AVMA pledges financial support of CATalyst Council

The AVMA has pledged an annual contribution of $5,000 to the CATalyst Council for 2011-2013.

The AVMA is one of several founding member organizations that established the CATalyst Council in 2008. The council was initially conceived of as a health- and welfare-based response to data showing that more dogs than cats receive veterinary care. Those goals soon expanded to focus also on the financial benefits to veterinary practices from increased feline visits.

Such CATalyst Council projects as consumer awareness campaigns align with the AVMA's strategic goal of promoting the economic health of the veterinary profession.

While the AVMA has been consistently supportive of the CATalyst Council since its inception and has produced a number of products to enhance the group's visibility and promote cat health and welfare, the Association had yet to contribute financially.

Recently, the council adopted a policy that prohibits recognition of "in-kind" support without a minimum financial contribution. Under this policy, the AVMA as a founding member would have continued to occupy a seat on the council's board of directors but would no longer have been recognized for its contributions.

So the AVMA Executive Board approved the AVMA Office of the Executive Vice President's recommendation for the $5,000 contribution, to come from the AVMA Communications Division line item titled "Partnership development."