Purr Podcast

Can Stem Cells Help Cats with Arthritis, Kidney Disease & Stomatitis? with Dr. Rebecca Windsor
Stem cell therapy is one of the most exciting developments in veterinary medicine, but what diseases could it actually treat? In Part 2 of this special Purr Podcast episode, recorded at the AVMA Convention 2026 and sponsored by an educational grant from Gallant, Dr. Susan Little and Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn continue their discussion with veterinary neurologist Dr. Rebecca Windsor, Vice President of Veterinary Affairs at Gallant, to explore where regenerative medicine is headed and why stem cell therapy may change the future of feline healthcare. How could stem cell therapy transform chronic disease treatment in cats?Is stem cell therapy ready for veterinary practice? After explaining the basics in Part 1, this episode takes a deeper dive into the science behind stem cell therapy, including how donor stem cells are carefully screened and manufactured, why they don't trigger immune rejection, and how they help regulate inflammation throughout the body. We explore several of the most common chronic diseases affecting cats, including osteoarthritis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), and discusses the promising research that could lead to entirely new treatment options. How do stem cells interact with the immune system? Dr. Rebecca Windsor, DVM, DACVIM, is a board-certified veterinary neurologist with over 20 years of clinical experience. In 2025, she joined Gallant, where she currently serves as the Vice President of Veterinary Affairs. She wants to discover what the future may hold for regenerative medicine in pets!

Show Notes
90-day study to support reasonable expectation of efficacy for refractory FCGS published in JFMS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40999564/

Clinical field study evaluating the safety and efficacy of allogeneic uterine-derived mesenchymal stem cells for refractory feline chronic gingivostomatitis:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41757710/

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Therapy for Feline Osteoarthritis: https://www.gallant.com/science-library/mesenchymal-stromal-cell-msc-therapy-for-feline-osteoarthritis/

RACE Approved CE for Regenerative Medicine Era: https://learn.gallant.com/

Learn more about Gallant: https://www.gallant.com/A

Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun. 🐾🎙️

Can stem cell therapy transform the future of feline medicine?
In this special Purr Podcast episode, recorded at the AVMA Convention 2026, Dr. Susan Little and Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn sit down with veterinary neurologist Dr. Rebecca Windsor, to examine one of the most exciting developments in veterinary medicine: off-the-shelf stem cell therapies for cats. This episode is sponsored by an educational grant from Gallant.

What is the science behind the rapidly growing field of stem cell therapy?
Dr. Rebecca Windsor, DVM, DACVIM, is a board-certified veterinary neurologist with over 20 years of clinical experience. In 2025, she joined Gallant, where she currently serves as the Vice President of Veterinary Affairs. She wants to discover what the future may hold for regenerative medicine in pets! Dr. Windsor explains what stem cells actually are, how they can regulate inflammation, tissue repair, and immune function. We discuss feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), one of the most painful and frustrating diseases seen in cats. Learn why some cats don't respond to traditional treatments and why stem cell therapy is generating so much excitement as a potential new treatment option. What is the difference between older stem cell techniques and modern therapies? What are the current FDA regulations of veterinary stem cell therapies?

Show Notes
90-day study to support reasonable expectation of efficacy for refractory FCGS published in JFMS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40999564/

Clinical field study evaluating the safety and efficacy of allogeneic uterine-derived mesenchymal stem cells for refractory feline chronic gingivostomatitis:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41757710/

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Therapy for Feline Osteoarthritis: https://www.gallant.com/science-library/mesenchymal-stromal-cell-msc-therapy-for-feline-osteoarthritis/

RACE Approved CE for Regenerative Medicine Era: https://learn.gallant.com/

Learn more about Gallant: https://www.gallant.com/

Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun. 🐾🎙️

In this episode of the Purr Podcast, Dr. Serge Chalhoub joins Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle to talk about something that is quietly changing how veterinarians work up feline urinary disease: point-of-care ultrasound. Rather than sending a cat off for specialist imaging or guessing at what is happening in the bladder, point-of-care ultrasound puts answers right there in the exam room, in real time, without the wait and without the stress of extra procedures. Dr. Chalhoub, a board-certified internal medicine specialist at the University of Calgary whose clinical interests center on nephrology, urology, and minimally invasive diagnostics, walks through what bedside ultrasound actually shows, when it changes the clinical picture, and why it is becoming an essential skill for practitioners.

Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun. 🐾🎙️

Dr. Mike is back with a bonus episode nobody scheduled, because the screwworm did not check our calendar. The New World screwworm has arrived in the United States for the first time in sixty years, confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, with a quarantine zone now covering fourteen Texas counties. While livestock take the hardest hit, cats are absolutely at risk, because the fly lays her eggs in any open wound, and even a small scratch or post-surgical incision is enough of an invitation. The saving grace is that a year of preparation preceded this moment, with FDA emergency use authorizations now covering cats, including Credelio Cat and NexGard COMBO, and most recently a generic over-the-counter nitenpyram option that kills larvae within hours. Dr. Mike explains what living in the affected zone actually means for your cat, and whether the screwworm’s steady northward march through Central America and Mexico is likely to continue up the map. We also cover the other infection keeping feline medicine on its toes: H5N1 in cats. More than 130 feline cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have been confirmed across the United States, from barn cats to strictly indoor pets, and cats appear to be exquisitely sensitive to the virus. The mortality rate sits somewhere between fifty and seventy percent, and whether infected cats can pass the virus to other cats remains an open and uncomfortable question. Two infections, one episode, and a very compelling argument for keeping your cat’s wounds clean and your raw milk off the menu. Do not miss this one.miss.

Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun. 🐾🎙️

Are we prescribing medications for FIC that lack meaningful evidence? Dr. Serge Chalhoub, a board-certified small animal internal medicine specialist and Professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, joins the Purr Podcast to discuss best practices in feline urinary disease management. His clinical and research interests focus on nephrology, urology, point-of-care ultrasound, and minimally invasive procedures. What should be first-line therapy for cats with lower urinary tract disease?

Thanks for tuning in to the Purr Podcast with Dr. Susan and Dr. Jolle!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review—it really helps other cat lovers and vet nerds find the show. Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes stories, cat trivia, and the occasional bad pun. And remember: every day is better with cats, curiosity, and maybe just a little purring in the background. Until next time—stay curious, stay kind, and give your cats an extra chin scratch from us. The Purr Podcast – where feline medicine meets feline fun. 🐾🎙️