It's about time!

"feline medicine has lagged behind its canine counterpart, and it is not always easy to provide evidence-based medicine for cats. “It’s still considered a bit of a niche interest,” said Dr. Karen Perry, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon with a focus on feline health at Michigan State University.

Historically, many veterinarians essentially treated cats as small dogs, borrowing tests and treatments developed for canine patients to care for feline ones. Even in veterinary school, where students train for all sorts of specialties, dogs have long been the default.

“My anatomy book was ‘Anatomy of the Dog,’” said Dr. Maggie Placer, the veterinary science programs manager at EveryCat Health Foundation. “We had PowerPoints and supplements for the cats.”
"Indeed, cats are talented at masking their symptoms, which may also present differently from those in dogs, experts told me. Arthritic dogs often develop noticeable limps, which are easily spotted on walks, while many arthritic cats show no obvious signs of lameness, Dr. Perry said. They might just jump onto the couch less often or seem crankier when being handled"

"The situation does seem to be improving, albeit slowly, experts said. Some vet schools are increasing their investment in feline health, and clinicians are trying to build stress-reducing, feline-friendly practices. And more scientists are probing the genetic and environmental causes of diseases in cats."

I believe that there is a bias against medical research in cats...they are hard to handle...and dog people don't like cats on the whole.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/science/cats-veterinarians-health.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E4.yy1b.pxCEex0NgytZ&smid=url-share

My Marley is 18 and doing her best to live her best life ever but only gave slight permission to serve as my cat tax.