis is common in dogs, the surgical management in cats is different and includes the potential for kidney transplantation. Surgical management of feline urolithiasis will be discussed in detail. Cats produce a much more profound reaction to chyle in the pleural space compared to dogs. As a result, pleural fibrosis can be a very difficult condition to manage in cats with chylothorax; however, it is not usually an issue in dogs. Surgical management of feline chylothorax will be presented. There are various cancers in cats that behave differently from dogs. For example, in cats mast cell tumors behave benignly and marginal excision is usually curative. Conversely, feline mammary cancer is far more aggressive with early metastasis compared with dogs. Various cancers such as these will be covered including osteosarcoma and vaccine site fibrosarcomas. Finally, there are orthopedic conditions in cats that are managed differently compared with dogs and these will be discussed. This course will be a comparative review of surgeries commonly performed in cats vs. dogs.


Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • develop a plan for postoperative analgesia for a feline patient.
  • explain the phases of wound healing and how wound healing in cats is different from that in dogs.
  • characterize the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract and describe the procedure for subtotal colectomy and linear foreign body surgery.
  • describe the common ear cancers in cats and the surgical anatomy and approach for performing a ventral bulla osteotomy in cats.
  • outline the types of uroliths common today and the surgical management of stones located in the cat’s kidney, ureter, bladder, and urethra.
  • explain the difference in chylothorax in cats vs. dogs and the surgical options available.
  • outline the long-term prognosis for cats with chylothorax.
  • define the treatment options for cats with pyothorax.
  • outline the biological behavior of mammary cancer in cats and what is recommended for preoperative staging.
  • describe the surgical management of feline mammary cancer.
  • discuss the differences between osteosarcoma in cats compared to dogs.
  • describe how the surgical management of medial patella luxation is cats is different from dogs.


Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians interested in feline surgery.
Credit Approval: This course is approved for 6 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians. (RACE 20-1117848)


Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session February 21, 2024): Analgesia, Wound Healing, and GI Surgeries
This session will cover post op analgesia in cats and wound healing comparing cats with dogs. We will also cover gastrointestinal surgery in cats such as subtotal colectomy and linear foreign body removal.

Week 2 (Real Time Session March 6, 2024): Ear Surgery in Cats and Surgical Management of Feline
This session will review the anatomy of cat ears and tympanic bulla. We will cover ventral bulla osteotomy for polyps and the management of otic neoplasia in cats. Uroliths occur anywhere from the kidneys to the urethral opening. We will review surgical management options for stones in various locations.

Week 3 (Real Time Session March 13, 2024): Chylothorax in Cats, Selected Neoplasias and Orthopedic Issues
Chyle causes pleural fibrosis in cats. We will discuss options for managing chylothorax as well as the pleural adhesions. We will review selected cancers in cats and their surgical management. It has long been said you can put a cat with a broken leg in a box and it will heal. We will cover selected topics in feline orthopedic surgery.


Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enrollment is closed.  

Tuition: Member $138 ($124 early bird special if enrolled by January 31, 2024)
Non-Member $231 ($208 early bird special if enrolled by January 31, 2024)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on February 21, 2024 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.


Enrollment qualifications:
  1. VIN CE Courses:
    1. VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
    2. Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. VSPN CE Courses:
    1. VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
    2. Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
    3. Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
  3. Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
  4. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses.
    1. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  5. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.


Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357