Our Speakers

Dr. Sarah Caney
BVSc PhD DSAM(Feline) MRCVS CEO of Vet Professionals

Dr Caney, CEO of Vet Professionals has worked as a feline-only vet since 1994. She is internationally recognised as one of only fourteen veterinary specialists in feline medicine in the UK.

In addition to her popular ‘Caring for a cat’ series of books, she has published widely in prestigious international journals and has been an invited speaker to veterinary conferences worldwide. Dr Caney has worked for many years with the UK cat charity, the International Cat Care (ICC) and the International Society of Feline Medicine.

Furthermore, she has published widely in prestigious international journals and has been an invited speaker to many national and international conferences for veterinary surgeons and nurses/technicians. In 2004 she co-authored the ‘Self-Assessment Colour Review of Feline Medicine’ with Dr Andy Sparkes which is a textbook for the veterinary professional.

Alongside her clinical work and publishing, Dr Caney has worked for many years with the UK cat charity, the International Cat Care (ICC). Her work with ICC includes chairing their feline expert panel which lobbies organisations for better cat care.

Natasha Mitchell
MVB CertVOphthal MRCVS Author of "Caring for a blind cat"

Natasha grew up in Co. Tipperary, Ireland and graduated from University College Dublin in 1998 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduating she spent one year working in a mixed practice in the UK, followed by three years working and travelling in Australia. It was during this time that she developed an interest in ophthalmology and returned to the UK to study for a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology which she obtained in 2004. Having completed her certificate, Natasha worked in referral ophthalmology in Hampshire UK for 18 months followed by the Eye Veterinary Clinic in Herefordshire UK. More recently she has returned to her homeland and is working as an ophthalmologist in Limerick, Ireland (http://www.eyevet.ie/). Natasha has lectured to veterinarians and veterinary students in the UK and Ireland and published widely in both UK and Irish veterinary journals and in cat charity bulletins.

Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore
BSc BVM&S PhD FHEA MACVSc MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine

Danièlle is currently one of only three professors of feline internal medicine globally and she graduated from the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh with Distinction in 1991. The following year she joined The Feline Centre at the University of Bristol where she trained as a specialist in feline medicine and completed her PhD on feline infectious peritonitis. Since 2000 she has been based back at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies where she founded the Feline Clinic and is Professor of Feline Medicine and Head of Companion Animal Sciences. As an internationally recognised expert in her area Danielle lectures extensively and her work has been published widely. She is on the Executive Committee of the European Society of Feline Medicine and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

Dr Andy Sparkes
BVetMed PhD DipECVIM-CA MRCVS

Andy has worked as a feline-only vet since 1987 and trained as a specialist at the University of Bristol. He is a popular speaker and internationally recognised as one of only fourteen specialists in feline medicine working in the UK.

Dr Sparkes is a popular speaker both in the UK and internationally. He has published widely in international journals and in 2004 co-authored ‘Self-Assessment Colour Review of Feline Medicine’ with Dr Sarah Caney. Dr Sparkes is the co-editor-in-chief and founding editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. In 2012 Dr Sparkes joined the charity International Cat Care (ICC) as their Veterinary Director. 

Dr David Gould
BSc (Hons), BVM&S, PhD, DVOphthal, DipECVO, MRCVS Davies Veterinary Specialists, Hertfordshire

An Edinburgh graduate, following a year in general practice David moved to the University of Cambridge to undertake a PhD in molecular genetics. This was followed by a clinical residency in veterinary ophthalmology at Bristol University, followed by a Lectureship. He joined Davies Veterinary Specialists in 2003, where he is now director and head of their ophthalmology referral service.

David is a European and RCVS-recognised Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology, and is a regular speaker at national and international CPD meetings. He enjoys clinical teaching and is chairman of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmology examination committee.

Libby Sheridan
MVB MRCVS, Mojo Consultancy

Libby graduated as a vet from University College Dublin and spent 10 years working in mixed and small animal practice following by 7 further years working as the UK Veterinary Affairs Manager for leading pet food manufacturer Hill’s Pet Nutrition. There she built on her direct experience of client relationships with the development of professional and client support programmes and managing customer and consumer support teams. Her veterinary background, along with her insights and experiences from the commercial pet care world allows her to marry the two together in offering specialist business and communication support to practices. She is also a regular contributor to Veterinary Practice, Dog’s Monthly and Your Cat magazines.

Andrea Harvey
BVSc DSAM (Feline) DipECVIM-CA MANZCVS (Assoc) MRCVS
RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine 

Andrea graduated from University of Bristol in 2000. After a period of time in first opinion small animal practice, she returned to University of Bristol Veterinary School to undertake a 3 year residency in feline medicine, funded by the International Cat Care (ICC). She gained her RCVS Diploma and  European Diploma in 2005, and was awarded RCVS Specialist status in 2006. Andrea remained at Bristol Vet School as ICC Clinical Fellow in feline medicine 2005-2010, before moving to Australia to take up a position heading up a feline department at Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Sydney and tutoring on the International Society of Feline Medicine/Centre for Veterinary Education distance education course in feline medicine.  Andrea has lectured widely internationally and is co-editor of the BSAVA Manual of Feline Practice and Feline Medicine: Review & Test, and is secretary for the Feline Chapter of the Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists.  In 2013 Andrea was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award for outstanding contributions in small animal medicine, largely as a result of her work with the ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic scheme.   Andrea is passionate about providing the best care for her patients, and more widely improving feline welfare, and supporting other veterinarians to do the same.  

Samantha Taylor
BVetMed(Hons) CertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine, European Veterinary Specialist in Internal Medicine

Samantha Taylor graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2002, fulfilling her lifelong ambition to be a vet. She initially worked in a large referral (second opinion) practice and then in a small animal practice in Cambridge where her interest in cats really started, and she enjoyed running feline only clinics. She returned to referral practice in 2005 and studied for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Internal Medicine which she passed in 2006. That year she started a Feline Advisory Bureau residency at Bristol University and loved working with cats and their owners. She obtained the European Diploma in Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2009 and in 2011 became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine. She has published scientific papers and written many articles on various feline medicine subjects. She currently lives in Wiltshire with her husband, little boy (Alex) and two mischievous cats.

Vicky Halls
RVN Dip Couns, Full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC), Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Registered Member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)

Vicky Halls is an acclaimed Pet Behaviour Counsellor with many years experience of treating behavioural problems in cats both in the UK and abroad. She is also an international bestselling author of cat behaviour books. In 2008 Vicky was voted as the 'Nation's Favourite Cat Author' by the readers of  'Your Cat' Magazine. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the charity International Cat Care, working on various behaviour and welfare projects. She is a regular contributor to television, radio and specialist publications.

For more information on her work visit www.vickyhalls.net.

Professor Peter Holt
BVMS(Glas), PhD(Bristol), DipECVS, CBiol, FIBiol, FRCVS

Professor Peter Holt graduated from Glasgow University in 1970.  After a year as House Surgeon there, he spent two years lecturing in small animal clinical studies in Nairobi, Kenya. A further seven years was spent in general practice before his appointment as lecturer at the University of Bristol where he was Professor of Veterinary Surgery until his retirement in 2009 when he was given the distinction of Emeritus Professor.

He is author of, or contributor to, over 140 refereed papers and book chapters and has received six awards for his clinical and research activities.  He has published two books on veterinary urology.  He is a Past-President of the European Society of Veterinary Nephrology and Urology and in 1991 was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for meritorious contributions to learning in the field of Veterinary Urology.  In 2010, he was given Honorary Life Membership of the Association of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgeons which has instituted an annual award in his name.  The last 29 years of his career, he concentrated on the causes, investigation and treatment of urinary incontinence in small animals.

Dr Kostas Papasouliotis

Kostas Papasouliotis graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1989 and completed a PhD in Feline Gastroenterology at the University of Bristol in 1994. He spent five more years at Bristol, first as the Waltham Resident in Feline Gastroenterology and then as a Resident in Clinical Pathology. He holds the RCPath and European Diplomas in Veterinary Clinical Pathology. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Pathology (School of Veterinary Sciences) and the academic lead of the Diagnostic Laboratories (Langford Veterinary Services) at the University of Bristol.

Dr Tim Nuttall

Dr Tim Nuttall graduated from the University of Bristol in Zoology and Veterinary Science in 1992. After three years in general practice he joined the dermatology service at the University of Edinburgh as a resident and later studied for a PhD in the immunopathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis. He joined the University of Liverpool in 2001 and in 2004 was made Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Dermatology. Tim developed a busy referral dermatology clinic, which now sees over 1000 appointments each year. He also had an active research programme, studying antimicrobial resistance, host-pathogen interactions and the genetics of canine atopic dermatitis. In August 2013 he returned to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies as Head of Dermatology.

Tim has written over 70 clinical and scientific publications, is a co-author of the second edition of A Colour Handbook of Skin Diseases of the Dog and Cat, and has presented over 100 lectures throughout the world. In addition, Tim has served on BSAVA, ESVD and DEFRA scientific committees, the International Committee on Atopic Diseases in Animals, is a scientific advisor to the Bella Moss Foundation and has been a co-editor of Veterinary Dermatology.

Dr Rachel Dean
BVMS PhD DSAM(fel) MRCVS

Director of the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine; Clinical Associate Professor in Feline Medicine and recognised RCVS specialist in feline medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. 

Rachel graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1996 and spent 6 years in general practice before spending a year travelling the world and working in Australia. She was the Fort Dodge feline fellow at the Feline Centre at the University of Bristol from 2002-2005. Rachel holds the Royal Collages of Veterinary Surgeons diploma in Feline Medicine and is a recognised  RCVS specialist in this field. She completed a PhD entitled ‘Epidemiology of Feline Injection Site Sarcomas in the United Kingdom’ in 2010. Rachel is currently a Clinical Associate Professor in Feline Medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at The University of Nottingham where she directs the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine. She is studying for a Masters in Evidence-based Healthcare at the University of Oxford.

Dr Séverine Tasker
BSc BVSc (Hons) PhD DSAM DipECVIM-CA PGCertHE MRCVS

After graduation from Bristol Veterinary School, Séverine spent time in practice in the PDSA before moving to Edinburgh to complete a FAB Residency in Feline Medicine.  She then returned to the University of Bristol and completed a PhD in feline haemoplasmosis and is currently Reader in Feline Medicine at Bristol.  She works in the Feline Centre and the Molecular Diagnostic Unit of Langford Veterinary Services.  She is interested in all aspects of feline medicine, especially infectious diseases and haematological disorders. She is also passionate about all things feline and particularly enjoys teaching a holistic approach to feline cases to help ensure provision of the highest standards of cat care by understanding the specific needs of cats. She was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award in 2008, for outstanding contributions in the field of small animal veterinary medicine and the Petplan Charitable Trust Research Award in 2013, for outstanding contributions in the field of veterinary research. Séverine has two beautiful cats called Boris and Zammy.  As well as loving all things feline, Séverine enjoys going to the gym and cycling.

Sheila Wills

After graduating from the University of Reading in 1994 with a BSc in Animal Science, Sheila studied veterinary medicine at the University of London, graduating in 1998. Sheila then spent five years in small animal practice before undertaking an FAB Residency in Feline Medicine at the University of Bristol. Shortly after her residency Sheila was appointed as the Head of Small Animal Medicine and the Feline Centre at the Animal Health Trust where she was based for 2 years before joining IDEXX Laboratories in December 2009.

Sheila has recently returned to Langford as a teaching fellow in feline medicine. She acquired her ECVIM Diploma in Internal Medicine in September 2010 and is a Recognised European Veterinary Specialist in Internal Medicine. She became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Feline Medicine in March 2012.

Sheila enjoys all aspects of feline medicine with a specialist interest in feline renal and ureteric disease. She is a member of the FAB Feline Expert Panel and an editorial board member for the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.